It's the Oil, Stupid: U.S. policy for Saudi Arabia

As one might imagine for unitary government systems, the article concerning the Saudi Arabian government is very brief. It is unnecessary to go further than this:

Politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of an absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is not only head of state, but also the head of government. The central institution of Saudi Arabian Government is the monarchy. The Basic Law adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of King Abd Al Aziz Al Saud, and that the Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law.

A King rules Saudi Arabia on the base of Islamic Law. That makes it a monarchy and a theocracy. That is no basis for criticism as most of western civilization developed under the same conditions which often included such less desirable characteristics:

The situation of human rights in Saudi Arabia is generally considered to be very poor. Under the authoritarian rule of the Saudi royal family, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enforced strict laws under a doctrine of Wahabism (a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, Islamic religious law). Many basic freedoms as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights do not exist; it is alleged that capital punishment and other penalties are often given to suspected criminals without due process. Saudi Arabia has also come under fire for its oppression of religious and political minorities, torture of prisoners, and attitude toward foreign expatriates, homosexuality, and women. Although major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly expressed concern about the states of human rights in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom denies that any human rights abuses take place.

Saudi Arabia is ruled by a king against whom allegations of human rights abuses are fairly well substantiated. However, there has never been the slightest effort by the U.S. government of any administration to resolve these concerns. To shed some light on this ostensible contradiction, follow this link.

Saudi oil reserves are the largest in the world, and Saudi Arabia is the world's leading oil producer and exporter. Oil accounts for more than 90% of the country's exports and nearly 75% of government revenues. Proven reserves are estimated to be 260 billion barrels (41 km³), about one-quarter of world oil reserves.

More than 95% of all Saudi oil is produced on behalf of the Saudi Government by the parastatal giant Saudi ARAMCO. In June 1993, Saudi ARAMCO absorbed the state marketing and refining company (SAMAREC), becoming the world's largest fully integrated oil company. Most Saudi oil exports move by tanker from Gulf terminals at Ras Tanura and Ju'aymah. The remaining oil exports are transported via the east-west pipeline across the kingdom to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. A major new gas initiative promises to bring significant investment by U.S. and European oil companies to develop nonassociated gas fields in three separate parts of Saudi Arabia. Following final technical agreements with concession awardees in December 2001, development should begin in 2002.

The oil that Saudi Arabia sells to the rest of the United States ensures that the U.S. will allow them to do whatever they want within their own country. There is no other conclusion that could possibly be drawn. Imagine what would/will happen when/if the Saudis begins selling oil to India and China.

Tags: oil, Middle East, Corporations, U.S. Foreign Policy, Bush Administration, Saudi Arabia