Posted on 01/26/2002 5:24:48 PM PST by Pokey78
The truth hurts doesn't it. Saudi Arabia is terrorism.
This is clearly a threat. He obviously thinks he has us by the b*lls becuase of the oil. I suspect President Bush may be holding a few extra cards in this game.
The one thing the "prince" may not have calculated is the fact the we now have a President in office who understands the stakes and has a much larger goal in mind than just the Middle East, the longterm security of United States of America. It might come as shock to the dictators in that region that we are now truly going to be looking out for our own interests. They may find that they no longer qualify for that distinction.
It's funny they present the survey of the "educated males" as some sort or reason why we shouldn't back away from Arafat. I suggest that the survey and statements from the "intellegence" guy only stregthen the belief that they are not on our side and wont be in the future.
One thing about President Bush we've all witnessed and been told is, he demands loyalty, honesty, and actions above words. He's about results, it's clear that our Middle East policies have failed and require a massive rethinking. This is the time to to do just that.
Without the oil hanging over our heads, what does this region have? Nothing, without our thirst for oil, Saudia Arbia would be another Afghanistan. Isreal can take care of herself, if we would only get out the way.
When the fallout settles from the pending conflicts and the historians look back on President Bush's 8 years in office, they will write that this President solved the Middle East problem, like President Reagan before him with the Cold War, with steadfast determination, decisive action, and uncomprimisnig beliefs.
The little tidbit about retaking the survey after the people of Afghanistan were liberated is quite interesting too.
Sounds to me like the royal family is really conflicted right now.
Which Saudi? The one with our airbase on it? The one that we can blow to smithereens at the drop of a daisy? THAT Saudi?
That's how I read it, too.
The royal family is caught between doing the right thing, and their own population which has been thoroughly indoctrinated against the west and Israel. It's really their own cowardice that has allowed things to progress to the state they are now in, but there's no easy fix.
They can't crack down on their own clerics without provoking a revolution, yet if they give into them, they're doomed, too. They are walking a tightrope, and we can only help them to some extent.
It's crystal clear that the Saudis have no intention of cooperating with us in the war against terror, not even to the extent of sharing financial records or intelligence data.
As I have said before, the only practical solution to the Saudi problem in the long run is to break the country in two, and separate the holy places from the oil. It's simply too dangerous to have the same arrogant, corrupt people in control of the world economy AND the sacred pilgrim sites of a billion Muslims.
According to articles I've been reading, they've approx. 30% unemployment over there, massive corruption, and have a *lot* of "spoiled kid" mentality over there. The Saudi Royal Family used to pay each Saudi Citizen a ~$28,000 stipend (actually hush money) annually. That has now dropped to less than $8,000 and should plummet like a stone because of lack of U.S. demand and low prices.
The Saudi Royal family is now having *major* problems because of the puritanical Islamicism that they promoted is now coming back to "Bite the hand that feeds them." Instead of confronting the issue, the Saudi Royal family just sent the troublemakers elsewhere, meaning to the West, messing our "nest" instead of theirs. Now that the troublemakers have come home and are very powerful, the Saudis are doing whatever possible to keep in power and keep their heads attached. Expect them to sign deals with Russia and China *very* soon and turn very anti-American. I truly expect another Arab oil embargo against the U.S. soon. Count on it.
Food for thought - take a look at this article. The Imam (Chief Cleric) in question is in charge of one of the largest (if not *the* largest) mosque in all of Islam - one that will seat 1/2 Million Muslims *at one time*. Considering that the Muslim pilgrimage, the "Haj", is coming up shortly, and is expecting up to 2 Million pilgrims to attend, this Imam's preaching anti-Americanism is VERY forboding and a sign of things to come.
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=12326
Saturday, January 26, 2002
Islam can’t be diluted: Shuraim
By Abdul Aziz Ghazzawi, Arab News Staff
MAKKAH, 26 January — The Imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday warned Muslims that giving in to outside pressure to alter established Islamic principles amounted to treason.
