Brothers in arms: American and Saudi Arabian relations during the Soviet-Afghan War

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Title Brothers in arms: American and Saudi Arabian relations during the Soviet-Afghan War
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department History
Author Hayen, Nicholas Allen
Date 2014-05
Description The United States and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a long history of strong economic and security ties for over half a century. As the events of the late 1970s and 1980s fundamentally shifted the balance of power in the Middle East, the U.S.-Saudi relationship shifted with it. The economic cooperation between the two nations, sustained by organizations such as Aramco and the Gulf Cooperation Council, ensured that the two countries remained strong trading partners heading into the 1980s, despite the setbacks of the 1973 oil boycott. Regional security threats and internal dissent within the Kingdom encouraged the sale of American military hardware during this period as well. Both nations would reap the benefits of these two factors of the U.S.-Saudi relationship following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979. Washington and Riyadh worked together to support the Soviet resistance groups, especially the religiously motivated mujahidin, through massive programs designed to fund and arm the rebels. The precedent of strong working relations between the two countries ultimately proved critical to the success of the Afghan resistance forces.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Afghanistan; Gulf Cooperation Council; Mujahidin; Saudi Arabia; Security threats; Soviet-Afghan War
Dissertation Name Master of Arts
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Nicholas Allen Hayen 2014
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 849,140 bytes
Identifier etd3/id/2788
ARK ark:/87278/s6t75rnw
Setname ir_etd
ID 196361
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6t75rnw
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