From the CIAO Atlas Map of Middle East 

MERIA

Middle East Review of International Affairs

Volume 9, Number 2, June 2005

 

Saudi-U.S. Alignment after the Six-Day War
by John D. Ciorciari *

 

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of the Six-Day War on the U.S.-Saudi relationship, an alliance that has long contributed to the political, economic, and military shape of the Middle East. It also considers why these ties did not suffer more dramatically following a bitter conflict in which Washington and Riyadh backed opposite sides. From an American standpoint, why did the alliance remain largely intact despite Riyadh's considerable opposition to U.S. policy and participation in the 1967 oil embargo? For the Saudis, why did the intense indignation — at both public and elite levels — at U.S. support for Israel not prompt a break in relations? The answers to these questions are not only of historical interest. Understanding the basic dynamics that drive international alignment is as important today as it was during the height of the Cold War.

Full Text (PDF, 22 pages, 108.8 KB)

Note *: John D. Ciorciari (Harvard A.B., J.D.; Oxford M.Phil.) is a doctoral candidate in International Relations at St. Antony's College, Oxford, where he was the Wai Seng Senior Research Scholar from 2002-2004. He has taught Cold War history, Middle East politics, international relations, and U.S. foreign policy at Oxford and has researched the dynamics of alliances as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.