U.S.-Saudi: more than oil

The United States has maintained a close relationship with Saudi Arabia for almost 60 years but, contrary to popular belief, the relationship has not been simply about oil, according to a recently released book by a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

‘No relationship is as important, as under pressure and as poorly understood … as the U.S.-Saudi relationship,’ said Rachel Bronson, who is also the director for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In ‘Thicker Than Oil: America`s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia,’ Bronson explores the intimate relationship between the United States and the desert kingdom. She challenges common misconceptions and reveals a deeper history behind the complex and often controversial partnership between the two nations.

Bronson said that in the last few years, tension between the United States and Saudi Arabia has escalated and put pressure on the partnership. In her book, she details these challenges, which include instability in Iraq, a confident Iran, an oil-guzzling China and anti-Americanism within Saudi Arabia.

Monsters and Critics