Replies

…I tend to go on a roll…

Naw… You’re kidding me, right?…

On a more serious note, as I have mentioned before, I do not disagree with you in your assessment of either the Saudi family or of Islam, in general. I could easily leap into the fray with you and offer some condemnations you may have forgotten. However, that on which I was opining earlier was exactly what would be the most successful strategy to accomplish the goal of “defanging” Islam and/or the Saudi’s.

In spite the very good case you make for taking the Saudi’s on militarily, directly and immediately, I feel that such a course would not necessarily be the best strategy. The Saudi’s, for all of their complicity in spreading Wahabbism and indirectly bank rolling extremists, are ultimately interested in only one thing: retaining power. As was noted in your post they have made their Faustian bargain with the Wahabbi’s solely in the interest of power. The minute that they perceived that supporting Wahabbism was truly a threat to their power retention, the Saudi’s would toss it like week-old rotten fish. Consequently, the easiest, short-term solution, if it is possible, would be to find some way to “poison the Wahabbi well” for the Saudi’s. .

Such a move would bring at least two benefits simultaneously. First, the funding for Wahabbi world-wide propaganda would be severed instantly. With that funding loss, Wahabbism would shrivel to regional cult status. Second, the stability of the Saudi regime would be one of either immediate collapse or, alternately, enough secular/political clout to perform some Turkish style internal reforms. In either case, the west comes out ahead.

On the other hand, if we militarily assault Saudi’s directly, a-la-Iraq (even with similar military success), all we would succeed in doing, would be uniting the various Islamic fractions around the world against us in a world-wide confrontation. Consequently, as tempting as it sounds, we must avoid direct confrontation with the Saudi’s at least in the short term.

Your proposal of psychological warfare and counter-propaganda against the Saudi’s and Wahabbism is exactly what I was suggesting earlier (although not outlined in the detail to which you put it). The chief problem is the one of being the “invisible puppet master” for such an effort. I think if the current administration had solved that problem, you would, undoubtedly, be seeing what you propose occurring right now.

Thanks LD.

Short and brief this time.

the stability of the Saudi regime would be one of either immediate collapse or, alternately, enough secular/political clout to perform some Turkish style internal reforms.

I'm betting on the former as the House of Saud are already hated enough in the ummah, even by the different salafi factions themselves so they lack backing and the clout of the ummah... hence their pact with the ulema in the first place.

...if we militarily assault Saudi’s directly, a-la-Iraq (even with similar military success), all we would succeed in doing, would be uniting the various Islamic fractions around the world against us in a world-wide confrontation.

Hence IMHO, the need to back Hashemite armies and engage on an intense behind the scenes campaign to humiliate and delegitimize the entire Saud/wahabbi establishment.

All in all, between us, we have two workable plans here (and we've thought about our backups).. I'll be very happy if either bears fruit.

Take care, and have a great weekend.