Research Question
Is the exchange of US weapon-based AID to Saudi Arabia valuable to both countries?
Introduction to relations between the US and KSA
The United States and Saudi Arabia have engaged in relations since 1933 despite the countries having completely different views in the government rulings. The United States are a democracy and believe in separation of the church and state awhile the Kingdom is an absolute Islamic ruled monarch. Relations between the two countries began when a group of American explorers in Saudi Arabia discovered oil. When the Americans’ discovered the oil they provided funding and co-founded ARAMCO (Arab American Company). The Americans’ were in this company and had much involvement until 1950 when King Abdul-Aziz threatened to nationalize his countries oil supply and pressured the company into giving the country 50% of the company’s profit (Citino). During 1973 the US supported Israel during the 1973 war following, this angered the Saudis so they took a 60% control in the company; by 1980 the Saudis took a 100% control of the company (Thompson). With full control of the company this increased the government’s wealth with a monopoly of the country’s oil and full control of the world’s leading oil producer.
The oil trade was the basis of the relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Relations between the two were smooth until 1933 when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were angered by the United States favoring Israel becoming an independent Jewish state. The Saudis had the advantage and threatened to hold their oil hostage and break away from the States. However, with the demand for oil since the World War approaching, the United States sent their first diplomat to Saudi...
... middle of paper ...
...diana UP, 2002. Print.
Thompson, Eric V. "Oil Company Histories." Oil Company Histories. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
Kopp, Harry W., and Charles A. Gillespie. Career Diplomacy Life and Work in the US Foreign Service. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown UP, 2008. Print.
Dorman, Shawn. Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work. Washington, D.C.: Foreign Service, 2011. Print.
Gause, F. Gregory. The International Relations of the Persian Gulf. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.
United States. United States Department of State. Bureau of Public Affairs. GIST. Washington DC: United States Government, 1987. Print.
Blanchard, Christopher M. "Congressional Research Service Reports on the Middle East and the Arab World." Congressional Research Service Reports on the Middle East and the Arab World. United States Government, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 May 2014.
Throughout the 20th century, successive presidents pursued foreign policy in different ways but with one objective and that is to make America the most powerful nation on earth. Despite the challenges of each administration during this century, presidents found a way to put American at the frontline as the undisputed super power. President Taft pursued an aggressive foreign policy by introducing dollar diplomacy which was meant to encourage U.S. investments in the Latin America and the Caribbean. He used government officials to promote this policy in hope that it will create markets for American products in the region. President Wilson made a promise to the American people that he will focus on domestic policy agenda and rarely will his administration
BookRags Staff. 2005. "America 1900-1909: Government and Politics: Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy." [Available Online] [cited June 22, 2008] Available from http://www.bookrags.com/
U.S. policymakers then began to focus on Mideast oil in 1943 and began to make decisions about whether or not the venture would work in the long run economically. However there was also another superpower that had their eye on the Middle East and its rich foundation of oil. The British began also to desire concessions in the Middle East and to become a contender in the race towards power. This competition caused problems between the two countries and in 1944 the countries attempted to form an agreement however, this agreement failed because of the opposition in the United States senate.
Between 1895 and 1920, the years in which William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson reigned in the presidents, the United States struggled for not only justice at home but abroad as well. During this period policies such as Roosevelt’s Big Stick diplomacy, William Taft’s Dollar diplomacy, and Woodrow Wilson’s Moral diplomacy were all used in foreign affairs in hopes of benefit for all involved. However, it would be appropriate to say that self-interest was the most important driving factor for American policy and can be exemplified through economic, social, and political relations.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States and held the office from 1913-1921. He became known as “the Crusader” due to his foreign policy theory that America should be a beacon of liberty and aggressively pursue the spread of democracy throughout the world. His policy would enable America to prosper economically and develop an international security community through the promotion of democracy in other nations. While former Secretary of State Kissinger writes in his book Diplomacy that 20th century American foreign policy has been driven by Wilsonian idealism, an analysis of 21st century US foreign policy reveals that, in fact, US foreign policy has been influenced by ideals that can be characterized as Hamiltonian, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian as well.
Link’s book was published in 1979 and was written based upon privet manuscript collections, government archives from the U.S, Brittan, France and Germany, as well as newspapers. Link also reaches from monographs, biographies, and articles from numerous colleagues. (Link.pg 129) Each of these sources are solid and reliable sources, and were well used to put together a book packed with information on Woodrow Wilson’s life. Link uses many firsthand accounts from Wilson himself, but seems almost suspicious of accounts that were not presented first hand. Though Link is extremely selective in what he chose to present, the book clearly presents these facts, but has a very bias opinion of Wilson as discussed earlier. Link’s evidence, though selective, fits nicely in the monograph and makes the aspects of Wilson that he does cover clear and easy to read
Oil has always been a coveted natural resource. Oil was discovered in the United States in 1859; since it was a young industry, it was without any structure. That is where John Davison Rockefeller stepped in. John Rockefeller was at one point one of the richest men in the world, monopolizing the oil industry which played a major role in shaping the economy.
