More Questions About the Gulf : Congress should demand to know details of security arrangements

Saudi Arabia and five smaller Persian Gulf oil producing states seem ready, if still far from eager, to abandon their historic reluctance to develop closer overt military ties with the United States. This new attitude represents a kind of political working out of Samuel Johnson’s famous observation that “when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” What’s concentrating the minds of the Gulf states leaders is the chance that they could one day face another threat to their survival, from Iraq or from Iran. In such an event, they now agree, it would be a great comfort to have a powerful American friend nearby.

This new impulse toward greater security cooperation sent Defense Secretary Dick Cheney on a circuit of the Gulf states this week. The broad outlines of what he’s promoting are known: prepositioning of military equipment to facilitate the rapid deployment of at least one U.S. division; joint training and exercises; a readiness to sell more arms to the Saudis and others. The strategic aim of reducing the Gulf states’ vulnerability is to enhance the security of vital world oil supplies. That’s a respectable policy goal, even if the value of some components--expanding arms sales, for example--needs to be looked at a lot more carefully.

Worthy policy or not, Congress has to ask some probing questions before endorsing the effort. Of course there are local sensitivities--the fear that too visible an association with the United States could invite trouble from radicals or religious fundamentalists. Cheney says those sensitivities require “discretion”--meaning secrecy--in revealing the details of any security arrangements. But a plea of discretion can’t be permitted to hide the extent of the commitment the United States may be preparing to make. It’s not indiscreet to demand to know what circumstances could again send large U.S. forces rushing to the Gulf. Deterrence, to be effective, has to be seen, and a policy, if it’s to win support, must be clearly understood.