Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Who’s the Real Troublemaker in
the Middle East?
Iran’s no democratic paradise, but Washington’s Saudi allies are
even worse.
Late King Abdullah and King Salman, then the Crown Prince.
(Photo: Tribes of the World/ Flickr)
Except for maybe the Affordable Care Act, nothing gets
Republican politicians fired up like Iran.
In the first GOP debate alone, Scott
Walker promised that he’d tear up the Iran nuclear deal on day
one of his presidency. Carly Fiorina blamed the
country for “most of the evil that is going on in the Middle
East.” Mike Huckabee vowed
to topple the “terrorist Iranian regime and defeat the evil forces of radical
Islam.”
Oddly, when the candidates complain about the “evil forces of
radical Islam” or trouble in the Middle East, they never seem to mention Saudi
Arabia.
Iran’s no democratic paradise. But on many counts, Washington’s
Saudi allies are even worse. The Saudi royals crush dissent with an iron fist,
spread extremist ideology, and invade their neighbors with impunity.
Domestically, the Saudi regime oppresses women, religious
minorities, and millions of foreign workers. And it brutally represses
criticism from human rights activists, prompting condemnation from both Amnesty
International and Human Rights
Watch.
Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, for
example, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes just for
writing a blog the government considered critical of its rule. Hundreds of
political prisoners languish in prison — including Badawi’s lawyer, who
was sentenced to 15 years for his role as a human rights attorney. New legislation effectively
equates criticism of the government and other peaceful activities with
terrorism.
Saudi women aren’t permitted to appear in public without
adhering to a strict dress code. They need the approval of a male guardian to
marry, travel, enroll in a university, or obtain a passport, and they’re
prohibited from driving.
The penalties for defiance are steep.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the
world, killing scores of people each year for a range of offenses including
adultery, apostasy, drug use, and sorcery. It’s conducted over 100 public
beheadings this year alone.
Meanwhile, the Saudi monarchy has used its military and
financial might to impose its will throughout the Middle East.
In 2011, Saudi tanks invaded
neighboring Bahrain and brutally crushed that nation’s budding
pro-democracy movement. Two years later, the Saudis backed a coup in Egypt
that killed over 1,000 people and saw over 40,000 political dissidents thrown
into squalid prisons.
In their latest military intervention, the Saudis have used
American-made cluster bombs and F-15 fighter jets in a bombing campaign over
Yemen that’s killed and injured thousands of civilians and created a severe
humanitarian crisis.
All the while, they’ve helped export an extremist interpretation
of Islam around the globe. Let’s not forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers who
carried out the 9/11 attacks were Saudis, as well as Osama bin Laden himself.
Despite all these abuses, Saudi Arabia has been a key U.S. ally
for decades. Why?
One reason is oil: Saudi Arabia is the world’s second largest producer,
trailing only the United States itself.
Another is the arms trade: The country is the largest purchaser
of American-made weapons. In 2010, the U.S. government concluded a $60.5 billion
arms deal with the Saudis — the largest in history. This means
that for years to come, U.S. weapons will be used by the Saudis to maintain
their repressive rule and impose their will on neighboring countries.
A third reason, ironically, is Iran. Since 1979, Washington’s
pursued a policy of building up the Saudi military as a counterweight to Iran’s
revolutionary government.
For Republican presidential candidates, this primary season is
all about vilifying Iran. While they beat up on the White House for making
peace with America’s enemies, maybe voters should ask them more questions about
America’s friends.
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Alike 3.0 License.
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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