SAUDIS 50 YEARS RELATIONSHIP WITH USA OF OIL FOR WEAPONS AND UNNECESSARY AND USELESS WARS = AQ CONTRACTORS BORN AND HAUNT AMERICANS TO THIS DAY!
US and Saudi relations
Madawi Al-Rasheed, Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre at The London School of Economics and Political Science, originally from Saudi Arabia
Obama + King Abdullah from Saudi Arabia to give assurances to Saudi Arabia on Syria and Iran.
Obama and King Abdullah
Saudi Arabia = Sees Iran as an existential threat + Sees the Arab Awakening as existential threats + Sees the fight in Syria as part of a fight with Iran – an existential threat.
USA doesn’t see these issues as national interest = Issues that can be managed.
Rift between US and Saudi Arabia = The Arab uprising in 2011 shocked Saudi Arabia. = North Africa + Yemen + Bahrain + Eastern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia = Determination to SAVE Monarchy = Like Morocco + Jordan.
Saudi Arabia = Dream of going back to old allies = Mubarak + Zine El Abidine Ben Ali +others = Militarized republicanism in places Egypt + Yemen + elsewhere. = Saudis tried to play role as a counterrevolutionary force in the Arab world.
US perspective = Comfortable with the old Arab order + But its cracking served the purpose of US of maintaining New repression and stability.
Divergence of US and Saudi Arabia came as US was not willing to save Mubarak + Saudi Arabia wanted to have another NATO military adventure in Syria to deal with the Assad regime using military force, as it did in Libya.
WEST = Washington + London + Paris = were not prepared to go into a war over Syria, simply because Syria was more complex than Libya.
SAUDIS were PISSED when they realized its pressure on Washington was NOT ENOUGH ANYMORE.
Saudi Arabia = Pushed US to take military action against Iran’s nuclear program = Shocked when US and Iran began carrying out negotiations under patronage of Oman = Important member in Gulf Cooperation Council. = May end up lifting the sanctions on Iran and rehabilitating Iran in the international community.
Saudi Arabia realized it can DEPEND on US like it did for 50 Years.
Saudi Arabia was = Part of US policy in the Muslim world, let alone the Arab world. = A close ally using its influence + religious ideology to fight communism in Afghanistan + elsewhere in Arab world. = Close ally of the CIA in black ops dirty operations for years.
Saudi Arabia felt Washington must honor Saudi wishes = NO LONGER TRUE
Saudis = Extreme wealth + Epitome of a repressive authoritarian monarchy = INCOMPATIBLE with Direction of USA.
DIVERGENCE OF INTEREST = Americans realism in its foreign policy = Contain the Arab uprising and ensure good relations with whoever comes to power.
But Saudis opposed the Arab uprising and wanted the status quo + Used its diplomatic and political weight to undermined the Arab uprising.
Saudi Arabia opposed the North African + Bahrain + Yemen Uprisings, But Put its full weight to FOSTER the Syrian uprising = Diverting it from its early peaceful, democratic demands into a sectarian war. = Unfortunate
A piece of this is the congressional joint committee of 9ll investigation led by Senator Bob Graham = Saudi GOV (not individual rogue princes) king (chairman of the board of fiefdoms) facilitated and financed the 9ll attacks = Justified invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq although they had nothing to do with 9ll. ODDLY the American-Saudi relations carry on as if none of that happened.
USA needs to ASK ITSELF SOME BIG Questions = So-called special 50 Year relationship between Saudis and US. = BS Holy Alliance MUST END!
Obama administration is putting a brake or moving slower than previous administrations in dealing with Saudi Arabia and not glorifying this medieval Alliance. Saudis human and religious rights are unfriendly and NOW open for discussion. NO MORE holy alliance despite Energy and Weapons interest groups who want us to believe in a BS holy alliance. = US provides a Political umbrella for Saudi Arabia
If US-SAUDI relationship ruptured it would rather piss off American arms manufacturers = Saudis are one of their biggest purchasers.
