RIYADH: Over the past 80 years, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US has evolved into a multifaceted partnership encompassing defense, trade, education, tourism, and more — sustained by connections at every level, from government officials to private citizens.
It is no coincidence that President Donald Trump’s first official overseas trip during his second term is taking him to Saudi Arabia, alongside the UAE and Qatar.
In this photo taken on May 20, 2017, Saudi Arabia's King Salman (R) and US President Donald Trump (C), accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, are shown arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh. (Saudi Royal Palace / AFP)
Since 1974, six US presidents have visited the Kingdom, a testament to Saudi Arabia’s enduring influence as a stabilizing force in a volatile region.
“Today, the US-Saudi relationship is stronger than ever, bolstered by interactions at all levels between our two countries, from government officials to everyday citizens,” Michael A. Ratney, the most recent US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wrote in an oped in Arab News on Sept. 22 last year.
He added: “This strength is palpable in our wide-ranging cooperation — whether in security, commerce, culture or our joint efforts to resolve regional conflicts in places such as Sudan, Yemen and beyond.”
From early cooperation on defense and energy to modern collaboration in education, technology, tourism, and the arts, the bilateral relationship has deepened with time, shaped by regional events, global shifts, and shared interests.
From the historic 1945 meeting between President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz to the new era of hi-tech cooperation, Saudi-US ties have weathered wars, economic shifts and political change. Their partnership remains a vital anchor of global stability. (AFP photo)
Education has remained a cornerstone, notably through the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, which has sent thousands of Saudi students to the US. American students have also come to Saudi Arabia through the Islamic University in Madinah and exchange initiatives such as the Fulbright program and partnerships like the one between Arizona State University and the Saudi Ministry of Education.
In recent years, Vision 2030 has injected new dynamism into Saudi-US collaboration, opening avenues for knowledge exchange and attracting billions of dollars in mutual investment.
A picture taken in the Saudi Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 14, 2022, ahead of a visit by the US President Donald Trump, shows hosts addressing guests during a presentation on the Saudi Green Initiative, which also includes goals for tree-planting and reducing emissions. (AFP)
Like the US, Saudi Arabia is a nation of innovation, valuing entrepreneurship and technological progress. Many trace the momentum in relations to Trump’s 2017 visit or Vision 2030. But the foundations were laid decades earlier.
The roots go back to the 1940s, following the unification of the Kingdom by King Abdulaziz Al-Saud — then known in the West as Ibn Saud — who united the tribes of Najd and Hijaz in 1932 to form Saudi Arabia.
On Feb. 14, 1945, as World War II neared its end, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy in Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake, following the Yalta Conference. The meeting marked a historic turning point. Roosevelt sought King Abdulaziz’s counsel on the issue of Jewish refugees from Europe and looked to Saudi Arabia as a key player in shaping the postwar order.
Roosevelt knew that, even as the Second World War was drawing to a close, in the wings a new world order was taking shape — and that Saudi Arabia was a nation that the US needed to befriend. The two leaders developed mutual respect: Roosevelt gifted the King a DC-3 passenger plane — followed by two more — paving the way for the founding of Saudia Airlines.
Roosevelt died two months later, but the “Quincy Meeting” laid the groundwork for a lasting relationship. In 1953, the two nations formalized military ties through the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement.
In 1957, King Saud became the first Saudi monarch to visit the US, meeting President Dwight D. Eisenhower at Washington National Airport. The visit emphasized the need for lasting solutions to regional challenges and led to a commitment to strengthen the Saudi Armed Forces.
President Dwight Eisenhower (right) in the open car with King Saud, with young son sitting on his lap, as they left the airport in Washington on February 2nd 1957. (Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images/File)
Early cooperation extended to infrastructure, with American architect Minoru Yamasaki designing the Dhahran Civil Aviation Terminal in 1958. Diplomatic visits continued into the 1960s and 1970s, cementing bilateral ties.
In 1966, King Faisal met President Lyndon Johnson during a state visit, followed in 1971 by another official visit, this time with President Richard Nixon.
By 1974, economic ties deepened with the creation of the US-KSA Joint Economic Commission, focused on industrial development, education, technology, and agriculture. That year also saw President Nixon make a historic visit to Saudi Arabia, affirming the growing partnership.
In 1982, Vice President George H. W. Bush visited Riyadh to offer condolences following King Khalid’s death — a gesture underscoring the personal dimension of bilateral relations.
In this photo taken on January 15, 2008, US President George W. Bush dances with a sword with then Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz (R), who was governor of Riyadh, during their tour of the Murabba Palace and National History History Museum. (AFP)
Military cooperation intensified during the Gulf War in 1990–91, when Saudi troops joined American and allied forces in the liberation of Kuwait. The deployment of US troops to Saudi Arabia underlined the Kingdom’s strategic role in regional defense.
In 2002, the Saudi-US Strategic Dialogue was launched during King Abdullah’s visit to President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. It aimed to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, energy, education, and economic affairs.
That spirit of collaboration continued in 2005 with the launch of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, designed to invest in Saudi Arabia’s human capital. The pilot phase sent over 9,000 Saudi students to study in the US — a number that has since multiplied.
High-level engagements carried on with First Lady Laura Bush’s visit in 2007, followed by President Barack Obama’s first presidential trip to Saudi Arabia in 2009.
President Barack Obama speaks with King Salman (3rd R) of Saudi Arabia as they pose for a family photo alongside Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L), Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayed Fahd bin Mahmud Al-Said (2nd L), Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa (2nd R) and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R) during the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh on April 21, 2016. (AFP)
In 2012, the GCC-US Strategic Forum was established, with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attending the inaugural ministerial meeting in Riyadh — elevating the Gulf Cooperation Council’s role in US regional strategy.
The partnership took another leap in 2017 when President Trump visited Riyadh during his first term. His visit featured three high-profile summits: the Arab Islamic American Summit, the US-Saudi Bilateral Summit, and the US-GCC Cooperation Council Summit. The meetings focused on expanding military and commercial ties.
As the Kingdom reshapes its economy and global engagement through Vision 2030, US partnerships remain integral in areas like energy transition, clean tech and digital transformation.
President Trump’s return visit on Monday, his first official trip abroad in his second term, is expected to reinforce those efforts — focusing on investment, innovation and renewed people-to-people ties.
From the historic 1945 meeting between Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz to the new era of strategic cooperation, Saudi-US ties have weathered wars, economic shifts, and political change. As both nations look ahead, their partnership remains a vital anchor of global stability and opportunity.
