Adelman's blistering attack on Saudis (more recent than WSJ op ed piece)

BBC World Service ^ | 8/29/02 | Ken Adelman

[zook]

I have read Ken Adelman's WSJ piece, but nowhere have I read about his follow up comments regarding the most recent Saudi response. You can hear Adelman's words via the audio feed of the BBC World Service.

Adelman says (quoting excerpts here)regarding the Saudis:

"...what they really fear is to have a neighbor that is democratic...."

Saudi Arabia lies "smack dab in the 11th century..."

Saudis are "corrupt...tyrannical..."

[zook]

Pretty hard hitting stuff.

[Paleo Conservative]

Saudi Arabia lies "smack dab in the 11th century..."

You are too generous. I think their outlook is more 8th century.

[IncPen]

Some opined that bombing Afghanistan would knock them back to the stone age.

My view was they'd be bombed up to the stone age...

[faulkner]

The neocons are dissing Saudi Arabia because they love their new Toyota Priuses and don't believe anyone should drive any car bigger than a Toyota Prius.

[faulkner]

Israel will feel much safer with Wahabbi clerics in power, no doubt.

[thegreatbeast]

The reason I agree with Adelman is that there are tens of thousands of Western-educated Saudis who are bright, ambitious and fed up to here with having their future delimited by their own personal relationship to one or more members of the royal family. If you know the royals, things will be okay; if you don't, all your ambition is thwarted. How would you like to live so precariously? I think the House of Saud will fold like a cheap tent once they fail at keeping King Faud's vital signs going.

[faulkner]

The House of Saud is there because America wants it there, to keep the oil flowing. The Arab people actually hate the House of Saud. When it comes to America's oil supply, democracy is too unpredictable. Pliable puppets like the House of Saud are preferable. It's better than Wahhabi clerics being in control and using oil wealth to develop nukes, which is the alternative. The majority of Saudis are poor and anti-American so even if Saudi Arabia were a democracy, it'd be a Third World, oil-dependent democracy with a majority-poor population led by anti-American, socialist politicians.

[weikel]

Like they aren't already? The whole ruling class of Saudi Arabia clerics, royals, everybody needs to be killed.

[weikel]

Im a monarchist myself but A) Saudi Arabia is not a true monarchy they are a government by clan( an oligarchy which has all the vices of monarchy and democracy and the virtues of neither) many of whom are fanatical Wahabbis( the house of Saud is responsible for Wahabbism) B) We don't have to worry about any alternative local rulers we could either conquer it and turn it into an oil colony or give it to the secular, westernizing, King Abdullah of Jordan.

[faulkner]

America doesn't care whether the House of Saud is a "legitimate" monarchy or not. As long as the House of Saud continues to sell oil to America at cheap prices, that's all that matters. The House of Saud is America's oil-pumping puppet, hated by most Saudis themselves for this very reason. The House of Saud already is America's oil colony, so there's no need for America to try to take over Saudi Arabia or hand Saudi Arabia over to Jordan. The whole reason America is even interested in Saudi Arabia is because of oil and, that being the case, America prefers a pro-US Saudi dictatorship to an unpredictable, anti-US, messy Saudi democracy any day.

[weikel]

Except its not pro US. THE HOUSE OF SAUD WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH 9/11. Them and their Wahabbi clerics must pay for that with their lives.

[faulkner]

9-11 was caused by Osama bin Laden, who would like nothing better than to overthrow the House of Saud and institute an Islamic fundamentalist Saudi government which doesn't sell any oil to the US and gets out of the entire oil business altogether, which he views as having corrupted Saudi Arabia. Why would the House of Saud, which has grown rich and fat from selling oil to America and wants nothing more than to stay in power, want to destroy America, its best customer?

[faulkner]

Osama bin Laden doesn't want to sell oil to the US, but the House of Saud does. Osama is anti-US; the House of Saud is pro-US.