Gemflint's comments: "Makkah" is the city of Mecca, the "Holy City" of Islam. Their website: http://www.saudiarabia.net/text/city/makkahf.htm and http://www.iad.org/Madinah.html
"Bargaining on Islam and on its unquestionable principles amounts to high treason and extreme madness," Sheikh Saud Al-Shuraim said while giving his Friday sermon.
*********"The enemies of the Islamic Ummah will accept nothing less than that the Ummah abandons Islam, distances itself from the Shariah and makes concessions so that it remains a reality only in name," he told the faithful, including, a large number of pilgrims, who were thronging the large mosque complex for the Juma prayer.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Western media has claimed that Islam promotes extremism and breeds terrorists of the kind who struck in New York and Washington, killing thousands. There have also been Western calls on governments of Islamic countries to take specific measures, such as amending their school curriculum and disbanding extremist organizations.
But Shuraim said it was unfair to blame Islam for problems it had not created. "Islamic countries and the teachings and principles of Islam have been the target of a smear campaign launched from within and outside the Islamic world," Shuraim added.
He warned against making any "ideological, intellectual or educational" concessions to those who seek to impose submission on Muslims.
Saudi Arabia has come under harsh criticism only because it is ruled by Islam, the imam added.
The way I see it, Saudi Arabia is the heartland of terrorism, Afghanistan was the Disneyland of Terrorism.
A Disneyland where young muslim males could live out their jihadist fantasies, remotely related to running off to join the French Foreign Legion, but without, for example, the mass slaughter of co-religionists and forcible "marriage(s)" to local 13 year old girls.
There's a lot of Saudi land near Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Maybe they don't want a lot of evicted Palis as new neighbors? They already threw them out once as ungrateful guest-workers during the dust-up with Iraq in 1991.
Huge Saudi Debt Expected To Increase Further (Veronica's 1/7 thread
"Saudi Arabia's huge debt is expected to increase over the next year. Gulf analysts said stagnating oil prices will make the kingdom one of the biggest debtor nations in the world. Riyad is expected to owe more than $200 billion by the end of 2002.
Already, the analysts said, Saudi Arabia owes $203 billion. The kingdom is expected to borrow another $12 billion during 2002. A study by Saudi economist Ihsan Bu Hlaika said the kingdom turned into a debtor from the oil prices that first stabilized and then dropped during the 1980s. Hlaika said the kingdom has repaid only a small part of its domestic debt.
The study said Riyad is expected to record a $6.6 billion budget deficit for 2001. Saudi officials have maintained that the kingdom will not record a deficit for last year."
Also, if you haven't heard (Arabia.com, I think), Russia is signing an oil deal with Yemen too. Russia's looking like they're trying to put the "pro-American" OPEC out of business and corner the energy market.
What we're seeing here is a warfare over a allegedly dwindling energy supply. If true, this is going to turn into one hell of a mess. WW III = war over energy supplies... :-(
Yasir Arafat has never been a man of peace.
People who say he is are simply liars, or else define "peace" as killing everyone except Muslims.
We must always keep in mind that this is WWIII, with a focus on withering America's economic strength. This war is going to last for at least one generation.
While I have not seen specific stats, I estimate that perhaps half of the world's muslems are less than 20 y.o., 300,000,000 (omit most girls) little holy warriors. Most live in failed socio-economic systems where they have been taught that Americans plunder the earth's resources. (See AlGore and company for press release details.)
This war is coming to North America. Israel is their proving ground; Arafat is a pathetic, sick old man, doomed no matter what happens. The M.E. oil pipeline will be held as a weapon against us, again.
After their next successful attack against America, I vote for the release of a video showing most of eastern Arabia as a darkened glazed crater filled with radioactive saltwater, titled Gulf of Waslam, All ak barf. As Americans, Europeans, Russians, Japanese, etc., we are mortal enemies of pan-Islam. Either we go to war or the war will come to us. IMO, within 10 years, millions will die, during the coming world-wide depression (aka "inflationary recession"). CNN will see this as a rating war.
But relations between the countries are good.
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