The Americans think that they have the credit for the discovery of Saudi oil, and they sometimes deal with the Saudis from this door, and you see this in the statements of the American media or members of Congress, which are messages that are said by those who cannot state them among the official men of power.
This is not true, as King Abdulaziz was the one who led the discovery project, and he was the one who sent after contractors, explorers and geologists, and sent his advisors to search for someone who could provide that service, and oil would have been discovered at the hands of American companies at the time or not really at the hands of other companies, and the Americans were preceded by British discoverers They did not succeed, and even the board of directors of the “Standard Oil of California” company that undertook the exploration operations in the east of the country was about to announce its failure and leave, had it not been for the discovery of well 7, or the so-called well.
In its infancy, the relationship was between the owner of Halal – the Saudis, and the contractor – the American companies, and the US government did not open up to the Saudi oil industry until later, after realizing its size and importance.
The Saudis built excellent relations with the Americans over many decades, but at the same time they went through many crises, starting with King Abdulaziz’s message to US President Roosevelt through the Chargé d’Affaires of the American Commission in Cairo, which reads:
Mr. President. We have read what has been published about the position of the United States government regarding support for the Jews in Palestine, and given our confidence in your love for truth and justice, and in the adherence of the American people to the basic democratic traditions based on support for truth and justice and support for the conquered peoples, and given the friendly relations that exist between our kingdom and the government of the United States, we would like to We draw your attention, Mr. President, to the issue of the Arabs in Palestine and their legitimate rights in it.
And the crisis of extremism in the administration of President John F. Kennedy and his rough dealings with the kingdom, which, as usual, favored revolutionary countries with the democrats, and the relationship with him reached the point of preventing him from selling military aircraft and stopping the sending of spare parts for equipment, which is a cheap method used by some American administrations with their allies in order to put pressure on them.
Another crisis afflicted relations following the October 73 party, in which Riyadh topped the international scene after it cut off oil supplies from countries supporting Israel's war on the Arabs, which necessitated the hasty arrival of US Secretary of State Kissinger to Riyadh and the messages he faced during it confirming the independence of the Saudi decision.
The East Wind missile crisis in the mid-1980s, and the subsequent crisis of expelling the American ambassador in Riyadh, as well as many crises in which Riyadh took an independent position, not affiliated with Washington, including the events of September 11, the refusal to invade Iraq, the rejection of the new Middle East project, and the creative chaos , the Arab Spring, Obama's destructive project, and finally the relationship with the current President Biden's administration, and the political confusion that permeates it in Washington.
It is true that Saudi-American relations were mostly a relationship of sharing and exchanging interests, in which the Saudis were honest, and if they committed themselves, they would not break a covenant or covenant, but that did not prevent them from stopping in front of relations with the American and reviewing them when necessary.
Oil will remain, one of the most important sources of human life, and although the Americans produce up to 15 million barrels alone, they think themselves guardians of any drop of oil that comes out in this world, but why? I do not think that anyone knows an answer to the question other than Washington's desire to impose hegemony.
During the long decades of more than eighty years of the history of selling oil in global markets, the Saudis and others saw in the international interest that the dollar remain a balance for pricing a barrel, so that the “petrodollar” would become the sign of the international economy, but Washington and its allies reached a stage of paranoia, and politics and mutual interests shifted and gave space To a policy that says: “I only see what I see,” it sets a ceiling for selling barrels to the Russians, threatens to put taxes there, and hints at imposing sanctions on others.
This is not a normal and sound relationship, but rather a return to ancient times in which the rulers of states used to set their indulgences as gods for the world, from whom the truth begins and does not end except in their hands, and all human beings and governments must obey, and not be demonized and persecuted and media, economic and military wars imposed on them.
In my opinion, America applies to it the Arab proverb that says: “In the summer, it wastes milk.” Here, Washington lost oil as that lady lost milk in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, and one day she will find herself instead of a partner in the energy industry, to a mere spectator in a market that has replaced The green dollar in a variety of different currencies.
Muhammad Al-Saed