America's desire for oil leads to America's propping up the House of Saud, which leads to the House of Saud's having to financially support the Wahhabi clerics so that the House of Saud isn't overthrown and can continue to sell oil to America, and that financial support comes back to bite the US (indirectly) through Osama bin Laden, not because the House of Saud wants to hurt the US but because in order for the House of Saud to stay in power and continue pumping oil for America, the House of Saud needs to quell popular revolt by supporting Wahhabi clerics.

America's desire for oil causes the above entire chain of events.

But America doesn't want to stop using oil anytime soon. Too many SUV's.

It's fair to say terrorism and Osama is the price America has to pay for its oil appetite.

[weikel]

You assume that all members of the House of Saud are immune from the Wahabbi fanaticism of their people. They ain't CP Abdullah is a fanatical Wahabbi and he has a lot of power since the king is virtually a vegetable. The house of Saud created the Wahabbi problem( look at the history). The Sulderi Seven the pro American clique in the house of Saud has lost most of its influence. Bin Laden opposes the Sulderi group and the king but I don't think he has much against Abdullah. Saudi Arabia is ruled as a fundamentalist state stricter in its Islamic laws then Iran unless your a member of the royal family( only the Sauds can arrest a Saud).

[clamboat]

America's desire for oil leads to America's propping up the House of Saud, which leads to the House of Saud's having to financially support the Wahhabi clerics so that the House of Saud isn't overthrown and can continue to sell oil to America, ...

WOW! A realistic, accurate, unbiased assessment posted to FreeRepublic. I'm shocked!

I think you have said all that needs to be said, Faulkner. And America will make noises like we want a real democracy in Saudia Arabia, when in reality we want that like we want a hole in the head.

Now address the real reason we want to attack Iraq - 1) we want a huge supply of oil in the Gulf that is under our control, 2) we want leverage against the Saudis in the form of a neighboring state under our control, 3) we want an alternative and a base of operations if the House of Saud should fall, and 4) Hussein managed to outlast Bush's father, and revenge would be sweet.

[faulkner]

At the end of the day, the House of Saud isn't gonna give up its Rolls Royces, shopping junkets to Paris, and Swiss boarding schools to enroll in Koran school.

[weikel]

I don't want a Democracy I hate Democracy. All men are created unequal. The House of Saud, however, has betrayed us they have bitten the hand that feeds them they are encouraging radical Islam all over the world and many were probably directly involved with 9/11. Islam outside of a few enclaves of rational Muslims like Turkey needs to be wiped out entirely before they get nuclear weapons( and its not really that difficult to do if you have the money to do it). Genocide is not neccasary most people are sheep all thats neccasary is you eliminate the Fundis in the ruling class. The rest can be brainwashed away from Islam or at least accepting a completely diffrent Koran( its not like most of them are literate).

[river rat]

The House of Saud is the diseased old whore that suckles and sustains radical/militant Islam... Wahhabism

The treacherous two faced lying bitch has earned our hatred, and deserves to feel the wrath of a brutal American vengeance.

Semper Fi

[weikel]

That makes them more dangerous though because in Islam you can work off your sins by killing infidels. The Jordanian Beduins ain't the problem( most of them side with the Israelis against the Palestinians). Ditto for the Afghan tribesman the Talibans volunteer troops were nearly all foreigners they had Afghan conscripts but were always hated and despised by the local population( don't get me wrong the Pashtuns are bloodthirsty savages but they don't care too much about your religion). The problem is the spoiled Arab rich kids like Bin Laden who have lots of time on their hands to think about killing infidels spreading their insane religion etc. The one troublesome group of poor Arabs the Pallies are an artificial group of criminals who moved to British Palestine to kill Jews and are now brainwashed from birth.

[faulkner]

The House of Saud, however, has betrayed us they have bitten the hand that feeds them they are encouraging radical Islam all over the world

No, the only reason the House of Saud financially supports Wahhabism is so that it won't be overthrown and thus can continue to pump oil for America. It's America's desire for oil which causes the whole chain of events. Because of its appetite for oil, America ends up biting its own hand.