Saudi Arabia is vulnerable

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A confluence of elements, some endemic and some new, may be in the process of producing a crisis in Saudi Arabia, a long-standing U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Its king, Abdullah, is 90, ailing and has been admitted to a hospital. Given the sensitivity of rivalries among Saudi Arabia’s numerous royals, succession is always a delicate affair, putting nerves on end.

The other phenomenon is the plunge in oil prices, which has hit not only Saudi Arabia, but also other nations such as Nigeria, Russia and Venezuela whose economies are heavily dependent on oil. It has created a budget deficit in Saudi Arabia, but the country has not reduced production to try to raise the price, preferring instead to draw on its reserves to make up the difference.

Other aspects of Saudi Arabia’s situation that could threaten its stability are numerous, including its being a monarchy with high-living ways. The country includes an enormous area that is mostly desert but is inhabited by a relatively small population of 31 million. It borders Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq and Yemen, the latter two being the sites of ferocious wars.

Saudi Arabia has been an important U.S. ally since World War II, when America’s dependence on its oil began. U.S. bases there have been important and so has Saudi Arabia’s occasional role in stabilizing world oil prices.

All in all, it’s a time of great uncertainty for Saudi Arabia.