Posted on 08/08/2002 5:13:11 AM PDT by SJackson
The latest in a series of blows to the once cozy US-Saudi relationship came yesterday in the form of a stunning front-page story in The Washington Post.
In an explosive report, the paper revealed that a briefing given last month to a senior Pentagon advisory board had concluded that Saudi Arabia is an enemy of the United States and should be treated as such. The analysis was presented to the Defense Policy Board, which consists of former senior officials and prominent intellectuals who advise the US government on security issues, and it offered a stinging rebuke of Saudi policy, noting that "Saudi Arabia supports our enemies and attacks our allies."
It lambasted Saudi sponsorship of terrorism, asserting that "the Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain, from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from ideologist to cheerleader," and labeled the kingdom "the kernel of evil, the prime mover, the most dangerous opponent" of American interests in the Middle East. It also recommended the US give the Saudis an ultimatum to stop sponsoring terror or face seizure of their oil fields and financial assets.
The briefing, prepared by Rand Corporation analyst Laurent Murawiec, who previously served as an adviser to the French Defense Ministry, does not reflect current US policy, but what it does signify is just how far US strategic thinking has changed following the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Whereas successive American administrations once courted the House of Saud as a "moderate, pro-Western regime," blithely overlooking its record of despotism and support for terror, it now appears that those days are finally nearing an end.
A key element behind this change, of course, was the fact that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens, and Osama bin Laden himself was born and raised in the kingdom. Most of the terror suspects captured by American forces in Afghanistan now being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are also said to be Saudis, with some reports suggesting they constitute as many as 80 percent of the detainees. Put together, this seems like more than mere coincidence.
Indeed, Saudi oil revenues have been generously disbursed abroad to help spread the Wahabi brand of militant Islam that lies at the root of much of the anti-American sentiment in Muslim nations from the Far East to North Africa. And the Saudis have also played a large role in bankrolling terror attacks against Israel, America's closest ally in the Middle East, lavishing subsidies on the families of suicide bombers and other so-called martyrs of the Palestinian cause.
Even as America prepares to confront Iraq, the Saudis have been anything but helpful as they seek to undermine the Bush administration's efforts to win support for such a campaign. This past Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal arrived in Teheran to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharazi. Speaking to reporters at the airport, he made it clear that the Saudi government opposes America's plan to get rid of Saddam Hussein, saying, "We have always opposed any attack against an Arab or Muslim country."
It is therefore hardly surprising that American analysts are now concluding that the previous, more forgiving approach to Saudi excesses was both wrong-headed and short-sighted. But what is surprising is that this approach has still not entirely caught on in the American foreign-policy bureaucracy, though it is gaining steam, if only due to the force of events.
In some respects, this process echoes a similar one from the days of the Cold War, when then-CIA director George Bush commissioned historian Richard Pipes to head up "Team B" in 1976, a group of outside experts charged with the task of second-guessing the CIA's Soviet analysts. It was the rosy days of "detente," and the CIA was swept along with the enthusiasm, leading some officials to worry that it was underestimating Soviet capabilities and intentions. Hence, when Team B concluded the Soviets were preparing a first-strike nuclear capability and that the US should be prepared to fight a winnable nuclear war, it came as something of a shock to the system. But, as history would later demonstrate, it was Team B that had gotten the story right and the CIA that had been woefully wrong in its assessment.
The briefing on Saudi Arabia presented to the Defense Policy Board is another important example of the American Team B tradition, one in which entrenched policies are subjected to fresh and revealing outside scrutiny. And, while board member Henry Kissinger openly dissented from the briefer's views, the rest of its members which include former defense secretaries James Schlesinger and Harold Brown, former House speakers Newt Gingrich and Thomas Foley, and two former vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not.
The record shows that Team B is generally more accurate than its civil service counterparts, and the conclusions it brings to the table should not be readily dismissed. Though the CIA's reaction to Team B's Cold War recommendations was to disband the group and bury its conclusions, the truth of its analysis ultimately prevailed. This time around, America's policymakers should and will likely heed such warnings in a more timely fashion, and recognize Saudi Arabia for what it is a hostile foe of Israel and the West.
It should be clear to everyone that Saudi Arabia is not our friend. The fact that at times we have had the same interests and goals has led to an alliance btween our two nations. We as a nation must understand that there are no permanent friends or enemies among nation states merely congruent interests. Anything less is naive beyond belief.
Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown
Unless, of course, the ACLU is funding them, which is a good possibility considering the Communist gains they seek at the demise and terror of our domestic situation.
1. Storm Saudia Arabia and steal their oil.
2. Storm Iraq and steal their oil.
3. Storm the United States and cleanse the Communists.
If you don't get the Communists out of here, none of this will be a permanent solution and EVERYTHING will be deemed an ATROCITY and a WAR CRIME, with punishment and reperations for the American citizens.
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