Those Conniving Saudis

Make no mistake, the American people are largely a pretty savvy bunch, not to be underestimated. Just as the majority of Americans understand the necessity for "regime change" in Iraq, they are also well cognizant that the Saudis are not our friends. In fact, nothing is more apropos in terms of the Saudis than the old adage, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" As former Middle East envoy Dennis Ross underscored on the Fox News Channel, "We have common interests with the Saudis, but not common values". The long and short of it is that these Saudis are hostile to virtually everything Americans hold dear.

For years, US-Saudi relations have been predicated upon a mutually beneficial alliance that has produced free-flowing oil for the US, and both mega-bucks and protection for the House of Saud, the ruling royal family. Hence, until recently, the US had a considerable number of troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and an airbase at our disposal. But it wasn't until the September 11th "Day of Infamy", and the awful days thereafter, that we began to focus upon the depths of hatred being systematically instigated within the Islamic world, especially by our ostensible ally, the Saudis. Yes, the Saudis were more than glad to take our considerable monies for their oil. But the Saudi royals were also simultaneously "doing us dirty". They were actively demonizing and scapegoating America, Israel and other western democracies for the purpose of deflecting the anger and frustration of the oppressed Arab masses. From the vantage of the Saudi royals, better that their populace rail against America than the real source of their problems, the Saudi leadership. Heck, the Saudi rulers don't want to be subjected to a coup d'etat! Interestingly, despite all of their unscrupulous conniving, it seems that the Saudi royals may be overthrown in the near future, anyway, if current press reports can be believed. It's somewhat ironic that the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, so lavishly funded by the House of Saud, has always considered the Saudi royals thoroughly decadent, and worthy of overthrow.

Tragically, the billions, upon billions that we, and other nations, have provided the Saudi royal family with over the years have not been used for constructive purposes and the good of the Saudi populace. Self preservation of the royals, essentially maintaining the status quo of their corrupt and despotic government, has always been the name of the game. Abject selfishness is certainly key in understanding these Saudi rulers. The notions of freedom, egalitarianism and democracy are downright alien to them. And the militant Islamic gobbledegook that the Saudi royals have been financing and propagating does indeed reflect their own twisted sentiments as well.

As noted by journalist Cal Thomas, "The truth about our 'friend and ally' Saudi Arabia was told last month in a briefing delivered to a Pentagon advisory panel. A Rand Corp. international security analyst told the panel that 'The Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain, from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from ideologist to cheerleader Saudi Arabia supports our enemies and attacks our allies'. The Bush administration sought to distance itself from the report, but straight-talking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to disagree with its findings".

Besides wildly indulging themselves in luxury, the Saudi royals were busy utilizing their tremendous wealth for promulgating a hateful, cult-like ideology of radical Islam known as Wahhabism, taught through madrassahs or religious schools in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East. And these militant and perverse teachings specifically target free and open societies, most notable Israel and America, the latter being dubbed "The Great Satan". The mere existence of western democracies deeply offends the sensibilities of these fanatics who believe in the rigid governance of "Islamic law". Historically, Jihad or "holy war" against the "infidels", or non-Islamic peoples, has been part and parcel of the traditional Islamic view. And the events of September 11th are certainly representative of classic Jihad. It has not been lost on the American people that 15 out of the 19 terrorists that perpetrated that "Day of Infamy" were Saudi nationals. And, sadly, the Saudi rulers have yet to take proper responsibility for helping to create these monstrous militants whose behaviors were clearly emblematic of malevolent Wahhabism.

Importantly, these Saudi tyrants are known for their prevailing "backwardness and irrationality" (National Review, "Desert Rats"), truly lacking the vision and sophistication required to successful operate in this complicated world. And, it's not surprising that the Saudi royals, the consummate hypocrites, are now caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place". They want to continue funding terrorism that harms America, but yet they want to continue garnering those American big-bucks for oil, as well. And by refusing America a staging ground for an attack on Iraq, they have only alienated the Americans further. Undoubtedly, the Saudi rulers don't want America to liberate Iraq, and render it an emerging democracy, since it will lead to further unrest among their own oppressed populace. The Saudi royals cannot have it both ways; they cannot effectively finesse these circumstances. They have even hired Public Relations specialists to improve their image here in the US. However, it's not going to work.

