Saudi Arabia: The Region's New Superpower

by Con Coughlin • September 4, 2015 at 3:00 pm

The Saudis are planning to establish themselves as the Arab world's undisputed military superpower.... At this rate Saudi Arabia will soon replace Egypt as the Arab world's most significant military power.
The Saudi royal family is determined to secure the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, one of Iran's most important regional allies, and any attempt by Riyadh to deepen its involvement in the Syrian conflict is likely to result in direct military confrontation with Iran.
The tragedy of all this for the Obama administration is that, had it not been for its obsession with doing a deal with Iran, Washington could have formed a useful strategic alliance with Riyadh to defeat common foes, such as Islamic State (ISIS,Isil) in Syria and Iraq.

President Barack Obama may have hailed his deal with Iran as an historic breakthrough, but this is not how it is being viewed in Saudi Arabia, where the kingdom has responded to Washington's attempted rapprochement with Tehran by embarking on a massive military build up.

Saudi Arabia is Iran's fiercest regional rival, with enmity between the two countries dating back at least to Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, and the Saudi royal family has voiced deep scepticism about the Obama administration's foreign policy tilt towards Iran. Mr Obama will hear these views most forcefully expressed himself with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the Saudi monarch visits Washington this weekend.