Quote Originally Posted by SteveMetz View Post
I don't remember the Saudis and Pakistanis being virulently anti-American at the time.
Well, it's not like political Islamism in the 1990s came out of nowhere. The Saudis were exporting Wahhabism everywhere in the 1980s and Zia ul-Haq was forcing political Islamism of the Jamiat-e-Islami type on Pakistan while at the same time taking our money to kill Russians. And yes, both strains were very anti-American and anti-Western.

But, of course, exceptions are always made for "strategically significant" partners.
Isn't that kind of always the problem? It's not as if SA or Pakistan are less vital now - quite the opposite.