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STRATFOR.com
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U.S. Instigates Crisis in Relations with Riyadh
November 27, 2002
Summary
More than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, Washington apparently has decided to turn up the heat on Riyadh and generate the long-awaited crisis in U.S.-Saudi relations.
Analysis
The FBI is investigating the possibility that money from the Saudi government ended up supporting two of the Sept. 11 hijackers. This investigation is entirely to be expected, since the FBI is striving to leave no stone unturned in tracking and interdicting al Qaeda's support networks.
Slightly less expected is the fact that the FBI and the White House chose to broadcast this investigation. U.S.-Saudi relations are already extremely tense, due to Washington's pressure for deeper cooperation in the war on al Qaeda, not to mention Riyadh's refusal to support military action against Iraq. Inflaming a scandal of this sort is not likely to open Saudi bases to the U.S. Third Army any time soon.
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(Story Source)
© 2002 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
U.S. Instigates Crisis in Relations with Riyadh . . .