We don’t hear much about the Saudis. Will the Saudis severe ties with the US? And, can we continue to have a “double-standard” of a relationship with the Saudis? - Jinx
Good question…hard to tell.
The Saudi government doesn’t particularly like the Mullahs and such in their own country. The Mullahs obviously want more say in the government but the government till now has kept them at bay.
This is part of the reason the Saudis seem to play both sides of the fence. They can’t just ignore the fundamentalists in their country or their own people might very well toss the monarchy all out on the heads. So the government placates the fundmentalists and for the most part they stay out of their business. On the flip-side the US is a substantial part of the wealth of those in the government and they don’t want to piss the US off either.
However, when push comes to shove they’ll forego the money and good will with the US to avoid getting hung by their own people.
I guess in the end it really depends how up-in-arms the populace gets over a potential war in Iraq.