1. US Military Presence in Saudi Arabia
US Military Presence in Saudi ArabiaGeopolitical views of Saudi Arabia in relation to US
Military bases occupancyThe Saudi government and the United States governments have
had strong political and security relations for decades. However, an issue that continues to
create controversy is the occupation of American troops in Saudi Arabia. Many Muslims are
not comfortable with the idea of United States occupation of the region that houses the
holiest sites in Islam. Saudi Arabia is home to Mecca and Medina which are Islam’ s holiest
sites.Geopolitical views of Saudis regarding U. S. military presenceOne area that Osama Bin
Laden exploited in his bid to garner support against the American presence in the Middle
East was this sacred region. The Saudi Arabians felt that the Americans were demeaning
their religion by setting up base in a region that they considered sacred. The Khobar Towers
bombing and the United States September 11th terrorist attacks are believed to have been
motivated by the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia. Barbara Slavin
argues that the Saudi Government does not want the U. S. military to leave, “ But a minority
of religious extremists views our presence there as against Islam and the government is
sensitive to public opinion.” (Slavin 3)The 2006-2008 Gallup opinion polls found that
majority of citizens in most of the Muslim countries objected to the military presence in U. S.
Saudi Arabia. In the polls, “ 52% of Saudis agreed that removing military bases from Saudi
Arabia would significantly improve their opinion of United States.” This objection gets even
greater when the Saudi Arabians see the U. S. as supporting the Saud royal family (Mallard,
n.d.). The Saud family continues its friendly relations with the American government but
oppresses its citizens. Frustration over the royal family’ s dictatorship is so much that
channels like homosexuality are sought to relieve the frustration. Drugs are another
problem with one Saudi prince known to import the drugs that permanently debilitate the
mind and through his network distributes it to the citizens (Mallard, n.d.). Osama Bin Laden
finds this partnership of the American government and the Saud royal family as another
opportunity to convince the citizens of the need to remove U. S. troops from their country.
In his campaign against U. S. military presence he says “ We have focused our declaration on
striking at the soldiers in the country of the Two Holy Places.” (Bergen 321). He called for
the Saudis to stand up together arguing that the Jihad was aimed at removing American
troops from the Saudi kingdom.Beliefs regarding benefits and disadvantagesThe continued
occupation of American military troops in Saudi Arabia is seen by the citizens to most
benefit the royal family. This belief originates from the idea that the U. S. military supports
this dictatorial royal family. However, some citizens attribute the improved education,
2. health, sanitary and security issues to the efforts of the American government. Barbara
Slavin reports that “ The average Saudi admires the United States and wishes he could visit
or send a child for education here” (Slavin 17). This view that the Saudis are culturing
concerning western education will be reflected in their education system which currently
prioritizes religious education. Women have also been seen to benefit from the mandate on
hospitals to report cases of abuse. The American government pressure on the Saudi
government to do away with uncivilized practices as this will ensure that the rights of
women and children are observed. Saudi Arabians also feel that the U. S. military presence
has protected the country against armed invasion. The invasion of Kuwait Saudi Arabia’ s
leaders by Saddam is an example of the benefits of U. S. military help (Jevedanfar, n.d.).
Saddam’ s battle hardened army would have crushed Saudi Arabia’ s troops were it not for
the support of the United States army. The supply of weapons ensures the Saudi army
accesses some of the best weapons hence being more able to defend themselves. There is
also the training of Saudi armies through the security assistance organization which is
offered by U. S. troops in the country. The biggest disadvantage that Saudi nationals attach
to the American military presence is the religious and cultural change. The Muslim people
attach extreme importance to their religion therefore the few reported cases of Saudi-
American intermarriages and increase in Christian population cause the Saudi people to
panic. There is also the belief that the American government does not sympathize with the
nationals since it continues to support and protect the royal family yet it practices
dictatorship. The BBC report of “ a lone Saudi gunman opened fire on the Saudi police who
were guarding the compound” is an example of the frustration of the Saudi Arabians at the
U. S. military support of the royal family (Mallard, n.d.).Saudi’ s relationship with the U. S.
military in the futureThe future of relations between the U. S. military and Saudi Arabia is
based on the protection of the oil riches in the kingdom and future nuclear sites. Although
the Saudi citizens still remain opposed to the U. S. military presence in their country,
defense ties are quietly being expanded by the two countries. Defense against Saudi
Arabia’ s rival, Iran, would require a more sophisticated air and missile defense system.
Saudi Arabia is also planning to engage in a historic $60 billion arms deal with the U. S. in
order to ensure they gain air superiority over Iran (Burns 8). In the recent U. S. – Saudi talks
on how to forge stronger military ties, a sensitive approach has been used considering that a
lot regarding U. S. energy security, the Arab-Israeli peace process and the Saudi defense
system depends on the outcomes of the talks (Burns 11). The Saudi people need the
multiagency project that the U. S. is offering them which will have the special security force
of Saudi Arabia grow to 35, 000 members. The force will be trained and equipped by the U.
S. personnel. The oil infrastructure that will be protected by this force is very important in
ensuring the Energy security of U. S. is guaranteed. The Saudis do not fancy American troops
presence but due to the vulnerability of their energy production facilities and risk from
terrorists such as Al Qaida whose agenda is to disrupt global economy, U. S. military
assistance is the best option. However, the U.S. government plans to reduce the number of
troops in Saudi Arabia leaving only the required capacity to counter any threats from rival
neighbors and terrorists.ConclusionSaudi Arabia and the United States have shared a
healthy relationship for many decades. However, the Saudi citizens object to the occupation
3. of the U. S. military in their country. The religious leaders also share the same view arguing
that the presence of the troops is against Islam. There is also concern over the military’ s
support of the royal family which rules by dictatorship. These objections do not mean that
American intervention in the activities of Saudi Arabia lacks benefits to the locals. The
nationals have benefited a lot in areas relating to education, health and security. The
limitations that arise from these interventions, though, include religious and cultural
changes. The support of the royal family by the U. S. military is also another issue that the
Saudis find disheartening. The future of U. S. military relations in the future is expected to
increase in terms of training and weapon supply. The numbers of U. S. troops, though, is
expected to reduce slowly with time.Works CitedBergen, Peter L. Holy War Inc. Inside the
secret world of Osama Bin Laden. New York: Free Press. 2001.Burns, Robert. “ U.S. quietly
expanding defense ties with Saudis” . abcNews/U.S. Posted May 19, 2011. 28 Sept. 2011 <
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13635972>Javedanfar, Meir. “ Saudi Arabia –
Trade and Diplomatic relations with the U. S.” Meepas. 28 Sept. 2011 <
http://www.meepas.com/Saudiarabiarelationswithunitedstates.htm>Mallard, Herb. “ Are
those under the Saud family rule fed up?” Sauduction.com. 28 Sept. 2011 <
http://www.sauduction.com/issues/23>Slavin, Barbara. “ Saudi Arabia.” Talk Today.
Posted January 21, 2005. 28 Sept. 2011 <
http://www.usatoday.com/community/chat/2002-04-25-slavin.htm>
