I agree. But lack of citizenship in this case makes the case moot.
Hmmm, I'd posted earlier that the children were, of course, citizens. You've pointed out, since then (that'll teach me yet again to read a full thread before commenting...) that this is not always the case. So be it.
There is, however, certainly an argument to be made each way. Since there is no court that will decide this matter, it comes down to a matter of politics, much more than law. So there are really, as I see it, two questions. First, can we do anything to get the girls out, and secondly, is it worth doing anything?
On the first count, we can get them out, easily enough. Fly a chopper to the embassy, put the family on it, fly them out. The Saudis are very unlikely to take unfriendly action in that case. Or, if we want to be even more confrontational, have the Marines provide an escort to a waiting plane. Provide a public warning that we will consider an assault on the family or their escort an assault on the United States, and be prepared to respond if necessary. So, yes, we can get them out. There's not even really a question about that.
Now, is it worth it? Domestically, I think the answer is a certainty - yes. The U.S. people are sick to death of the Saudis, and strong action against them, like this, would win President Bush considerable standing in the U.S. On the foreign side, we might not come out as well. We'd have the usual roster of complaints, but since we've already got a fairly poor standing, we might even see some actual trade movement against us. Some countries may even go so far as to revoke their treaties regarding the return of children - although since almost none of them actually enforce those treaties anyway, that's small loss. So overall, I'd still call it a win.
Drew Garrett