Small Wars Journal

Saudi Arabia

The Prospects for Advancing US-Saudi Defense Alliance in the Shadow of the ARAMCO Attacks

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 12:16am
Following the recent attacks on Saudi ARAMCO oil fields, which according to US and Saudi intelligence assessments, involved both drones and cruise missiles, and most likely originated in Southern Iran, the future of the US-Saudi alliance has come into question as President Trump has been taking time to assess the nature of the threat and to decide on reasonable next steps that would deter Iran from further aggression in the region.

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Oil and Rentier States: How Falling Oil Prices Will Affect the Middle East

Wed, 09/18/2019 - 4:06am
Less than a decade after weathering massive geo-political upheavals from the Arab Springs, the Middle East is on the verge of yet another crisis; the plummeting price of crude oil. “Rentier states” in the Middle East, have for several decades, secured their status-quo by building an overwhelming portion of their economy dedicated to the sale of crude oil. While the rentier system has been successful in propping up Middle Eastern governments for decades, the downside to this system is the economic and political uncertainty created by the rapidly changing value in a single commodity.

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The Qatar Crisis, its Regional Implications, and the US National Interest SWJED Tue, 02/06/2018 - 4:05am

There are many competing factors involved in this crisis which could create challenges to regional security should diplomatic tools fail to solve their differences.

Yemen: An Escapable Disaster - Why the United States Should Avoid Military Intervention SWJED Tue, 01/23/2018 - 12:23am

A national catastrophe embroiling Yemen’s neighbors and a microcosm of the problems existing throughout the greater Middle East.