Is Saudi Arabia Heading for a Shift in Foreign Policy? [View all]

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http://watchingamerica.com/News/226591/is-saudi-arabia-heading-for-a-shift-in-foreign-policy/



A break with the U.S. could mean Saudi Arabia’s isolation in a hostile geopolitical landscape.

Is Saudi Arabia Heading for a Shift in Foreign Policy?
El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua
By Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas
Translated By Jenny Westwell
17 November 2013
Edited by Kyrstie Lane

Recent statements made by the Saudi leadership are posing a real challenge to the United States and provoking speculation about near-future developments and whether a "divorce" is possible between this pair of strategic allies.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi secretary-general for national security and chief of intelligence, strongly criticized U.S. foreign policy recently and said that the kingdom "will make a major shift in foreign policy." The statement suggests that the monarchy is distancing itself from its principal strategic ally. It also appears to confirm Riyadh’s intent to form an alliance with Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabia currently has no diplomatic relations with Israel, maintaining only discreet contact in an effort to foster stability in the region.

Referring to the inability of the United Nations to stop the war in Syria and the U.S. betrayal of its allies in the region, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Turki al-Faisal said, "We could even call it a genuine 'cold war' between the two states."*

Riyadh and Tel Aviv are engaged in very close, secret talks, and the two countries appear to be forming a bloc with respect to nuclear weapons in order to preserve their hegemony in the region. Saudi Arabia, incidentally, has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and supports the creation of a nuclear-free zone. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, is concerned at the progress made in negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program. Israel, the only power in possession of weapons of mass destruction, is the real threat to peace in the Middle East.