This deal binds the U.S. and Saudi Arabia closer together, says Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at U.S.-based think tank, the Defense Priorities Foundation.
For example, it gives “Saudi Arabia a potent source of leverage to extract future concessions from Washington, including new security guarantees, by threatening to weaponize its program unless the U.S. promises enhanced military protection,” Kelanic argued in a Wednesday press statement.
The U.S. might feel compelled to trade defense protection for the Saudis giving up potential nuclear weapons, as happened in West Germany and South Korea, she says.
“They made nuclear progress, we wanted to prevent them from getting the bomb, and ultimately we offered them greater U.S. military protection so they’d abandon their programs,” Kelanic explained. “Giving Riyadh uranium enrichment could functionally enmesh the U.S. with Saudi Arabia forever.”
The deal might also mean the U.S. is forced to intervene to save the Saudi monarchy if it was threatened, she noted.
Featuring
More on Middle East
Events on Middle East
