The kingdom is aggressively emphasizing the relative stability of monarchies, part of an effort block any dramatic shift from the authoritarian model, which would generate uncomfortable questions about the glacial pace of political and social change at home.
... The Arab Spring began to unravel an alliance of so-called moderate Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which were willing to work closely with the United States and promote peace with Israel. American support for the Arab uprisings also strained relations, prompting Saudi Arabia to split from Washington on some issues while questioning its longstanding reliance on the United States to protect its interests.The strained Saudi posture toward Washington was outlined in a recent opinion piece by a Saudi writer in The Washington Post that suggested Riyadh was ready to go it alone because the United States had become an “unreliable partner.” But that seems at least partly a display of Saudi pique, since the oil-for-protection exchange that has defined relations between the two for the past six decades is unlikely to be replaced soon. Saudi Arabia is negotiating to buy $60 billion in advanced American weapons, and President Obama, in his speech last week demanding that Middle Eastern autocrats bow to popular demands for democracy, noticeably did not mention Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir, sat prominently in the front row.
THE WEST IS AIDING THE ARAB SPRING. THE G-8 JUST ANNOUNCED A BIG AID PACKAGE.
THE SAUDI ARE WAHHABISTS AND ARE FUNDAMENTALLY ANTI-WEST - NO MATTER ELSE THEY DO.
THEY ARE TO BE TRUSTED AS MUCH AS SHOULD TRUST THE PAKISTANIS AND THE TURKS - WHICH IS TO SAY NOT VERY MUCH AT ALL.
AT LEAST THEY ARE ANTI-IRAN, TOO.
No comments:
Post a Comment