The U.S.–Saudi relationship is often seen as an oxymoron. These allies have differed in their foreign policy interests — varied in the need, one for the other — but never severed ties. When the 9/11 attacks are added to the mix, questions are raised about why these ambivalent allies continue to tolerate each other. This study argues that although the United States is the preponderant power, Saudi Arabia has primacy in the energy market. This has caused both countries to remain allies through the different oil crises, the 9/11 attacks, and in spite of the Arab‐Israeli conflict. This contravenes the hegemonic stability theory about alliance formation and duration.

中文翻译：

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石油如何扭转霸主的臂膀：以美国和沙特阿拉伯为例以及它们之间的矛盾伙伴关系

美国与沙特的关系经常被视为矛盾。这些盟友的外交政策利益各不相同–需求各不相同–彼此之间从未切断过联系。当将9/11攻击添加到组合中时，就会出现以下问题：为什么这些矛盾的盟友继续相互容忍。这项研究认为，尽管美国是主要力量，但沙特阿拉伯在能源市场上具有主导地位。尽管发生了阿拉伯-以色列冲突，这使得两国在不同的石油危机，9/11袭击中仍然是盟国。这违反了关于联盟形成和持续时间的霸权稳定理论。