Saudi Arabia’s Role after America’s Retreat

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/News/230619/saudi-arabias-roleafter-americas-retreat/

Saudi Arabia’s Role after America’s Retreat
As-Safir, Lebanon
By Sameer Karam
Translated By Curt Sayers
10 January 2014
Edited by Sean Feely

Saudi Arabia is the America of the Arab world in many ways. Even in the midst of many problems and challenges, both domestic and foreign, Saudi Arabia believes that it now fills the role occupied, until recently, by the United States in the Middle East.

This is perhaps the reason behind Saudi Arabia's intention to approach and improve relations with Israel. Perhaps, it considers that Israel stands as an alternative to America, which at the moment can be seen as retreating from the Middle East. Perhaps, Saudi Arabia is convinced that it has the necessary money to dominate the region in place of the United States. Perhaps, Saudi Arabia has found an opportunity to now replace (the U.S.) during the gradual American retreat from the Middle East. The Saudi reconciliation with Israel is used also to win American support of Saudi Arabia, so that (Saudi Arabia) plays the role the U.S. filled previously.

Currently, the prevailing conditions and situations in the Middle East seem suitable for Saudi Arabia to play this role. By this, we mean the "circumstances and conditions" now dominant in Egypt, in the wake of the [Muslim] Brotherhood’s attempt to challenge the Egyptian army for control of the government. Even though the Brotherhood receives foreign financial support in the form of weapons and explosives, it is on the path to failure and retreat. Every day, the Brotherhood approaches its ultimate defeat. Perhaps, the Egyptian people have discovered that the Brotherhood does not possess political autonomy and that it does not make its own decisions. This is enough to ensure its defeat at the hands of the Egyptian army, which believes that its stance against (the Brotherhood) is aligned with the desires of the Egyptian people. Still, the Brotherhood is making a weak attempt to demonstrate that it has a role in Egypt. The Brotherhood is fragmented and has threads in multiple places outside the Arab world. These are in America, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan and a large number of European countries. Along with this, the Brotherhood is moving toward failure in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

~snip~

What is certain is that both of these examples of confrontation are sufficient to predict that (the U.S.) will be defeated, not only in Iraq, Tunisia and Libya, but also in any part of the Arab world, no matter how much stability or disorder prevails there. It seems that Saudi Arabia wants to convincingly play what was the American role in the Middle East. This is the true reason for differences and disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. in these last months. The U.S. does not seem convinced that Saudi Arabia can play this role in the region, but the U.S. will not for one moment expose any disagreements between itself and Saudi Arabia. Thus, during his visit to Riyadh, Secretary of State Kerry attempted to direct his thanks to the Saudi king for supporting peace efforts. In this way, the Saudi government is exploiting (America’s weakness) in carrying out its new role. Saudi Arabia seems to have a number of disagreements with the American government regarding the events in Egypt and Syria especially. It is obvious here that the U.S. is unable to finish its task concerning the development of Egypt and Syria. The U.S. seems to be in a state of retreat indeed, but it denies this reality and thus works counterproductively, failing to realize a strategic American political and economic withdrawal from the Middle East toward East Asia, without losing all that it has accomplished in this area. Saudi Arabia is expressing interest in developing unofficial relations with Israel, since Saudi Arabia sees Israel as representing the U.S. in the region militarily, politically and economically. On this issue, Saudi Arabia seems to be in a state of confusion, not hiding its attempts to cooperate with Israel, while, at the same time, attempting to improve relations with Egypt. This latter relationship is dependent on the condition of peace between Egypt and Israel. In addition to this, Israel — which is a flourishing democracy — refuses to listen to any statement regarding the ways Saudi Arabia acts favorably toward Israel. Perhaps, this is because the Israelis — officially and unofficially — seek to express their happiness with Saudi Arabia's moves toward harmony with Israel through total silence.

[CanonRay]

1. My grandfather rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my grandson will ride a camel.

That's the long range Saudi thinking wrapped up in one Saudi saying.

[Victor_c3]

2. wow, interesting quote

I've read a book and attended several lectures on the mentality of Arab culture several years back. That is really interestingly put.

When you understand Arab history and their culture, you see just wrong we are in the way that we handle our policy there.