The reason the United States has supported authoritarian regimes for so long is not difficult to discern. In its Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union, the United States did everything in its power to establish alliances with governments that both supported its battle against communism and provided vital access to oil and energy reserves. Many of these governments were autocratic, but this mattered little when the stakes were so high.

XREF: Connects to foreign policy critiques regarding realpolitik trade-offs between security/energy interests and democratic values.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 298