What started out as a popular revolution, sweeping the Africa and the Middle East, has turned into violent oppression by the autocrats to repress the popular will. Worst of all are the Saudis, because their troops are attacking demonstrators in a country not their own. Most media tends to minimize the carnage, now that they have another story dominating the news cycle, but here’s one that does not.
The current Arab counter-revolution is brought to you by the House of Saud – and enabled by the Pentagon. The Gulf has been plunged into pre-emptive war. After the initial euphoria of the great 2011 Arab revolt, the message of the Gulf kingdoms and sheikhdoms to Washington has been unambiguous – and effective; if we "fall", your strategic game is in pieces. Once more, "stability" trumps democracy.
It’s hardly surprising to see Saudi Arabia – the home of pious Wahhabism, fanatic al-Qaeda, and hypocrite Saudi princes gambling, drinking and partying in London or the French Riviera – smashing a popular desire for democracy and human dignity.
The attached novelty is the invasion of neighboring Bahrain. For the House of Saud a pro-democracy movement in Bahrain today is a worse existential threat than the fictional possibility of Saddam Hussein invading the kingdom way back in 1990.
Saudi media may slam Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his lethal strategy against his own people. But Libya and Saudi Arabia are equals. Gaddafi has laid out the counter-revolution playbook; bomb the fight out of the protesters. His winning strategy is the same as Bahrain’s, with crucial Saudi help… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <ATimes>
I do not fully agree with this author. In my opinion, the Obama administration does support the popular movement in these countries, as indicated by their condemnation of Libya and calls to the Saudis and Bahrain to cease the violence, but, now that reports of atrocities by Bahraini and Saudi troops against the Shia population are leaking out, the administration should be be taking stronger steps. I’m not advocating military intervention, but mere lip service does not go far enough.
8 Responses to “Saudi Princes Just Like Gaddafi!”
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Politics and economics make strange bedfellows. Who would have ever thought some tin-horn dictators in the Middle East would lead us to so badly compromise our principles?
I would have Jack. I haven’t forgotten Vietnam, and the CIA interest in the heroin trade to finance black ops.
I respectfully have to disagree with Jack– To call them ‘tin horn dictators ‘ minimizes them- makes them sound foolish , caricatures , and they are not— they are intelligent , for the most part , well educated- refined — BUT with a vastly different world view and set of norms and values—- Our own leaders know nothing about how other leaders from other cultures see the world– that is a big part of the whole problem— Their principles are different- and our leaders have lost sight of what theirs were or are or could be .
Obama is walking a tightrope— and I think he knows it– We are very inpatient in a situation that calls for patience-
Phyllis, you make an excellent point, and I agree. But since Jack is the resident Pope here, disagreement with him is a sacrilege. Say 5 hail Jodells and gargle with holy water. 😉
A protester from Bahrain was shot point blank in the head while talking with the armed goons from Saudi Arabia. This is not going to go well. As far as Libya is concerned, Gahaffi shooting his own citizens is a war crime. I would support air strikes on the Libyan capital, but that’s it. And the people of Libya have to ask for it and it to be approved by the UN.
Lisa, the UN just approved it. Article coming this morning.
And the Arab League has been calling for outside intervention for days, as have the Libyan rebels themselves.
The Bahraini regime’s use of outside troops against its own people is no different from Qaddhafi’s use of mercenaries against his — in both cases they know they cannot trust their own military to suppress a popular uprising (much of the Libyan military has defected to the rebels).
The Arabs are entitled to overthrow their tyrants, whether those tyrants are allied to the West or opposed to it.
I fully agree, and I have no doubt that their idea of ‘democracy’ will be different from ours. I expect that their standards of women’s rights, for example, will be well below the pitiful standard we set here. And I will call them out for it, but they have the right to take or leave my opinion in their own countries.