Saudis use their ARMS purchasing POWER to play Europe, France, UK, and US off against each other. Saudis realized that this purchasing power is useful after any kind of rift between US and Saudis. = Saudis visits other Western countries, or Asia and offered to buy military equipment. = Recently Saudis pledged $3 Billion to Lebanese government/ARMY to buy military equipment from France. Saudis use their power to purchase huge contracts to buy and maintain SYSTEMS. BIG SOURCE OF INCOME FOR CONTRACTORS. US WANTS that.
Saudis put pressure on Western governments to remain silent on abuse of human rights + undemocratic system + its intrigues in the Arab world and beyond.
Alternatives to the Saudis is NOT radical Islamists but is free elections in these societies to form free associations, civil society, to prepare for the alternative.
Saudis are a dictatorship refusing to prepare its society for an alternative.
NOW Differences ON Iran and Arab Awakening between Saudis and Americans = Saudi regime sees both as existential threats and the United States does not.
The Arab Awakening impact and fear on Saudi Arabia = Saudi demography and society have changed since 1970s. Today a large cohort of educated young people use social media in a frenzy since other outlets are banned = Demand political reform. = Over 10 Years 12 petitions to the king asked for political change. = Only way to engage the leadership and express the wish of a cross section of society.
Youth are men, women, Islamists, non-Islamists, some are called liberals, others are more towards the religious side = ALL want real political change. = Wanted a constitutional monarchy + King an honorary figure + Political participation in the country + A national elected council, a parliament. = A right to form civil society.
NOW Monarchy = No political parties + Run as an absolute monarchy with multiple princes controlling important ministries = Center of power + King an honorary figure who supervises these various ministries with their princely heads.
Saudi Youth want change = More accountability + An end to widespread corruption + Want basic rights – freedom of expression = A Tweet or a video clip can land you in prison for several years.
An American Journalist with Obama Tweeting photos showing the inside of the king’s palace + a ranch outside = Went Viral as Saudis saw for the first time the opulence of these palaces.
Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia = 3 young Saudis posted video clips individually asking the king for higher salaries (NOT ENOUGH) + Saudi princes enjoying luxury. = PRISON for all 3 + A fourth one joined post another video clip protesting the arrest was also put in PRISON.
Saudi youth are engaging with the world and human rights = Invigorated by Arab Spring + Disappointed by their government’s position against these uprisings = in the Arab world.
Summer 2013, a group of Saudis wrote a petition and circulated it saying they are against what Saudi government did in Egypt = Supporting military with $12+ Billion to depose the elected Egyptian president. = Saudi used repression on its Youth.
Amnesty International + Human Rights Watch reported the repression since 2011 with detailed reports on the various cases of political prisoners + Formed a civil and political right association. = Sentences are harsh = 10 to 15 Years in Prison
Saudis repress of the Shia by majority Sunni = Shia are significant and live mostly where the oil is – Are more experienced in civil disobedience and demonstrations since 1950 in the workers movement = Suppressed by Monarchy = 1979 they staged a rebellion in Saudi Arabia in the Eastern province. = Saudi regime strategy = Undermine the credibility of the Shia Uprising in the Eastern province and in Bahrain by claiming that these are Shia agents of Iran. = Accepted at face value with NO evidence of LINK to Iran.
Other parts of Saudi Arabia the government immediately put agitators in prison over last 20 years on crime of forming a Saudis’ Association for Civil and Political Rights = Exposing torture in Saudi prisons + assembly in front of the Ministry of Interior.
Saudi working class movement emerged out of the 1950s American oil camps, but Saudi government bans demonstrations and dissolved workers association. Now done online in virtual protests by young Saudis = But there is no chance for this to move to the real world in the authoritarian system. = But people are very creative in resisting through social media.
Real World protests = Shia protest movement + Women have staged several campaigns online for protests
Americans spend money on democracy promotion, giving money to NGOs in Ukraine to Venezuela and many other places. In Saudi Arabia if any group or association is proven to have received money from outside = A criminal activity ending up in prison.
