Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has joined hands with his arch enemy Iran at the behest of China. Saudi Arabia is traditionally considered close to the US. But, ever since Mohammed bin Salman took power, the distance between Saudi Arabia and America has been increasing. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is coming closer to old enemies of America like Russia and China.
In the last few months, Saudi Arabia has taken several decisions one after the other, which are against American interests. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is considering cutting crude oil production amid rising oil and gas prices. In such a situation, the question arises whether Saudi Arabia is attacking its own foot leaving old friend America.
Ready to move forward without Saudi America
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has indicated he is willing to go it alone without US help to advance Saudi interests. Whether that means retaliating against US adversaries like Iran or cutting off oil supplies. Prince Salman has focused on Vision 2030 to make Saudi Arabia a major economic powerhouse.
The Crown Prince knows that one day Saudi’s oil reserves will run out. In such a situation, they want to reduce the dependence of the country’s economy on oil. He wants to make Saudi Arabia a business and tourism hub.
When did Saudi Arabia change its strategy?
Analysts say Saudi Arabia’s shift in strategy began in 2019 after devastating attacks on Saudi Aramco’s oil facilities. After this Saudi raised questions on US security commitments. Israeli attacks on Iranian targets during this period further weakened the relationship.
Saudi Arabia believed that the attack on its refinery by Houthi rebels operating in Yemen was a failure of America. A few days before the attack, the US military had removed the Patriot air defense system on the orders of the then President Donald Trump.
Why is Saudi Arabia distancing itself from America?
Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Sagar said that Saudi Arabia is moving from isolation to engagement so that it can focus on moving forward on Vision 2030. Meanwhile, on Sunday, OPEC countries have started talks on further cuts in oil production.
This has created a stir in the global market. It is feared that this decision of OPEC will further increase the prices of oil and gas all over the world. However, it will not have much effect on those countries which are buying cheap oil and gas from Russia.
Saudi wants to lead Gulf countries
Saudi Arabia wants to prove its strength again by uniting the Gulf countries. This is the reason why Saudi Arabia has decided to organize the Arab League Summit. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will also be invited to this conference to be held in Riyadh in May. America does not recognize the government of Basar al-Assad. America believes that the elections held in Syria have been rigged on a large scale. At the same time, Syria says that America behaves like this because of its proximity to Russia.