A shift in the US role in the region from countering terrorism after 9/11 to countering peer rivals, such as China and Russia, has meant the region is also rewriting its ties with Washington and Beijing.
The looming crisis of an Iranian nuclear weapon plays into the relevance of these new ties. In addition, new Saudi-Iran ties could reduce conflict in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Are there clear winners and losers out of the deal, or is it more nuanced? Here are three questions to ask.
Loss of US influence?
Much of the discussion of the new Iran-Saudi ties has been focused on the perceived loss of US influence. This argument posits that China was able to swoop into the Middle East and broker Iran-Saudi ties – at the expense of US interests and influence.
The reality is more complex. US-Saudi ties go back a whole century; for much of the Cold War, Saudi Arabia was a key pillar of US relations in the region, and a stable one at that. Whereas other countries like Iran shifted ruling regimes, and Iraq turned against the US and invaded Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia was a mainstay. READ MORE
