Publication

Saudi Arabia is pursuing a combination of domestic and regional policies that risk destabilizing the Persian Gulf and that risk undermining the US interests there. Amid calls for political change, Saudi Arabia is failing to address pressing concerns about its political system and the need for political reform. Saudi Arabia's military intervention into Bahrain has escalated sectarian tensions in the Gulf. The crackdown in Bahrain is provoking Iran and creating the conditions for a regional crisis. The US has reasons to maintain a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia. It also has the leverage to encourage the Kingdom to refrain from escalating tensions in the Gulf and further inflaming sectarian anxieties.