Hinds, Matthew
(2012)
Anglo-American relations in Saudi Arabia, 1941-1945: a
study of a trying relationship.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
This thesis offers a fresh interpretation of Anglo-American relations in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia during the period 1941 to 1945. Historians of Anglo-American relations have
characterized the bilateral relationship as one of rivalry and polarization. While examples of
underlying national competition can be identified wherever the wartime alliance operated,
whether on the battlefield or at the conference table, the commonalities which united the allies
should, however, be given equal weight. My thesis departs from the traditional historiographical
perspective, arguing that when closely examined, the allies were very aware of the strategic
reciprocal benefits that would emanate from integrating their policies in Saudi Arabia. First and
foremost, Britain and the United States’ relations in Saudi Arabia were shaped by the fact that
the two countries were allies working side by side in the global struggle that was the Second
World War. In this wartime context, the strategic influence of Saudi Arabia has tended to be
overlooked. The Kingdom’s influence resided in its geographic location, its religious centrality
within Islam, and most importantly, its rare political status as a sovereign Arab state. These
attributes served as a unifying force for British and American wartime interests, encouraging the
two allies to strive for an Anglo-American partnership in Saudi Arabia that was built on the
concept of strategic interdependence. While collaboration between Britain and the United States
ebbed and flowed, it is a testament to their continued pursuit of cooperation that the activities of
the wartime alliance in Saudi Arabia between 1941 and 1945 were envisaged by policymakers as
a template for achieving greater Anglo-American accord throughout the Middle East during and
beyond the Second World War.
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