June 18, 2004
Fools Rush In
Why the cries against the House of Saud miss the point...
With the recent killings of western workers in Saudi Arabia, and today's grim news of another barbaric decapitation of a US citizen, grumblings of policy makers and the public about Saudi Arabia are bubbling to the surface. While understandable, they miss the real point.
The House of Saud and the United States are in the same boat. Both have drawn the ire of Al Qaeda and other regional terrorists, with the goal being to drive both parties from the land of Mecca and Medina. Before it appears this is a defense of the Saudi Kingdom, let's be clear - it has done far more to harm the situation than help, especially prior to 9/11. But before we cry for the fall of the House of Saud, who do we think will fill the vacuum of power? This is precisely Al Qaeda's stated goal.
Al Qaeda decided to attack the United States at home, and has paid a fearsome price for it. There was no need - the more effective strategy, which Al Qaeda is now pursuing, is to attack western interests that support the Saudi government, carry out attacks that wedge Western popular opinion from supporting the regime, isolating it, to be followed by systematic attempts to sieze power and depose the House of Saud.
It is in this context that raising suspicions about the Saudi governments announced killings of it's most wanted Al Qaeda terrorist, Al-Moqrin, suggesting that it was too coincident with the announcement of Paul Johnson's death, miss the point. The House of Saud and America have a common enemy. Kicking the chair out from under the Saudis, and leaving them to the jackals of Al Qaeda, is a plan to their liking, and the US must not accomodate them.
Posted by MEC2 at June 18, 2004 07:41 PM