Saudi nationalism and the end of Pax Americana

After turbulent years of aligning along sectarian divisions, the Middle East is getting back to its comfort zone: authoritarian nationalism. But this time, the US isn't in the centre picture

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the Americans’ Middle Eastern allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, intervened to stabilise global oil prices. For decades, as the global ‘swing producer’ of oil, Saudi Arabia has been able to adjust its production levels to change, and stabilise the price. And it has done so repeatedly, often in order to help its ally Ame…