I found this article quite appealing because under normal circumstances, one will expect a different outcome. But the reality is that, these two countries are prone to be at logger head than any other neighboring countries. The article pointed out that the Trump administration has been pressuring Saudi Arabia to normalize its relations with Israel. But the recent statements of the Saudi king are reminiscent of the status quo.
It is said that normalizing relations between these two countries will help them achieve a number of strategic and military goals. However, the outcomes may not work in their favor and here is why: first of all, normalization will not promote peace and stability in the middle Ea’st because protests against oppressive and corrupt governance have led to violence and civil wars and sometimes foreign interventions. And given the long-standing inequities that drive these protests have never been addressed, even normalization will not help either.
Second, normalization would not always advance US interests in the middle East, neither would it boost moderation or liberalization within Saudi Arabia. It came out that even if the monarchy wanted a peace treaty, its citizens would be against such a policy. So, decisions against popular demand will inevitably lead to a chaos. Therefore, peace will not be warm, not to even mention that Washington already got much trouble dealing with Saudi Arabia.
So,basically, the author tried to demonstrate that, a US-led diplomatic relations between Saudis and Israelis may not be effective, and that “the three countries’ current policies risk depriving Saudi Arabia of the exceptional leverage over the Islamic world that comes with such status.” Bottom line, relations with Israel will always be hostile, and so peace would not be envisaged.
Marcus,
This is an interesting point of view, though one with which I do not necessarily agree. Saudi Arabia is, of course, the “keeper of the flame” on conservative, Sunni Islam, especially the Wahabist sect. Its leaders always must bear in mind that they are the guardians of Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest places in the Islamic world. That said, I believe that the younger generation of Saudis WOULD like to establish diplomatic and economic relations with Israel, especially now that the UAE and Bahrain have done so. It might well be a “cold peace,” much as the one with Egypt has been for many years. But there are many advantages even to having a cold peace. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out, especially after the US presidential elections.
–Professor Wallerstein