Saudi Arabia stages a counter-revolution
A good piece here by Glen Carey documenting how Saudi Arabia is launching a counter-revolution in the Middle East:
The Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council also may admit Morocco and Jordan as the group seeks to counter â??the wave of political change in region,â? Ayham Kamel, an analyst with Washington-based Eurasia Group, wrote on May 13.President Obama is supposedly readying a speech that will make everything all better, but it's worth pointing out how bad America's choices are in the region so long as we insist on trying to micro-manage events there. We can get on board with Saudi Arabia as they whip up Sunni fundamentalism to counter Iran's supposed "influence" in the region, or we can throw our lot in with an amorphous group of protesters to instigate a series of destabilizing regime changes that could leave the region in flames. Good times.Under a pact dating back to 1744 between the Al Saud ruling family and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, the kingdom has maintained an austere brand of Islam, known as Wahhabism, in return for the Sunni hierarchyâ??s acceptance of the crown.
The king renewed the alliance with clerical power at home â??to present a solid front against the events that are sweeping the region,â? Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said in a phone interview.
Political loyalties have their costs. Of the expenditure announced by Abdullah in February and March, $67 billion went to funds for religious groups and the military, according to a royal decree issued by the king.
(AP Photo)
