Saudi Arabia Lifts Curtain on Diplomacy as Syria Killings Spur King to Act - Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia’s backing for rebels in Syria is the latest sign that Arab unrest is pushing the traditionally reticent kingdom into more active diplomacy.
Arming Syria’s opposition is an “excellent idea,” Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the world’s longest-serving foreign minister, told reporters at a meeting in Tunisia last month. King Abdullah was blunt with Russia after it blocked United Nations action on Syria, telling then-President Dmitry Medvedev that there was no point in discussing the matter.
“The Saudi position on Syria is unprecedented,” said Khalid al-Dakhil, a professor of political science at King Saud University in Riyadh. “Ever since King Abdulaziz, the founding father, Saudi Arabia has never taken such a bold position against an Arab state by siding with a revolution.”
Saudi Arabia has historically prioritized stability, and suffered a blow at the start of the Arab Spring with the toppling of its ally Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Driving the policy shift now in the world’s largest oil supplier is the desire to cement an alliance against Iran, Syria’s backer, and bolster Saudi leadership in the Gulf as Qatar’s regional ambitions grow.
Tweaking oil production has been a more typical Saudi foreign policy tool than public exhortations to armed uprising. The kingdom holds about one-fifth of global reserves, and when 1.3 million barrels a day of Libyan oil output halted during the revolt against Muammar Qaddafi, spare Saudi capacity covered the gap. By contrast, neighboring Qatar provided arms and uniforms to Libyan rebels and sent its air force to fly sorties.