Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

Abstract

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global influence through its administration of the birthplace of the Islamic faith and by virtue of its large oil reserves. Close U.S.-Saudi official relations have survived a series of challenges since the 1940s. In recent years, shared concerns over Sunni Islamist extremist terrorism and Iranian government policies have provided a renewed logic for continued strategic cooperation. Political upheaval and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa appear to have strained bilateral ties, but the full effect has yet to be determined.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 22, 2016
Accession Number
AD1013586

Entities

People

  • Christopher M. Blanchard

Organizations

  • Congressional Research Service

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Employment
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Man Borne Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Military Operations
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Teamwork
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.