Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 30 September 2016: Saudi Arabia condemns passage of US 9/11 law

Saudi Arabia condemned a recently passed US law that allows lawsuits against Saudi Arabia over the September 11 attacks. The US Congress voted on Wednesday to approve legislation that will allow families of victims of the 2001 attacks to seek damages from the Saudi government. They overrode President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) on relations between states. He said that the bill would set "a dangerous precedent" that could put US troops and interests at risk.

The bill allows the US courts to waive claims to foreign sovereign immunity and to demand compensation in cases involving terrorist acts on US soil. There exists a suspicion that Saudi authorities gave assistance to the 9/11 hijackers while they were in the US.

The Saudi government financed an extensive lobbying campaign against the bill and warned it would undermine the principle of sovereign immunity, but they will not take any retaliation if the law was passed. Some Saudis claim that JASTA would jeopardize interdependent relationship including politics, security, and trade between the US and the kingdom.
Analysts speculate that the success of the lawsuit against the Saudi government is unlikely at best, but that the uncertainty could negatively affect bilateral trade and investment with an ally.