Cultures are unique in many ways; it is irregular to see cultures that are exactly the same as another. While some may borrow parts from neighboring countries or villages, all in all, their unique differences are what make each culture significant. One of the things about the Saudi Arabia and the culture is how derived it is around history, faith, marketing, control, and how westernization affects the country. Other things that will be discussed about the country Saudi Arabia relates to what is important not only to me, but also the way we as Americans culturally identify ourselves with the women of the country.
On the international scene, diplomacy is employed between nations as a means of negotiating on issues regarding trade, environment, culture, peacemaking among others for the mutual benefit the parties/nations involved. Personal diplomacy is premised on the idea of engaging face-to-face or having one on one discussions with partners in a non-threatening environment with an aim to persuade someone and seek common ground on issues.
Although the United Sates and Saudi Arabia present the United States and Saudi Arabia’s relationship as excellent, there are actually two nations who have bitter disagreements but who allies through oil. The only thing that has held this alliance together is the US dependence on Saudi oil. The United States has felt and still fells that it is a necessity to have bases present in the Middle East to protect oil, and silently to protect Israel. The relationship began in 1933 when Standard Oil of California signed an agreement with the Saudi government. In 1943 FDR affirmed that the defense of Saudi Arabia was a vital interest to the United States and moved troops into the region. Future presidents would emulate this declaration and mobilization of troops to Saudi Arabia. Again in 1945 Abd al Aziz, the Saudi king, and FDR would cement this alliance, on a US warship in the Suez Canal. Soon after, airfields were constructed at Dhahran and other spots over Saudi Arabia; beginning a long tradition of US military facilities in Saudi Arabia. Abd al Aziz was the first of his line of successors to meet with US presidents. The relationship was only strengthened with the onset on the Cold war, as the US used the bases in Saudi Arabia as potential air force launch sites to the USSR and constructed more military facilities. In 1941 Harry S. Truman made another assertion of Americas protection and alliance with Saudi Arabia to Abd Al Aziz. Truman stated that “support for Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and political independence was a primary objective of the United States.” (Countrystudies.com) Another stipulation of this pact was that the US established a permanent military training mission in the Saudi Arabia. That mission lasted until 1992. Soon after the pact between Truman and Aziz was agreed upon the US-Saudi relationship would endure its first major disagreement. On May 14th, 1948 Israel was declared an independent state in the former Arab dominated Palestine. Israel’s independence was backed the United States. Saudi Arabia refused to acknowledge the country of Israel and to engage in any relations with them. The Saudis concerns of the Israel-US relationship were reinforced in the 1970’s and 1980’s when the US sold arms to Israel, but refused to sell arms to Saudi Arabia. In some cases congressional leaders refused to sell arms to Saudi Arabia on the grounds that Saudi Arabia might use them against Israel.
LEADERSHIP AND FOREIGN POLICY: Contrasting between the liberalist and realist views, discuss the role of a leader in influencing foreign policy.
The author exposes how the American and Arabs cultures met and interacted. It is clear that the Arab people did not comprehend the changes they would face. Furthermore, the Americans had to adapt but somehow still overcome religion and tradition. Consequently, the beginning of the oil era brought financial wealth but for the greater part brought painful changes to Arab societies. It is difficult to understand how oil wealth did not completely modernize the Middle East for a greater good. Instead we know about the real situation in both the novel and the real Arab culture and how oil money paired with retroactive empires, old religious beliefs and self-absorbed Western governments took over.
Crimes punishable by the death sentence in Saudi Arabia include murder, serious attacks on the Islam religion, adultery, dress codes, and since 1987, drug smuggling. Under Saudi Arabian law, serious crimes merit serious consequences. Repeated theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand, administered under anesthetic. Because most meals in Saudi Arabia are eaten by hand from a communal bowl and only the right hand may touch the food, this punishment effectively bans the convicted thief from society. The severity of this punishment has led to a slight softening of the law in recent years; now if the thief repents and makes restitution before the case is brought before a judge, the punishment can be reduced... furthermore, the victim of the crime may demand payment rather than amputation of the thief’s right hand, and in some cases the victim is even permitted to parden the criminal. In a typical year at least ten hands amputations are carried out for repeated thievery in Saudi Arabia. (Goodwin, 1943) Today in the United States, crimes such as theft are punishable by jail sentence if they have more than one thievery act.
The first paradigm of international relations is the theory of Realism. Realism is focused on ideas of self-interest and the balance of power. Realism is also divided into two categories, classical realism and neo-realism. Famous political theorist, Hans Morgenthau was a classical realist who believed that national interest was based on three elements, balance of power, military force, and self interest (Kleinberg 2010, 32). He uses four levels of analysis to evaluate the power of a state. The first is that power and influence are not always the same thing. Influence means the ability to affect the decision of those who have the power to control outcomes and power is the ability to determine outcomes. An example of influence and power would be the UN’s ability to influence the actions of states within the UN but the state itself has the power to determine how they act. Morgenthau goes on to his next level of analysis in which he explains the difference in force and power in the international realm. Force is physical violence, the use of military power but power is so much more than that. A powerful state can control the actions of another state with the threat of force but not actually need to physical force. He believed that the ability to have power over another state simply with the threat of force was likely to be the most important element in analysis the power of as state (Kleinberg 2010, 33-34).
international politics (politics in general) are objective to be interpreted by one's own understanding of