The Middle East Beyond America

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http://watchingamerica.com/News/226248/the-middle-east-beyond-america/

The Middle East Beyond America
Le Figaro, France
By Pierre Rousselin
Translated By Cara Ceriani
11 November 2013
Edited by Mary Young

America will no longer be the Middle East's watchdog. The new U.S. position in the region is a transformation that has upset the balance in effect for years. Even if it is too early for a new regional architecture to take shape, the old strategic moves are already in question.

~snip~

The discussion with Tehran is the fundamental element of the ongoing transformation. Hassan Rouhani's election as president of the Islamic republic, with the mission of attaining the lifting of Western sanctions in exchange for an agreement on nuclear power, triggered the first serious process of negotiations with Washington since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It is possible they will be successful.

Saudi Arabia expressed its disagreement by sulking at the United Nations Security Council, even though it is the country’s turn to hold a non-permanent member seat. For Riyadh, an agreement between its main ally, the United States, and its main enemy, Iran, would bring harrowing changes. Since the alliance was finalized in 1945 between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz, also known as Ibn Saud, on board the warship USS Quincy, in the Suez Canal, the U.S. has ensured Saudi Arabia's security in exchange for access to oil. The possibility of U.S. energy independence, promised by the revolution in shale gas, calls into question the market terms that have been underlying White House-policy in the Midde East for over half a century.

The Arab revolts have put an end to this beautiful agreement, which had already experienced ups and downs, since when many Saudis found themselves implicated in the attacks of 9/11. Now, it is Riyadh’s turn to worry about Washington’s attitude, its haste to let go of former allies — such as Egypt’s Mubarak in order to embrace the cause of the Muslim Brotherhood — and its refusal to act in Syria.