The Scandal of US-Saudi Relations

National Interest ^ | Winter 2003 | Daniel Pipes

[Mel Gibson]

When it comes to the Saudi-American relationship, the White House should be called the ‘White Tent.'" - Mohammed Al-Khilewi, a Saudi diplomat who defected to the United States

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, helpfully hinted at an answer in a statement boasting of his success cultivating powerful Americans. "If the reputation then builds that the Saudis take care of friends when they leave office", Bandar once observed, "you'd be surprised how much better friends you have who are just coming into office."[35] This effective admission of bribery goes far to explain why the usual laws, regulations and rights do not apply when Saudi Arabia is involved. Hume Horan, himself a former U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom, is the great and noble exception to this pattern. He says this of his former colleagues:

There have been some people who really do go on the Saudi payroll, and they work as advisers and consultants. Prince Bandar is very good about massaging and promoting relationships like that. Money works wonders, and if you've got an awful lot of it, and a royal title-well, it's amusing to see how some Americans liquefy in front of a foreign potentate, just because he's called a prince.

[Mel Gibson]

"This culture of corruption in the Executive Branch renders it quite incapable of dealing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the farsighted and disinterested manner that U.S. foreign policy requires. That leaves Congress with the responsibility to fix things. The massive pre-emptive bribing of American officials requires urgent attention. Steps need to be taken to ensure that the Saudi revolving-door syndrome documented here be made illegal. That might mean that for ten years or more after having extensive contacts with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an official may not receive funds from that source. Only this way can U.S. citizens regain confidence in those of their officials who deal with one of the world's more important states."

[megatherium]

It should be an urgent national priority to achieve energy independence.

[sure_fine]

btt

[Mel Gibson]

It should be an urgent national priority to achieve energy independence.

Would that be in the interest of our Saudi "allies"?

[DJ Taylor]

Is he trying to say that we have the best government Saudi money can buy? If so, we have known this for some time now.

[mo]

This is the best argument for term limits-three 2 yr congrssional terms and 2 6 yr senate terms. Couple that along with absolute personal and financial transparency for each of those terms during your tenure of public service ...would end this nonsense pronto.....its the old "We the People" thingy.....

[Wolfie]

Unfortunately, the lawmakers who benefit from this kind of graft arren't likely to vote themselves off the gravy train.

[A. Pole]

Is he trying to say that we have the best government Saudi money can buy?

Good Saudi government would decriminalize Christian religion and would allow churches to be opened . Why such modest changes are not even asked for?

Iran and Syria treat Christians much better. Improving the status of Saudi Christians to the Syrian or even Iranian level would be a great move toward freedom in Middle East.

[mo]

I guess that's why its up to we the people.....

[lonerepubinma]

Mohammed Al-Khilewi, a Saudi diplomat who defected to the United States


Since when did you have to "defect" out of Saudi Arabia ?

[Mel Gibson]

"Good" Saudi government

that's an oxymoron, the Wahhabi Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not permit Christianity on it's soil. Saudi Arabia is the most repressive country I have ever travelled and worked.

[Red Badger]

It matters not whether the (D) or the (R) are in control as far as the Saudis are concerned. Money buys power, that is nothing new, for at least the last several millenia. there have always been people willing to sell their souls or their countries for money. "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil." ............

[Obie Wan]

"This effective admission of bribery goes far to explain why the usual laws, regulations and rights do not apply when Saudi Arabia is involved"

Slight twist on an old expression " money talks and ethics walk" !!!

[claptrap]

The government officals dancing with these devils
might prove to be our final undoing.
Too bad that innocents with pay the price.

[winodog]

It was 25 years ago but our self serving elite politicians scrapped it. Its as if they are destroying America on purpose.

[From many - one.]

"It should be an urgent national priority to achieve energy independence."

Needed repeating.

If we not only achieved energy independence, but made new energy sources cheaply available to other countries, the whole middle east problem would disappear.

