Declining Versus Increasing Access to American Aviation Technology: Syria and Saudi Arabia in the 20th Century

Abstract

This article uses Syria and Saudi Arabia as contrasting examples of how different Arab states interacted with United States aviation technology, involving aviation technology companies, airline corporations, and government officials as they worked to develop civil and military aviation capabilities after World War II. It considers the role played by airline companies like TWA, the impact of the shift from military to commercial aviation technology among companies like Boeing, and the fallout from regional political developments like the Iranian Revolution. These factors all placed varying constraints on the two countries’ ability to draw upon American sources for airplanes and other aviation technology, channeling but not preventing Syrian and Saudi efforts toward aviation development. It suggests that the US government acted as gatekeeper in terms of access to US aviation technology, but that unless strategic concerns prompted its involvement, states like Saudi Arabia primarily interacted with US airline and aviation technology corporations.