This is what the author Mark Curtis called a "Web of Deceit".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18173779
BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia sign £1.9bn Hawk jet deal
British defence giant BAE has signed a £1.9bn ($3bn) deal to supply Hawk trainer jets to Saudi Arabia, saving over 200 UK jobs.
The military contractor said the deal averted job losses at its Brough plant and guarantee work for 30 apprentices.
Twenty-two Hawks will be built under the deal with the majority of the work taking place in Lancashire - at BAE sites in Samlesbury and Warton.
Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs the deal was "more good news for British jobs, for British investment and British Aerospace".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Yamamah_arms_deal
Al Yamamah (Arabic: اليمامة The Dove) is the name of a series of a record arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which have been paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 barrels (95,000 m3) of crude oil per day to the UK government.[1] The prime contractor has been BAE Systems and its predecessor British Aerospace. The first sales occurred in September 1985 and the most recent contract for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters was signed in August 2006.
Mike Turner, the CEO of BAE Systems, said in August 2005 that BAE and its predecessor had earned £43 billion in twenty years from the contracts and that it could earn £40 billion more. It is Britain's largest ever export agreement, and employs some 5,000 people in Saudi Arabia.
In 2010, BAE Systems pleaded guilty to a United States court, to charges of false accounting and making misleading statements in connection with the sales.
www.arabamericangiving.org/the-importanc...o-the-us-economy.php
The Importance of Saudi Arabia to the US Economy
Saudi Arabia plays an incredibly important role in the economy of the United State, largely because of its position as one of the most influential members of OPEC, the group, which is formed of the countries which are net exporters of oil. Saudi Arabia has huge oil reserves and it is currently the country with the best capacity for increasing or decreasing its oil production in response to changes in oil prices and demand.
The US economy is highly dependent on oil, relying on oil for about 40 percent of its energy production and 97 percent of its vehicle fuel, as well as for the supply of the petrochemicals that are used by many manufacturing industries. Although the United States does produce some of its own oil, it has to import approximately two thirds of the oil that is uses. This means that it is very dependent on the oil producing nations, particularly the OPEC countries and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a significant impact on the global oil and petrochemicals industry, which means that it can therefore have a potentially significant influence on the economy of the United States. About 13 percent of the oil that is imported into the US every year, over 100 million barrels a day, comes from Saudi Arabia. This is a significant amount, but Saudi Arabia, as a key player in OPEC, also has an indirect influence on the US, economy through its influence on the other sources of US oil imports.
The United States, with its economy that is dependent on oil, is an important export market for Saudi Arabia, which has an economy that is dominated by oil production. The United States is the largest export market for Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is one of the largest markets in the Middle East for exports from the United States. Saudi Arabia is also an important market for US exports, with many commercial and manufactured products made in the United States being exported to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a particularly important market for the defense sector in the United States, with a lot of US made equipment being exported to Saudi Arabia.
The United States has a very special relationship with Saudi Arabia. This is largely based upon the importance of the trade of oil and other goods for both countries, but Saudi Arabia has also been courted by the United States due to its strategic location and importance in the Middle East. The good relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, and the influence of Saudi Arabia on the stability of its region, is very important for the US politically as well as economically, and this political side to the relationship also has economic effects in the US, by ensuring a reliable source of Arab oil into the United States and by helping to make it possible for the US to trade with other Arab countries.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bush,_House_of_Saud
House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties is a 2004 book by Craig Unger that explores the relationship between the Saudi Royal Family and the Bush extended political family. Unger asserts that the groundwork for today's terrorist movements and the modern wars that have sprung up about them was unintentionally laid more than 30 years ago with a series of business deals between the ruling Saudis and the powerful Bush family. The Saudis received investments and military protection in exchange for cooperation on lucrative oil deals. The author claims that the result has been a shady alliance between "the world's two most powerful dynasties." Unger writes, "Never before has an American president been so closely tied to a foreign power that harbors and supports our country's mortal enemies."
Controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 picture Fahrenheit 9/11 draws heavily on arguments made in Unger's book.
www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/06/...ar-threat-to-america
US rivals 'plotting to end oil trading in dollars'
China, Russia, Japan and several of the most powerful Gulf States are actively plotting to end the decades-old practice of buying and selling oil in dollars, the Independent claimed today.
The newspaper said the plan is for the US currency to be replaced for trading oil by a basket of currencies, including the Japanese yen, the Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, single currency for the Gulf states. If executed, the move would be a significant blow to the dollar's position as the premier world currency and would potentially threaten America's position as the world's leading economy.
According to the Independent, gold could be used as a temporary replacement for the dollar while the new currency basket was implemented.
The report was swiftly denied by several of the world's biggest oil producers. Muhammad al-Jasser, head of the Saudi Arabian central bank, claimed it was "absolutely incorrect", while Russian finance minister Dmitry Pankin and a Kuwaiti oil minister both denied discussing a move away from the dollar.
David Buik, veteran City commentator, argued that moving oil trading away from the dollar would be "radical by any standards".
But, he said: "Let's be candid, it's not going to happen. Saudi Arabia is very dependent on the US for trade oil, defence and there is no way Saudi will stab the US in the back by pulling support away."
In 2000, Iraq broke away from the dollar's dominance and began selling its oil in euros.
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-...gIQAjZmhOP_blog.html
U.S., Saudi Arabia strike $30 billion arms deal
The Obama administration on Thursday announced an arms deal with Saudi Arabia valued at nearly $30 billion, an agreement that will send 84 F-15 fighter jets and assorted weaponry to the kingdom.
The administration notified Congress last year of its intent to sell the advanced jets to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and a strategic bulwark against Iran. The final agreement — which also includes the modernization of 70 existing aircraft as well as munitions, spare parts, training and maintenance — comes at a time of increased tensions in the Persian Gulf.
“This sale will send a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the Gulf and broader Middle East,” Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, told reporters.
ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/hamza-kashgari-s...arabia-human-rights/
Saudi Arabia: yes to human rights, just not here
While staunchly denouncing the Assad regime, Saudi Arabia's rulers have stamped down hard on dissent at home, outlawing protests and imprisoning opponents, all with the tacit support of the West.
content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval...syria/1#.T7zkItxlPQs
President Obama upped the rhetorical ante against Syrian leader Bashar Assad today, saying his departure from power is only a matter of time.
"The action that he's now taking against his own people is inexcusable, and the world community has said so in a more or less unified voice," Obama said.
content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval...-late-saudi-prince/1
President Obama is paying tribute to Crown Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, whose death today raises questions about royal succession in the oil-rich kingdom.
"On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences to King Abdullah, the royal family and the people of Saudi Arabia," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.
It was with great regret that I learned of the passing of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia.
As Minister of Defense and Aviation for almost 50 years, Crown Prince Sultan dedicated himself to the welfare and security of his people and country and was a valued friend of the United States.
He was a strong supporter of the deep and enduring partnership between our two countries forged almost seven decades ago in the historic meeting between President (Franklin) Roosevelt and King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud.
On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences to King Abdullah, the royal family, and the people of Saudi Arabia.