[megatherium]

One of my colleagues where I teach is a geologist who worked on the synfuels project in Montana. He says they reached a point where they were confident they could make America energy independent in 20 years. That would have been by 2000 had the project not been shut down.

[secretagent]

In April 2002, as Crown Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia, the country's effective ruler, was about to travel across Texas to visit President George W. Bush, an advance group talked to the airport manager in Waco (the airport serving the President's ranch in Crawford) "and told him they did not want any females on the ramp and also said there should not be any females talking to the airplane."[2] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at Waco complied with this request and passed it to three other FAA stations on the crown prince's route, which also complied. Then, when queried about this matter, both the FAA and the State Department joined the Saudi foreign minister in flat-out denying that there ever was a Saudi request for male-only controllers.

And so the matter ended? Just a "he said, she said" ?

Perhaps this never happened. Sounds good though.

[secretagent]

Since when did you have to "defect" out of Saudi Arabia ?

Good question.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Achieving "energy independence" should reach the level of a national emergency and the goal should be pursued with as much vigor as the Manhattan Project.

Drilling should begin EVERYWHERE, IMMEDIATELY. The country is awash in coal. Build dozens of coal to liquid fuel plants. Build nuclear plants. Unlock reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas on federal lands. Energy independence CAN be realized, probably in a short time if the US got serious about it.

[megatherium]

Absolutely correct! We should also consider how to encourage conservation -- anything to reduce our reliance on middle eastern oil, and to keep money out of the hands of the sheiks by lowering the price of oil

[usurper]

Does anyone know how many members of the Baker Commission worked for Saudi Arabia after leaving the first Bush administration?

I sense the hand of Saud all over it. It may not be a bad thing as Islam appears to be fracturing in a major way with the Gulf states (Sunni) lining up against Iran’s growing regional power.

[Ax]

We spent a couple of years in Saudi Arabia as well. There is no more oppressive country on the planet - with the possible exception of North Korea - than KSA. I also spent four years in Havana, and the Cuban people under Castro have INFINITELY more freedom than those people in KSA.

[M. Espinola]

The wahhabist cult Saudi régime is not in any way a so-called ally of the United States.

[Jim Noble]

I had a vanity in 10/01 called, "Should We Do Saudi Arabia First?"

Maybe it was a good idea.

[PghBaldy]

Actually, it makes a point: Saudi Arabia kills people for religious reasons, not really different from the Soviets (or Russians...) killing for political reasons. It is a tragedy that so much of the world's oil is controlled by Muslims, but that's just a fact. Not a lot our leaders ever seem to want to do about it - such as creating energy independence (which may or may not be possible). EVEN if we were independent, energy is a worldwide market. When oil goes up, so does coal and gas. The problem is with leaders like Carter who accepted money for his library.

[PghBaldy]

Re the US Govt and Jews: "using the letter "J" next to the names so that selection panels would not select Jewish diplomats for service in ksa." It is an old article, but I'm sure little if anything has changed. Between the Muslims and China, we have seemingly lost our way.

[Lurker]

It was a good idea.

While Iran is a pain in our rear, SA and their export of that particularly psychotic brand of that foul ideology known as 'islam', is a deadly danger to us.

L

[PghBaldy]

"More recently, Crown Prince Abdallah wrote to President Bush in August 2001 stating that a time comes when peoples and nations part. We are at a crossroads. It is time for the United States and Saudi Arabia to look at their separate interests. Those governments that don't feel the pulse of the people and respond to it will suffer the fate of the Shah of Iran.[29]" strange time for him to write such a letter...

[tgambill]

they are an ally of ours.....in a sick way. I know, this as I have seen it in Saudi, five years in Kosovo. We are dancing with the devil and have since the 1930's..both sides.

[M. Espinola]

"We are dancing with the devil and have since the 1930's..both sides."

When one dances with the Devil, sooner or later, the Devil is in total control.

[tgambill]

Exactly.....and he is.....good point. We are only experiencing the inner circle..........