As the American death toll continues to rise in Iraq, and the news of these deaths dominates the American press, it is easy to understand why we are focused on Iraq.

With all the rhetoric about the “war on terror,” Iraq is the battlefield that takes center stage. There is, however, another battlefield in the “war on terror” that deserves to be looked at – Saudi Arabia.

The vast desert nation is larger than Iraq geographically, however, the population is very small for its size. Roughly 25 million people live in Saudi Arabia, 5.5 percent of which are not Saudi nationals.

The nation has within its borders Islam’s two holiest cities: Mecca and Medina. It is the nation of origin of Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers. It is also one of the America’s staunchest Arab allies.

Saudi Arabia has experienced terrorism for many years now. The Khobar tower bombings and several other bombings that have targeted compounds in Riyadh have left many dead and even more wounded. Saudi Arabia is one of the premier battlegrounds in the “war on terror” and this is something to keep an eye on.

Saudi Arabia has always maintained pretty strong ties with the United States. It sided with the U.S. in the first Gulf War, and its soil was home to American bases for much of the last 15 years.

Terror in Saudi Arabia has to be a concern for Saudis and Americans alike. You may be wondering why America should care about terror in Saudi Arabia. Well, some will tell you that we need to aid them in the global war on terror. If you really want to fall for that rosy ideological nonsense, you are going to be taken for a ride.

The reason the United States needs to be concerned about terror in Saudi Arabia is the same reason why it is concerned about anything that happens in the Middle East: oil. The Middle East, vis-a-vis American foreign policy, would be nothing but a sandy wasteland were it not been for that magic black gold. All that rhetoric about spreading democracy, values and freedom is simply talk. Some of America’s best friends are Gulf monarchs. Let’s not kid ourselves. What strategic interest does America have in the Middle East other than securing resources? The future of Saudi Arabia and its domestic terror issues directly falls into this category.

The terrorism that is happening in Saudi Arabia is a direct challenge to the Saudi monarchy. The princes have said they would respond to this with an “iron fist.” The attacks have targeted westerners in some of Riyadh’s compounds but have also targeted non-Saudi Arabs. Most recently, a plot and weapons cache was uncovered in Mecca.

The changing faces of the targets of these attacks can mean a few things.

First, it could mean the terror networks are getting desperate. But one has to be pretty desperate to turn to terrorism in the first place.

Second, targeting non-Saudi Arabs will cause bin Laden to lose many supporters. This may end up happening, but will most likely not affect the tight terror network.

Third, and most certainly, these attacks most definitely mean Saudi Arabia is becoming more unstable.

A stable Saudi Arabia is necessary for American interests. If the terror attacks continue, the Saudi monarchy is in trouble. The downfall of the Saudi monarchy – a goal of bin Laden which he constantly preaches – could lead to a catastrophic domino effect across the oil-rich Gulf region.

All this becomes increasingly more likely with every terror attack. Though the monarchy has a special guard to protect it from insurgencies, enough public pressure can bring down any regime. Saudi Arabia, which vies for leadership of the Arab world with other nations, has been criticized for its relations with the United States.

It has also been criticized for not stepping up its role in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This conflict is the single most common issue of concern that is common among almost all Arabs. The Saudi monarchy’s policy does not accurately reflect the sentiment of its people, because of its close ties with Israel’s greatest ally, and this can get the monarchy in trouble.

To put this into a historical perspective, the conditions that exist in Saudi Arabia today are very similar to pre-revolutionary Iran. Both are oil-rich nations. Both have repressive governments. Both have disproportionate numbers of youth in the population (40 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is 14 or younger). Both share high birth rates. Both societies are extremely divided economically, and most importantly, both societies have leaders that are or were very pro-western with complete disregard for popular opinion.

As the Intifada continues to go on, and as the terror attacks continue, Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the West will look increasingly worse. In recent history, leaders in the Middle East who have been seen as far too pro-America have paid the price. Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt, was assassinated by fundamentalist Muslims after signing peace with Israel and being to friendly with the U.S.A. The Shah of Iran was deposed in a revolution preached by Islamic clerics after years of pro-western policies shunned by his people.

Now Saudi Arabia faces the same test. Its population becomes more anti-Israeli and anti-American with every news clip about Palestinian and Iraqi deaths. The monarchy is being challenged by radical Islamist terrorists and has yet to find a solution for this.

Only time will tell what will happen in Saudi Arabia. The United States needs not only consider the public opinion of Americans, but also to analyze and understand the public opinion of foreign nations they are dealing with. In the meantime the United States has to be very cautious and conscience of the situation in that Saudi Arabia. Oil in the Gulf is simply far too important for us not to be.

Yousef Munayyer is a Collegian columnist.