Due to Iran’s continued efforts on nuclear weapons capacities, Saudi Arabia has been pushing for more nuclear weapons capabilities in the international arena. However, the new aspirations tend to focus on energy sources, and nuclear energy efforts are underway. Saudi Arabia has been trying to walk the line between both deterring Iran’s nuclear capabilities with its own, as well as making sure the international community and its trading partners are in line.
With the recent German arms ban to Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi Arabia’s boycott of Turkish products, it seems that there may be more isolation from Saudi Arabia and potential developments into developing its weapons technology, potentially via nuclear means. With the oil price drop in 2020 causing a $27.5 billion revenue drop for Saudi Arabia, it seems that there may be more geopolitical and economic reasons for Saudi Arabia to develop more warfare capability as well.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Oil-Price-Crash-Costs-Saudi-Arabia-275-Billion-In-Revenue-In-2020.html
https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/saudi-arabia-suspends-buying-animal-products-from-turkey
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/15/saudi-minister-slams-german-arms-ban-kingdom-doesnt-need-them
Ouarda,
I don’t disagree at all with your assessment of the major motivation for the Saudis to acquire a nuclear capability–fear of the Iranians. But since, as you suggest, the price of oil has plummeted and since in the long run the world must move away from fossil fuels to save the planet, what the Saudis will do, if they are smart, is to build strategic alliances, including with nuclear powers (which could include Israel). They need protection, much like South Korea and Japan currently derive from the US “nuclear umbrella,” rather than going to the enormous expense of developing their own weapons capability. The worry, however, is that they might turn to China (or Russia) for that protection.
–Professor Wallerstein