Saudi-U.S. Relations at the Beginning of the 1980s

The late 1970s should logically have led to a steady tightening of Saudi-U.S. military relations. Saudi Arabia faced a mixture of external threats, limitations on its military expansion capability, and internal security problems that created a sharply growing need for U.S. military support. However, other factors intervened that still present serious problems in forging an effective strategic partnership between the U.S. and the Gulf states.