I would bet that Americans are sick and tired of these Saudi scoundrels, who refuse to acknowledge their entrenched involvement with the dissemination of radical Islam, or distance themselves from it in any manner. I, for one, don't want to give the Saudis another dime for their oil. Let them swim in it.

The Saudis are not, and have never been, "friends." Nor have they been "allies" - an ally is somebody you share a foxhole with. They are, and always have been, a small, formerly martial ruling class given an economic windfall of a scope unprecedented in history, and they will be remembered in history by what they have done, and especially what they have not done, with it. For some time the political and economic interests of this ruling class have coincided with those of the United States, especially the mutual political interest in opposing Soviet hegemony and the mutual economic interest in providing fuel for Western industrialization.

The political interest has changed, obviously, with the end of the Cold War, and the economic interest is affected by the advent of North Sea, Russian, and other oil sources. The relationship will naturally be modified or modify itself as a result.

In addition, however, the Saudis have found it useful to use the U.S. as a foil to deflect criticism from their own political challenges and their own less than open-handed economic aid policies. This had to be overlooked when its upshot was minor and its value offset by the interests mentioned above. The interests have changed, and the upshot has grown from a local xenophobic resentment to placing U.S. citizens as the focus of a violent international hate campaign, culminating in the events of 9/11. There are, in addition, fissions appearing in the ruling family in the matter of succession to the throne. All of this together means simply that the old world is over, and those who recognize this quickly enough to adapt will be at a distinct advantage over those pining nostalgically for the way things used to be.

The Saudis must surely be disturbed at how quickly their star has fallen among Americans. What a difference a day makes, in this case, 9/11/2001.

For much of the last two decades, they had a privileged position in American foreign policy, a partner so close as to be almost an extention of our own government.

US companies have had for many years a privileged position in the Kingdom, as the Saudis gave them preferential treatment on major industrial projects. US manufactures were imported by the billions of dollars worth, US workers likewise imported to manage their oil work and their economy.

Their military was US trained and US equipped. Their elite US educated. Their relationship with our CIA was almost incestuous, as Saudi money paid for off-books operations throughout the cold war.

Budget shortfalls could always be made up by selling the Saudis another weapons system, and indeed there are tons of weapons buried in the desert, waiting for the day that we, the US, might need them to defend US/Saudi interests. Throughout the eighties it would have been difficult to imagine that US and Saudi interests wouldn't always be identical.

Even the clinker, US support for Israel, the Saudis overlooked as one of those quirks that close friends overlook in one another.

Our earliest, most dramatic triumph together, was the expulsion of the Soviets from Afghanistan.

In the nineties, the relationship grew more ambitious, as the collapse of the Soviet Union opened up more opportunities. Again, our interests seemed at first parallel. We were trying to expand our interests in Central Asia, to woo them away from Moscow. One obvious way was to encourage an Islamic revival, as a way to drive the final nail into the Communist coffin.

We more than cooperated with the Saudis, they took effective control of our foreign policy, with our blessing. They paid for Islamic training for Central Asians, and also began fomenting insurgencies in every Soviet Muslim state. We, with the Saudis and the Turks, backed the Chechens against the Russians. We backed the Uighars against the Chinese.

At their behest we intervened in Somalia, and Bosnia, and Kosovo.

So, it took us a while to realize that the game had changed. The movement we created with the Saudis became an unruly monster and took on a will of its own. In addition to attacking Russian interests, they began to attack us as well.

We spent the latter part of the nineties both in denial, and trying to appease the monster we helped to create. The Saudis are also in denial, believing they can control it, knowing that one day it will turn on them as well.

But 9/11 broke the spell. The Saudis were slow to realize this, and hung on too long to the monster they created, and their marriage with the US has been irrevocably damaged. Divorce has been filed, and I would say that barring some dramatic reconciliation, they and their personal belongings will soon be littering the curb

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