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Interesting, then why did congressional JIR report about state sponsored terrorism black-out 28 pages on Saudi Arabia less than 2 years ago? To hide all the good Saudis were doing?
Why did Treasury Dept. General Counsel David Aufhauser say that Saudi Arabia was the "epicenter" of terrorist funding in an appearance before the US Senate?
Why were the Saudi sponsored "charitable" organizations like WAMY and MWL shut down in the US for funding terror?
Why did the Saudi Minister for Islamic Affairs write in 2003 that suicide bombing was accerptable and the "victims" were martyrs?
I am deeply suspiscious of any one (especially one with mideast ties) trying to convince us that there's nothing to worry about in Saudi Arabia. You appear to have an agenda, Kabar.
The USG's foreign policy relationship with the government of Saudi Arabia over many decades and administrations has been a complex one. Some of the details of this relationship should not be made public for a variety of reasons. The Saudis have acted as our surrogate and financier in Central America, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. They have helped us achieve our foreign policy objectives and protect our national interests.
Saudi Arabia has the world's largest proven petroleum reserves and the world's fifth largest natural gas reserves. It ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum and plays a leading role in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The Saudis have unilaterally increased production at our request to stablize world oil prices. In terms of the world economy, Saudi Arabia is one of the most important countries in the world.
Saudi Arabia is home to two of the three most sacred sites in Islam, which makes it a very important place for the world's over 1.5 billion muslims. This fact circumscribes what any Saudi Government can do in terms of it domestic polices.
You are confusing what individual Saudis do and what are the official actions of the Saudi Government. In his fatwas UBL called for the overthrow of the Saudi Government. AQ has carried out multiple attacks against Saudi Arabia including the targetting of government officials. I stand by my statement that Saudi Arabia is not a state sponsor of terrorism, which also happens to be the official USG position.
How would you change our relationship with Saudi Arabia, bearing in mind that the fall of the current House of Saud could bring in a more conservative and religious government? All those human rights activitists in the US, including Carter, helped bring down the Shah of Iran, which resulted in Khomeini and the mullahs. We are now reaping the bitter fruits of that takeover, i.e., global Islamic terrorism and a nuclear Iran.