Saudi Arabia Bribed the Wrong People

Analysis Riyadh’s bet on Trumpism has failed. , a professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, editor of Arc Digital, and the author of Drones and Terrorism. Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, both grinning, grasp each others' hand in a White House setting. President Donald Trump (right) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting in the White House Oval Office in Washington on Nov. 18, 2025. Win McNamee/ Get audio access with any FP subscription. LOGIN September 24, 2026, PM Saudi Arabia is in serious trouble. Its global influence primarily comes from its leading position as an oil producer and the money resulting from that role, but now the Middle East is on fire. Today, Saudi tankers are blocked in the Persian Gulf and under threat in the Red Sea, and the country’s biggest oil pipeline had to shut down after a drone attack. Yet Saudi Arabia’s biggest long-term problem may be that its longtime security guarantor, the United States, is unable to put out the fire and doesn’t seem especially interested in trying. Since World War II and especially since the end of the Cold War, the Middle East has rested on a deal: U. S. military dominance provides relative stability, deterring and countering aggression, ensuring freedom of navigation, containing Iran, organizing air defense, and helping friendly governments to stay in power. In exchange, Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf Arab states—Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—host U. S. bases, cooperate on counterterrorism, and maintain the smooth flow of oil. The clearest example of this working was in 1990-91, when a U. S.-led coalition prevented Iraq from taking any Saudi oil fields and pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia is in serious trouble. Its global influence primarily comes from its leading position as an oil producer and the money resulting from that role, but now the Middle East is on fire. Today, Saudi tankers are blocked in the Persian Gulf and under threat in the Red Sea, and the country’s biggest oil pipeline had to shut down after a drone attack. Yet Saudi Arabia’s biggest long-term problem may be that its longtime security guarantor, the United States, is unable to put out the fire and doesn’t seem especially interested in trying. Since World War II and especially since the end of the Cold War, the Middle East has rested on a deal: U.