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Saudi Arabia
FOREIGN POLICY
Since at least the late 1950s, three consistent themes have dominated
Saudi foreign policy: regional security, Arab nationalism, and
Islam. These themes inevitably became closely intertwined during
the formulation of actual policies. For example, the preoccupation
with regional security issues, including concern for both regime
stability and the safety of petroleum exports, resulted in the
kingdom's establishing a close strategic alliance with the United
States. Yet this relationship, which remained strong in 1992,
often had complicated Saudi efforts to maintain solidarity with
other Arab countries, primarily because many Arabs, especially
during the 1960s and 1970s, believed United States support for
Israel was detrimental to their national interests. The close
ties with the non-Muslim United States also contrasted with the
strained relations that existed between Saudi Arabia and certain
predominantly Muslim countries that challenged the kingdom's efforts
to portray itself as the principal champion of Islamic causes.
Data as of December 1992
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