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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Saudi Arabia
Index
A building flanking the central plaza of the Riyadh
Diplomatic Quarter
Courtesy Aramco World
View of Jiddah, formerly Saudi Arabia's diplomatic
capital
Courtesy Saudi Arabian Information Office
Headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh
Courtesy Aramco World
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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