“Persian Gulf leaders, led by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, are sending increasingly public messages of displeasure with the Obama administration over its policies in the Middle East,” writes The New York Times . But “[d]ecades of cooperation and billions of dollars in weapons contracts have left the gulf nations deeply entwined with the United States and Britain in ways that cannot be quickly undone.”  

“Qatar hosts the largest United States air base in the region, and Bahrain is the home port of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet. And their efforts to make reliable military partners of fellow Muslim nations like Pakistan and Egypt have met little success, despite tens of billions of dollars in aid.”  

“But the Saudis remain heavily reliant on the United States, and to a lesser extent on Britain, in nearly every branch of their security apparatus… Saudi Arabia’s decision to update and expand its air force with American F-15 fighter jets would perpetuate Saudi reliance on parts and training provided by the United States military and defense contractors. The United States is also involved in training the army and modernizing the Saudis’ national guard, and American advisers paid for by the Saudi government are ’embedded in industrial, energy, maritime and cybersecurity offices within the Saudi government.'”