An American Misunderstanding of the New Gulf

Asharq Al-Awsat, London, May 20

It is becoming increasingly clear with each passing day that the influential role of Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is simply misunderstood and underappreciated within the United States. For example, following the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Washington tried to force Gulf states to “weaponize” their oil exports in order to pressure the Russian economy. However, Saudi Arabia refused to politicize its oil exports and insisted on letting market forces shape the global supply and demand of oil. What is surprising is that, throughout the years, Western commentators, researchers and politicians have repeatedly blamed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states for politicizing the issue of energy and oil. They frequently cited the 1973 oil crisis as an example, yet today seem to have radically changed their minds and become supportive of this trend. The Egyptian political researcher and writer Dr. Abdel Moneim Saeed, noting the American confusion in understanding Gulf politics at the present time, says that there are “currents” or “schools” within the American elite regarding dealing with Gulf politics. The first consists of those who worked in the Gulf and view this issue as a kind of “misunderstanding” that can be fixed through dialogue; the other consists of those who believe that everyone who doesn’t stand with Washington is inherently against it. What Saeed points out is that a lot about our world order has changed in recent years: America isn’t as strong as it used to be, Gulf states have undergone extensive reforms, and the global arena has become more competitive. The world today is radically different from the world that many Washington elites have been accustomed to. So long as journalists, researchers and policymakers in America fail to accept this reality, they will fail to understand many of their allies, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In any case, Gulf states will continue to modernize themselves and reassess their priorities given their ever-changing region. The train has already left the station, and it will not stop. The question is whether American observers of this reality will finally come to terms with it. –Meshary Al-Dhaidy (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)