Why America and Saudi Arabia are still inseparable

, leaving one’s wife is a simple matter of repeating (“divorce”) three times. Perhaps thankfully, breaking up is harder to do in diplomacy. Since October 5th, when the + oil cartel decided to cut production by 2m barrels per day (bpd), relations between America and Saudi Arabia have plunged to their lowest point in decades. Democrats in Washington seem determined to of 77 years. Gulf states are enraged by what they see as America’s sneering, disrespectful tone.As in any relationship, some of the angry talk is just that. If a total rupture is unlikely, however, so too is any hope of America and its Gulf partners agreeing to kiss and make up. The oil-for-security bargain that has underpinned their relationship for decades has frayed, but no one knows what will replace it. The unhappy marriage looks likely to last for years yet.