The French made at least one useful invention.
Posted on 04/01/2003 4:08:42 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
RIYADH—The influential prince offers "salaams" (greetings) in the salon of his palatial home as his wealthy brother and assorted members of Saudi Arabia's elite sink into plush sofas around the Persian carpets.
The princes, politicians and professors are assembled for a "majlis" — a Saudi soirée where men (though not women) weigh in on the burning issues of the day. Tonight, with bombs raining down over Baghdad, a large-screen television intrudes on the customary repartee with images of bloodshed.
Yet it is not just the war between America and Iraq, but the looming conflict between America and Saudi Arabia that preoccupies them. America the beautiful has become the evil empire.
Saudi Arabia's elite is in a funk. While the masses mourn the loss of life in Iraq, and hard-line Islamists quietly vow to wage a jihad as revenge, the top echelons of Saudi society —the royal family, the rich proprietors, the well-connected officials — are feeling betrayed.
The Saudi equivalent of America's best and brightest, these high-born men are the rich and the richest. Most were educated in the top universities of the United States, and have impeccable connections in the House of Saud that rules this oil-rich kingdom.
The conversation is dominated by accusations that a cabal of right-wing Jews has hijacked American foreign policy in the service of Israel. The result, they warn, is that America's relationship with its oldest and most loyal Arab ally will suffer.
Expatriate Indian servants glide across the rugs with pre-dinner drinks, followed by a sumptuous supper with heaping platters of salmon air-freighted to the desert. But the bonhomie is buffeted by flashes of anger around the table.
In an earlier era, they embraced the American way. Now, breaking up is hard to do.
After 9/11, when 15 of 19 hijackers were found to be Saudis, this conservative society came under the spotlight. From tribalism to terrorism, fanaticism to fundamentalism, Saudis found themselves on the defensive.
Now, the tables are turned on the United States. With America under fire across the Arab world, Saudis are joining the chorus of criticism.
After years of watching televised images of Israel's mistreatment of Palestinians, today's saturation coverage of Iraqi casualties is too much to bear. Raging over American aggression, many hope that the U.S. military will be bloodied — that Iraqi patriotism will prevail over American venality — if only to teach the U.S. a lesson.
"We hope it will be long war, so that the Americans and British pay a price in blood and learn a lesson," said Fahad Al-Jarbou, a retired military officer at another private luncheon.
The hostility toward Pax Americana is palpable, extending from the elite salons to the lunch buffets where middle-class technocrats gather. Always the conversation turns to memories of student days spent agreeably on California campuses or bonding with America's East Coast elites, and culminates with vows never to send their own children to the U.S.
These Saudis are the erstwhile "Americanites"— ambivalent about America and suffering from the ups and downs of a love-hate relationship, according to Jeddah businessman and talk show host Hussein Shobokshi, who himself studied in the U.S.
"There's a sense of disillusionment among these Americanites," says Shobokshi. "We are shocked by how the whole country has been hijacked — basically, there's been a coup d'état," for which he blames the "Zionists and the monkeys." Like many American-educated Saudis interviewed for this article, he asked about the possibility of sending his children to a Canadian university, possibly McGill or the University of Toronto.
Sami Angawi, a religious scholar from Mecca, requests contact information about a Canadian university because he wants his children to learn proper values, which he no longer believes can be imparted by American society.
The anger and distrust are rippling across Internet chat forums, text messages sent by mobile phone, in the salons of private homes, and in the mosques at Friday prayers.
"We pray that the Americans will not succeed in this war," Sahal Yaseen, the American-educated imam of a major mosque in Jeddah, says in an interview as he prepares in his private chambers to lead prayers with his congregation.
Sipping latte at that icon of Americana, a Starbucks outlet in downtown Riyadh, businessman Raid Qusti reminisces about the warmth of his old school chums at university. And sputters about the hypocrisy of their foreign policy.
"I'm angry," he says. "Lots of Saudis are concerned that we could be a future target for the United States."
When 120 Saudi intellectuals signed an anti-war petition, the U.S. ambassador invited them to meet in person to thrash out the issue. In an unprecedented slap in the face, the Saudis declined, saying dialogue would be pointless while bombs are falling.
"We find such a meeting inappropriate under the current circumstances," the group replied. "We now witness what we had warned against in our letter — the killing of innocent civilians."
There are 30,000 American expatriates living here. Despite a series of attacks in recent weeks against foreigners, most have rejected their embassy's advice to leave town, though many of them are reported to be calling themselves Canadians these days.
Even Canadians have reason to be concerned. The embassy sent home all dependents last month, and in an unusually strong warning advised expatriates, many of them tied to the oil industry, to leave.
Still, not everyone is entirely gloomy about the U.S.-Saudi relationship. For all the stresses and strains, the two countries will need one another for the foreseeable future. Saudi Arabia is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the U.S., and it is a huge consumer of American goods.
As evidence that those strategic ties endure, Saudi Arabia is still hosting American troops on its soil. Despite its public opposition to the conflict, the government is allowing the air war to be run out of a sprawling base south of the capital that houses more than 5,000 U.S. troops at a sophisticated command and control centre.
The Prince Sultan Air Base is also the launch pad for a vital fleet of mid-air refuelling tankers and aerial reconnaissance planes. Two northern bases along the Iraqi border also support American search and rescue forces, and there are suggestions — as yet unconfirmed — that combat operations are likely be run from there.
Well, I guess they're not as stupid as they look.
The French made at least one useful invention.
A friend of mine, another repentant liberal, suggests that we crucify the men of the Soddy royal family at 100 yard intervals along the Mecca-Medina highway, Spartacus style; provided of course that we can find enough wood.
Didn't they know that N. Korea is next ? Saudi should take her number and wait. If Chinese rein on N. Korea, Saudi may have to step up to the ring prematurely, though. And she is an easier target than N. Korea.
The above is thrown out as fact in this article by Mr. Cohn. Makes one suspect he has leftist credentials.
When Iraq falls, the Saudis will lose BIG. Their only source of world power is OPEC, and OPEC will be the victim of Iraq's soon to be opened spigots. The US has had to coddle and beg and bribe the Saudis with billions in exchange for a base there. We will no doubt move that operation to Iraq out of "security concerns".
As to the Saudi oil, they cannot NOT sell the oil, the princes need the revenues to stay in power.
Modern technology provides the answer!
http://www.unistrut.com/product/index.html
And the supports can later be recycled into roadsign supports etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.