Iraq Is New Schism for Saudis in Strained Alliance With West

Few goods transit the desert border between the Middle East’s two biggest oil producers, and Saudi authorities have built a fence to help ensure that political instability in Iraq doesn’t cross over either.

Dysfunctional ties between the countries have come into focus as a wave of violence sweeps Iraq, turning it into another arena where Saudi interests are diverging from those of the U.S. Fighting is centered in Anbar province, bordering Saudi Arabia, where Sunni fighters tied to al-Qaeda are rebelling against the Shiite-led government of Nouri al-Maliki, supported by Iran.