Listen to Council Fellow Rachel Bronson discuss her new book Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia and how U.S.-Saudi relations have shaped U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Rachel Bronson discusses her new book, Thicker Than Oil, and how the U.S.-Saudi relationship has shaped U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Nuclear plants are an increasingly important provider of energy in the United States. Yet experts suggest these facilities are not sufficiently secure to withstand a terrorist attack.

Nuclear power remains an important source of electricity in the United States, but many are concerned security at nuclear plants is inadequate to thwart terrorist attacks.

Council Senior Fellow and Director for Middle East and Gulf Studies Rachel Bronson reveals why the U.S.-Saudi partnership became so intimate and how the countries' shared interests sowed the seeds of today's most pressing problem -- Islamic radicalism.

Rachel Bronson, CFR’s top Middle East expert and author of a new book on Saudi-American relations, Thicker Than Oil: America’s Uneasy Partnership With Saudi Arabia, says that she does not expect Saudi-American relations to approach the closeness of the Cold War years, when the two countries were allied against the spread of Communism. “We should expect it to be a rockier road, although I do expect the relationship to muddle through,” says Bronson, a senior fellow and director of Middle East and Gulf Studies at CFR.

Americans are increasingly worried about their dependence on foreign sources of energy. In Congress and state capitals, there are stirrings to boost efficiency and alternative fuel sources for both security and environmental reasons.

The first full history of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, revealing why the alliance was formed and what we stand to lose if it collapses.

This report asserts a U.S.-Russia "partnership" is the right long-term goal, but not a realistic prospect over the next few years. This report is also available in Russian.

Some experts believe the age of oil is near its end. Others insist that there are trillions of untapped barrels left—and that the future of oil depends more on what happens above ground than below.

President Bush stressed energy independence for Americans in his fifth State of the Union message. Citing an "addiction" to oil in the country, Bush called for developing energy alternatives to lessen dependence on the volatile Middle East. He also reasserted support for democratization in the region.