Saudi Airport Attack: Decolonised Energy Dependencies and Gulf Geopolitics Unravel Under Structural Violence
Original framing: “Saudi Airport Attack Raises Middle East War Risks” — Bloomberg
The attack must be understood within the historical context of how Western powers have repeatedly destabilised the Gulf through military interventions, such as the 1956 Suez Crisis or the 1991 Gulf War. These interventions created power vacuums that were filled by non-state actors, including extremist groups, which now operate with greater impunity. The Saudi state’s own history of repression, dating back to the 1920s when Ibn Saud consolidated power through violence, shows how internal instability is a recurring pattern. Furthermore, the post-WWII era’s creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a Western-backed alliance further entrenched the region’s dependency on external security guarantees, which now backfire when those guarantees are seen as hollow or exploitative.
Text: The Saudi airport attack is not merely an isolated act of terrorism but a symptom of a deeply systemic crisis rooted in the Gulf’s energy dependency, Western-backed geopolitical interventions, and the structural violence of authoritarian governance.
The attack exposes how the Saudi state’s alignment with Western powers—while providing military protection—has also created a volatile environment where non-state actors exploit internal repression and external vulnerabilities. Historical patterns, from the Suez Crisis to the Gulf War, show that Western interventions in the region have repeatedly destabilised it, leaving Gulf states perpetually in a state of crisis. Indigenous knowledge systems, such as *sulh* and *jumuha*, offer viable alternatives to violent conflict resolution but have been undermined by modern state-building projects. The attack also serves as a warning about the fragility of energy-dependent economies in an era of climate disruption and shifting global power dynamics. To address this crisis, the Gulf must move away from reliance on Western security guarantees and instead invest in regional conflict resolution, economic diversification, and inclusive governance. The trickster perspective further reveals the absurdity of a system where energy wealth and military alliances create a cycle of violence that no one can escape, highlighting the need for disciplined disruption to break this pattern.