Are the Saudis 'dumping' Obama?
America's alliance with Saudi Arabia is a bedrock of Mideast foreign policy. But will the House of Saud's anger with Obama lead it to sever ties?

The Obama administration sent two high-level envoys to Saudi Arabia in the past two weeks — Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser Tom Donilon — to try and mend America's close (and sometimes controversial) relations with the House of Saud. The Saudis are reportedly upset over President Obama's backing for Arab uprisings against entrenched rulers, among other issues. Is this spat overblown? Or could this disagreement drive the oil-rich desert monarchy to seek outside support elsewhere?
U.S.-Saudi ties "are in crisis": Tension is simmering on both sides, says Simon Henderson in Foreign Policy. Obama is fuming that the Saudis schemed to keep Egypt's Hosni Mubarak in power and "throttled back" their own oil production. And King Abdullah "feels let down by the White House on pretty well everything." Though the aging Abdullah "cuts an increasingly pathetic figure," that won't necessarily stop the Saudis from "dumping" Obama.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Saudis' won't stray too far: The crux of the problem is the Saudi monarchy's knee-jerk "opposition to the democratizing tide," says Brian M. Downing in Asia Times. The U.S. understands that "social change in the Middle East has made autocracy an ossified, useless, and foredoomed institution... even if the House of Saud does not." Still, ticked-off Saudis need to maintain "at least cordial ties with the only superpower," to ensure their external security.
"The House of Saud won't wake up"
But their anger at the U.S. is understandable: "It's hard to blame the Saudis for being furious" at Obama, says Benny Avni in the New York Post. His "on-again, off-again support of Mideast democracy (at best) fails to distinguish between friend and foe," and if he's willing to throw Mubarak "under the bus," what's to keep him from selling out "America's staunchest desert petroleum ally"? The Saudi's won't ditch the U.S. outright, but they'll show their displeasure in more "subtle" ways, likely at the gas pump.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 22, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - silenced voices, DOGE backlash, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 crazed cartoons about March Madness
Cartoons Artists take on the education bracket, apolitical moments, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk: has he made Tesla toxic?
Talking Point Musk's political antics have given him the 'reverse Midas touch' when it comes to his EV empire
By The Week UK Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published