Usákia és Szaud-Arábia egyszerű kapcsolatban vannak: Usákia megvédi a Szaudi királyságot, és cserébe kap olcsó olajat.

Richard Clarke: "Szaud Arábia instabilitása nagyobb veszélyt képvisel mint anno Irak."

John Kerry 10 éven belül ki szeretné vívni Usákia függetlenségét a Közel-Keleti olajszállításoktól - de ez csak vágyálom mondja James Phillips - Közel-Keleti szakértő.

Bush a Szaudok demokratizálásával véli elejét venni a szélsőséges akcióknak, és meghívta a Szaudiakat a G8-as csúcsra, de azok nem mentek.

Doubts Arise on Saudi Arabia's Stability

WASHINGTON - The U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia has been based on a disarmingly simple proposition: In exchange for cheap Saudi oil, the United States has guaranteed the kingdom's defense.

President Franklin Roosevelt asserted in 1943 that protecting the Arab nation, and its oil, was a vital U.S. economic interest. Although the two countries have no defense treaty, the substance of Roosevelt's policy remains intact and has served both sides well.

But now doubts are arising about the stability of Saudi Arabia and the ability of the United States to come up with answers.

Islamic firebrands, apparently linked to al-Qaida, have been targeting of late Americans, other Westerners and Western interests in general as part of a campaign to overthrow the Saudi monarchy in power since the 1930s. They consider the Saudi establishment too hospitable to Americans and other foreign "infidels."

Former U.S counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke says the stakes in the struggle for Saudi Arabia are hard to exaggerate.

"The threat to the political and economic world posed by Saudi instability, I think, is greater than the threat that was posed by Iraq," he said.

...

To reduce U.S. dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries, Bush's Democratic rival, John Kerry, says the United States should strive for energy independence in 10 years.

But James Phillips, Middle East expert at the Heritage Foundation, says he sees no alternative to the status quo for the short term.

"We're stuck with Middle East and Persian Gulf oil," he said.

Phillips worries about possible al-Qaida moles working in oil industry jobs Saudi Arabia. They would know, he says, where a well-placed bomb would have the best chance of disrupting oil output.

Bush believes the answer to extremism in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries is more democracy. But the Saudis, while taking some tentative action toward a more open society, have spurned the Bush proposal.

They turned down Bush's invitation to send a delegation to this week's G-8 summit at Sea Island, Ga., to discuss the idea.