Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 14, 2019.It may have cost a few million, but the Sept. 14 drone and cruise missile attack on Saudi Arabia exacted immediate economic damages measured in billions. The burning fields and twisted metal illuminate risks that could cost the world trillions.
This seeming resilience in oil markets obscures a new era of global insecurity – in the Middle East and for the world's global powers. It is hard to imagine much on which Presidents Trump, Xi and Putin might agree, but this is clear: none of them wish to see their military prowess undermined by easily accessible technology that can penetrate sophisticated defenses.
Russia, for its part, has a history of terrorism in the North Caucasus region. Vladimir Putin's punishing attacks on Chechnya as interim Prime Minister in 1999 helped bring him to Russia's presidency. In the wake of the Saudi attacks, President Putin made clear that Russia feels well protected from cruise missiles by its S300 and S400 air defense systems. Targeted drone attacks on remote infrastructure may pose a different risk.
Ironic as it may seem in a new era of "great power conflict," the attack on Saudi Arabia should be a wake-up call for the United States, China and Russia to seek global action to set rules for drone and cyber warfare.
Has Russia been cleared of any involvement on the attack?