<div><div>The nature of the relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia during the oil era poses many questions for the commentators and analysts of inter-Arab politics during this period. Why have these two states pursued mutually conflicting aims in almost every major regional or international foreign policy issue? Why, over the course of the past thirty years, have they often propagated contrasting ideological banners while both acting as though some form of an alignment existed between them? Here Sonoko Sunayama explores the apparent paradox behind this longstanding relationship and argues that what ultimately makes Saudis and Syrians so indispensable to each other is the perception and the historical appeal of 'shared identities', be they Arabism or Islam. </div></div>