Persian Gulf Allies Confront Crisis of Confidence in U.S.

Decades of cooperation and billions of dollars in weapons contracts have left the gulf nations deeply entwined with the United States and Britain in ways that cannot be quickly undone, analysts say.

.. American-made fighter jets are being used in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, but “none of these airplanes would fly if the United States refused to send parts,” Dr. Seznec said.

.. “Just as the United States is trying to lessen its dependence on Saudi oil, the Saudis are trying to lessen as much as possible their reliance on the American alliance,” Mr. Shammari said.

.. “The Saudi air force could not carry out day-in, day-out bombing missions without help from U.S. trainers and maintenance experts and the flow of spare parts and ammunition,” said Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, speaking about the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Shiite rebels in Yemen.

.. Mr. Seznec, of the School of Advanced International Studies, estimates that Saudi Arabia has spent about $500 billion to build its military in the last 20 years. About three-quarters of that money has gone to the United States.

 

 

Sale of U.S. Arms Fuels the Wars of Arab States

To wage war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is using F-15 fighter jets bought fromBoeing. Pilots from the United Arab Emirates are flying Lockheed Martin’s F-16 to bomb both Yemen and Syria. Soon, the Emirates are expected to complete a deal with General Atomics for a fleet of Predator drones to run spying missions in their neighborhood.

 

.. Saudi Arabia spent more than $80 billion on weaponry last year — the most ever, and more than either France or Britain — and has become the world’s fourth-largest defense market, according to figures released last week by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks global military spending. The Emirates spent nearly $23 billion last year, more than three times what they spent in 2006.

.. American intelligence agencies believe that the proxy wars in the Middle East could last for years, which will make countries in the region even more eager for the F-35 fighter jet, considered to be the jewel of America’s future arsenal of weapons.

.. “A good number of the American arms that have been used in Yemen by the Saudis have been used against civilian populations,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, an assertion that Saudi Arabia denies.

 

Saudi Arabia’s Influes: Oil, Imports, Investments

Everyone knows Saudi Arabia is among the biggest producers of oil. What is less appreciated is that Saudi Arabia is the only producer with a flexibility to turn the tap on and off. No other oil producer has that power due to the production either being in private hands or the government being too poor. In other words, Saudi Arabia has the most control over world’s energy prices – most critical for western economies.

.. Saudi Arabia is among the world’s biggest arms importers – most of which is from US and Europe. It also imports billions of dollars worth of cars, machinery, medicines and other important items from the west.

.. In short, Saudi Arabia has the biggest influence over energy prices, is the biggest partner of the US in the region, is among the biggest importers and among the biggest investors. Most importantly, the lack of democracy provides a leadership stability that is absent in that region.