Meet Saudi Arabia's Bandar bin Sultan: The Puppetmaster Behind The Syrian War

That may be desirable, but it is not possible if we want Saudi Arabia as an ally. Americans are needed in country to help run the Saudi oil industry and economy and to supply and service their weapons, and Saudis want access to the US on terms that mark their country as a trusted ally. With Wahhabi Islam though binding the Saudis to a rigid, pre-modern worldview even as they enjoy the worldly benefits of great wealth, they are both repelled and attracted by America, and resentful of American power while fearful of falling out of favor. And with so many Muslims in Saudi Arabia, there is a reproach in the way that Allah has permitted infidels to become so strong and powerful in the world while his most faithful adherents seem consigned to backwardness.

The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us, and they will not move in the Syrian territory’s direction without coordinating with us. These groups do not scare us. We use them in the face of the Syrian regime but they will have no role or influence in Syria’s political future.

Bandar is admitting that the Saudis are using jihadis as useful idiots to overthrow Assad, but that they will not allow them to rise to power in Syria, just as the they did not allow the Muslim Brotherhood to rule Egypt. Once the useful idiots have served their purpose they will be dispensed with, as useful idiots always are.

It would be better for Russia if Chechen jihadis went to Syria to die in the desert fighting other muslims, instead of targeting Russians. Putin is too busy hating the USA and trying to get revenge for the Cold War to do what is best for Russians. Instead Russians suffer and die so Putin can prop up Anti-American regimes.

Look, at best it's a business relationship with people we can never trust or like... If the Sauds were honest they would admit to the same feelings. I'm sure privately they do admit to it.

Our two cultures have nothing in common - and hopefully never will. Countries based on Saudi type ideas are invariable backward and brutal. The reason the Sauds look modern is they're buying 'the look' with oil money. When the oil stops flowing - and it will eventually - they'll revert. You doubt me? Look at the types they 'recruit' here... corrupt greedy politicians and lowlifes in our prison systems. That should tell you everything you need to know ...

We are in agreement -- which is why I took note of and explained how the US could dismantle Saudi Arabia if we had a desire to do so. Such an occasion would arise if we suffered another terror attack on the US homeland that had Saudi fingerprints on it.

Faithful Saudis and other Muslim believers are profoundly disoriented by the contrast between the backwardness, poverty, tyranny, and dysfunction of the Muslim world and the extraordinary progress, power, and freedom enjoyed by the US, the West generally, and most of the rest of the world. If Islam is the only true faith, they how can Allah permit such a state of affairs?

For adherent Muslims, there are two plausible answers: the US and other infidel societies have cheated Muslims of their due, and Muslims have failed at their duty of jihad against infidels. Until Islam experiences a reformation that makes it compatible with modernity, the Saudis and the rest of the Muslim world will continue to be menace.

Let's see.... Muslms take half their population and make them worthless... that would be the women.

They fill their men's heads with crap about woman and dogs being dirty... they exploit the labor of people form everywhere and still think they're cool because of it. If there's a 'slavery' case in the US it's usually a Saudi family abusing an adult from some third world hellhole that doesn't have oil... That telling.

Then they run a modern country as if it's a desert tribe - with endless palace intrigue and in fighting. The in family - the 'out' family... all wanting to kill each other.

They are either at war, planning war, in hate, wanting revenge, or spending endless time monitoring the sex lives (or non- sex-lives) of their daughters, wives, sisters, mothers etc... and still they don't succeed unless someone else is pumping their oil for them and handing them the cash.

You're right, it's a damn mystery why they're not a totally amazing culture. Must be Allah... maybe they can buy a bomb because they're too wrapped up with the bullsh*t to invent one - and they can hurt other people to prove their equal. Yeah, that's the solution, kill other people in the name of Allah.

And you question why the world sees them as losers?

We are in agreement -- which is why I took note of and explained how the US could dismantle Saudi Arabia if we had a desire to do so.

Why bother? What could we do that they don't do to each other? They are their own worst enemies.

The best solution for all sides is to see this as a business relationship. Period. If they want to sell to us, fine. If they don't, fine. If we want to trade expertise with them, fine. If not, fine. They need to keep their money and quit trying to buy people over here. It's tacky.

Unfortunately, despite the attractiveness of the idea, countries never quite have just a "business relationship." Closeness in trade inevitably fosters mutual cultural and political influence.

For example, after Hitler came to power, for the sake of the German market, several major Hollywood studios run by Jewish executives altered their films to meet actual and potential objections from the Nazis. Today, Hollywood similarly tailors their product to avoid giving offense to Muslim financiers and pressure groups like CAIR and to Chinese government censors.

More ominously, trade tends to make business elites in places like oil industry Texas advocates for Muslims and Asia trade reliant California sympathetic to China. Thus we get otherwise hard bitten Texas oil men blathering about terror spewing Islam as the "religion of peace," while libertarian minded Silicon Valley tech executives are credulously agog about China's rapid development without taking stock of its lack of freedom and rule of law, brutal labor camps for political dissenters, and forced abortions for poor peasants.

In the end, the only business and trade partners whom we can trust are those with our values. Thus, despite vital commercial relationships, we have cold eyed strategists who rightly see the Muslim world and China as potential military opponents.

Thus we get otherwise hard bitten Texas oil men blathering about terror spewing Islam as the "religion of peace," while libertarian minded Silicon Valley tech executives are credulously agog about China's rapid development without taking stock of its lack of freedom and rule of law, brutal labor camps for political dissenters, and forced abortions for poor peasants. In the end, the only business and trade partners whom we can trust are those with our values.

If the world's people only traded with those with similar values, we'd still be in the middle ages. All of us... but I see your point - and it's a good one.

Maybe a uniform commercial system could be created exclusively for trade - modeled loosely after the system used by airliners. Pilots and control towers communicate in English - all over the world - with standard English phrases and rules. Some years back it was discovered that pilots from authoritarian countries were having more crashes than pilots from non-authoritarian countries. Turned out in authoritarian culture the second in command was afraid to tell the captain of a problem (even life threatening ones) a second time. Often resulting in the plane crashing and all passengers being killed. The solution was to have the conversation take place in English - which broke the cultural taboo.

If you're in the UAE in a business meeting, and Mo's plane is landing at the airport in 30 minutes it's not unusual for the whole group to go to the airport to meet Mo in person. It's cultural. And wise Americans go along with it. But sometimes, like your Hitler story - what works in the short run is a disaster in the long run. Changing the trade culture might help.

Anyhow, we're not as far apart on some of this as it seemed... thanks for sharing Rockingham.

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