Associate Professor, History Program Department of Humanities, College of Arts& Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Online published on 25 June, 2019.
The end of the Cold War was supposed to usher in a time of peace and global tranquility. That peace has proven elusive at best with enemies who do not always wave their banners proudly leading to much confusion as to who the enemy really are as well as their intended goals. The end of the Cold War roughly coincided with the first major involvement of US forces in the Persian Gulf region with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. This massive troop buildup and deployment has been cited by many experts and historians as the genesis of today's conflicts between the United States and several terrorist organizations most notably Al-Qaeda.1 The superficial answer for the reason behind US involvement at that time was oil, but as are many explanations for occurrences in the region, it is just not that simple. The special relationship that the United States has with Saudi Arabia played a major part in the decision to base operations for Desert Storm in Islam's most holy country.
Since the end of what has been called “The Gulf War” or “The First Gulf War” in recent lexicon, the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia has mirrored that of a married couple long since their nuptials. There have been ups, working together to defeat terrorist plots and to strengthen the region, as well as downs, 2 the immediate aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, yet the future is still uncertain. Golden years could await the relationship as it transitions with its aging leadership or perhaps a divorce is looming on the horizon. Both parties are well aware that their future is tumultuous at best and are more than willing to work for their own best interests at the expense of the other.3 As long as they share similar goals; however, the relationship still has merits and is tenable. Both parties have vested interests in stability throughout the region, especially since the Arab Spring of two years ago that claimed so many governments throughout the Islamic world. They also share a concern for some sort of binding resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, combating terrorist organizations, blunting Iran's influence abroad, as well as preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.4 These shared interests make up the mainstay of US foreign policy with regards to the Middle East. As long as there remains a common vision, these two nations will continue to work together steering the boat towards the horizon with each eyeing their own desired destination.
