According to him, the situation on the oil market allowed Riyadh to adopt a pragmatic position, turn its gaze to the East and stop obeying Washington, abandoning the 1945 military protection in exchange for oil agreement.
“The Saudis have never before lived up to their nickname as ‘kings of oil,’” the author notes, adding that they were able to regain control of the oil market thanks to the active support of Russia.
As Beza noted, with the start of the special operation in Ukraine, OPEC+ not only did not collapse, but also took control of the market abandoned by American shale oil producers. Last summer, Riyadh and Moscow cut hydrocarbon production to keep their prices high, while there is “no doubt” that the Saudis will take this step again if prices fall again.
“No pressure from the United States forced the Saudi prince to give up his position on the oil issue,” the journalist said.
As he recalled, not even a specially organized trip by the head of the White House, Joe Biden, to Jeddah last July, convinced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase oil production, which ultimately resulted in a “catastrophe” for Washington.
“The kingdom is no longer subordinate to the United States and feels less bound by the oil-for-military-protection-against-invasion deal reached in 1945,” Beza added.
Let us remember that on August 24, the leaders of the BRICS countries decided to admit Saudi Arabia into the union along with Argentina, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. These six states will become full members of the organization from January 1, 2024.
