SUSRIS, the Saudi-US Relations Information Service known for its excellent features and in-depth reports on Saudi Arabia, shares a recent presentation given by Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi scholar and senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies based in Riyadh on Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy and diplomacy in the “Post-Arab Spring.” For inside and outside observers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy, this item is a must-read.
As SUSRIS editor Pat Ryan notes in his introduction to the item, “Last May in very blunt language Obaid discussed what he referred to as a ‘tectonic shift’ in Saudi-US relations in a Washington Post op-ed. There were new terms by which Riyadh would no longer abide by what it saw as ‘misguided’ American policies. According to Obaid ‘Riyadh has often protested but ultimately acquiesced to what it saw as misguided U.S. policies.’ He added, ‘Riyadh intends to pursue a much more assertive foreign policy, at times conflicting with American interests,’ and ‘Saudi Arabia remains strong and stable, lending muscle to its invigorated foreign policy.’”
The slideshow of Obaid’s “Saudi Arabia in a Post “Arab Spring” Environment” is available in full on SUSRIS.com.