Obama honored a Saudi woman doctor given an award = Symbolic gesture. = No gender equality in Saudi Arabia = Western GOVS refuse to criticize Saudi Arabia = We must respect the local Islamic value system. = Absolute rubbish = Western officials ignore Saudi gender equality as some Muslim women ask for emancipation and empowerment = signing petitions to drive. = Double standard hypocrisy of Western officials. = Make Big issue about Iran or Afghanistan for what Saudi Arabia does everyday. = Selective respect for traditions and Islamic culture with NO respect for human rights.
Saudi relationship with AQ Contractors = US Joint congressional committee on 9ll found the Saudi government financed and facilitated the 9/11 attacks. = Senator Bob Graham, co-chair told us the Saudis did this because OBL told the Saudi royal regime that he had 10,000 fighters that he could send to Saudi Arabia to develop an uprising against the Saudi royal family if they didn’t help him launch these attacks.
Complicated relationship = OBLs words = Saudi regime are his main enemy for 50 Years of SELLING OUT to USA Corporations + the Shia. + But Evidence shows Saudis worked with OBL forces in Afghanistan?
Saudi Arabia Royalty = Fight against any external threat that may create internal rebellion. = 1950s and ’60s leftist movement in Arab world + Arab nationalism = Saudi Family used Islamism to destroy these two movements. = Sponsored Islamic education + Sponsored Islamic opinions to depict movements as atheism.
Saudi Family = Enlists its ideology on behalf of the West to fight battles in Afghanistan against USSR using AQ Contractors. = Saudi-Wahhabi AQ Contractors
Eisenhower quoted = Use the Saudis defense of Mecca = Wahhabism + Saudi power to fight Nasser, nationalism, and socialism. = CIA worked directly with OBL and AQ Contractor Saudis in Afghanistan. = OBL in deal between Saudis and CIA. = Part of the Cold War strategy with Saudi Arabia deploying its ideology and financial support to fight wars.
Problem for Saudi Arabia is this ideology haunts them in a battle with their own ideology’s menace (9ll) = Saudis have created armed rebels actually working on behalf of the Saudis in Syrian revolution = AQ Contractors caused loss of Locals democratic slogans as Saudi intervention created a AQ Front in Syria.
Saudi Arabia, a week before Obama’s visit, introduced a new antiterrorism law which says that anybody who goes to Syria and come back will face 20 years in prison. OK to go and fight but arrest them when they come back. = Saudi regime hope they go and die there.
Change from the days when Saudi Family was concerned about AQ attacks to accommodation of AQ Contractors as part of the Saudis wage warfare in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere.
You see these AQ threats (referring to 9ll) + Prince Bandar’s threat to Tony Blair regarding the bribery scandal of Saudis buying $Billion of weapons while Bandar got $1 Billion bribe. Bandar told Blair to stop this inquiry or there will be another 7/7 in London. Recently Bandar threatened Putin with AQ Chechen Contractors.
Saudis since 2008 pushed AQ into Yemen = Forced some Saudis to migrate to Yemen. = A pressure on foreign governments = You do as we want in terms of intelligence cooperation, or we TAKE CONTROL.
A subtle hint was when the Serious Fraud Office in UK wanted to EXAMINE PANDAR’S weapons deal corruption with BAE Systems = Saudis announced if serious fraud investigation goes ahead, they will cease to cooperate with UK on intelligence and release AQ Contractors on UK.
Saudis AQ intelligence cooperate with the Pakistani ISI to play the same game. = Fake Collaborate with the West on antiterrorist operations + The ISI works with Taliban and AQ Contractors. Journalists that report on this have been assassinated by the ISI. = AQ Monster created with CIA to fight USSR NOW haunts with Saudi AQ Contractors FOR 30 YEARS deployed in Syria, Libya, IRAQ, YEMAN and threats to UK.
NOW US + WEST see AQ Contractors are really not a VALID alternative to Assad = New terrorism law TO KEEP AQ CONTRACTORS IN SYRIA UNTIL THEY WIN OR DIE. = Americans so much a part of this policy of using AQ Contractors they can’t say much about it. = Well-known fact AND will be open and declassified information for future historians to write incredible books with concrete evidence. Now we get the leaked documents or info from journalists in the field on the flow of weapons and AQ Contractors coming from Saudi Arabia who sponsors them.
Saudi Arabia considers Iran a mortal enemy.
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