For all the talk about promoting liberty and democracy, it seems that one country may have already withstood all the liberalization pressure that the US plans to employ. The NY Times reports today that the US is more dependent on Saudi Arabia than ever before.
There's no doubt that the US hoped that an independent Iraq would help reduce its dependence on Saudi oil, but that obviously hasn't happened. If it did happen that would have the effect of undercutting the profits being earned in all the other oil-producing countries in the region, which may help explain why its neighbors don't seem too worked up about the instability in Iraq.
I really wish there was another way. Making Saudi Arabia's elite wealthier cannot be anything other than bad. I can only hope that this time they use the money to invest in a real economy built on entrepreneurship and not just oil production and consumption.
