Improved Saudi-American relations in conjunction with normalization efforts with Israel

A series of visits by American officials to Saudi Arabia in recent times signals a warming of relations between Riyadh and Washington, amidst growing talk about efforts towards normalization between Israel and the Kingdom, according to analysts.

Less than a year after Washington issued an unspecified "consequences" warning to Riyadh over a dispute concerning oil supplies, US President Joe Biden dispatched senior aides to hold meetings with the Saudi royal family.

Over the past weekend, Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, arrived in the coastal city of Jeddah overlooking the Red Sea for talks on the Ukraine conflict. This marked his third visit to the Kingdom within a few months.

Bilateral sessions took place between the American and Saudi sides, notably during the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June, which lasted three days. The discussions covered various topics, including counterterrorism and the war in Yemen. The normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations remained a key item on the agenda.

According to Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, "There is no doubt that US-Saudi relations have improved in recent months."

He adds, "The dialogue has become more comprehensive and amicable," noting that the normalization issue with Israel was "a driving force behind that."

However, substantial obstacles remain in achieving actual normalization. It is said that Riyadh is fiercely negotiating to extract gains from the Americans, including security assurances and assistance in a civilian nuclear program capable of enriching uranium.

Saudi officials have long pledged to adhere to the position of the Arab League for decades, which is to not normalize relations with Israel before the resolution of the Palestinian conflict.

Hisham Alghanam, Director of National Security Programs at the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh, suggests that despite this, coordination between Washington and Riyadh is now "better than ever in the past two years."

He emphasizes that current relations are "warmer and closer. They are not in an ideal state, but they are in the best condition since President Biden took office."

The issues that have strained US-Saudi relations for decades, such as human rights concerns and Saudi worries about Washington's credibility as a security partner, are well-known.

These concerns grew after the 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities claimed by Yemeni Houthi rebels and blamed on Iran. These attacks temporarily halved oil production.

At the time, Saudis harbored great hope due to the lackluster response of former President Donald Trump's administration to these attacks, which led Riyadh to undermine the traditional oil-for-security trade with Washington.

Alghanam believes that the growing cooperation with Moscow and Beijing indicates that Riyadh is no longer satisfied with putting "all its eggs in the American basket."

He points out that even as Saudis work to build what a government adviser referred to as a "portfolio of relationships with global powers," it's important not to overestimate any decline in Washington's standing.

He continues, "No great power has a major military presence in the region other than the United States, and this will remain the case for many years to come." The recent deployment of three thousand US troops in the Red Sea is further evidence of this, in response to Iran's seizure of oil tankers in the region.



AFP