"Israel is ‘‘a burden on the U.S.’’
I couldn't have said it better myself -- and I don't even like royal Saudi $cum.
Related: Saudi King is Sick
This next thing is going to make me sick because the printed article is nowhere to be found, and the web version "King Abdullah’s death unlikely to deter Saudi oil plans" is by Stanley Reed of New York Times when my printed piece is by Batrawy and Keath of AP.
"Saudi’s new king versed in diplomacy, mediation" by Aya Batrawy and Lee Keath, Associated Press January 23, 2015
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s new king, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, is a veteran of the country’s top leadership, versed in diplomacy from nearly 50 years as the governor of the capital Riyadh and known as a mediator of disputes within the sprawling royal family.
Salman, 79, had increasingly taken on the duties of the king over the past year as his ailing predecessor and half-brother, Abdullah, became more incapacitated. Abdullah died before dawn on Friday at 90.
Salman had served as defense minister since 2011 and so was head of the military as Saudi Arabia joined the United States and other Arab countries in carrying out airstrikes in Syria in 2014 against the Islamic State, the Sunni militant group that the kingdom began to see as a threat to its own stability.
He takes the helm at a time when the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom and oil powerhouse is trying to navigate social pressures from a burgeoning youth population — over half the population of 20 million is under 25 — seeking jobs and increasingly testing boundaries of speech on the Internet, where criticism of the royal family is rife.
The new king’s health has been a question of concern. He suffered at least one stroke that has left him with limited movement on his left arm.
Uh-oh.
Now I see he has dementia and Alzheimers?
We could be looking at a rapid succession like before Gorbachev took power in the Soviet Union. Seems like a premier was dying every six months.
Related: New Saudi Deputy Crown Prince marks generational shift
The true power in Saudi Arabia now.
King Abdullah had carried out a slow but determined series of reforms aimed at modernizing the country, including increasing education and nudging open the margins of rights for women. Salman appears to have fallen in line with those reforms. But he has also voiced concerns about moving too fast.
No big deal, though. All that oil and selling out to the West means criticism will be minimal.
In a 2007 meeting, he told an outgoing U.S. ambassador that ‘‘social and cultural factors’’ —even more than religious — mean change has to be introduced slowly and with sensitivity, noting the power of the multiple tribes in the kingdom, according to an embassy memo of the meeting leaked by the Wikileaks whistleblower site.
Wow, haven't seen one of those references in a while, and I'm sure it's because they and their founder were outed as a data collection and whistleblower trap for Israel.
He struck the same theme in a 2010 interview with Karen Elliot House, author of ‘‘On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines.’’ He told her that while Americans are unified by democracy, Saudi Arabia is in essence unified by his family, the Al Sauds. ‘‘We can’t have democracy in Saudi Arabia, he said, because if we did every tribe would be a party and then we would be like Iraq and would have chaos,’’ House told The Associated Press.
See: Gunmen kill 3 Saudi guards along border with Iraq
Looks like they are closer than Hussein ever was.
Salman is one of the dozens of sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud — thought to have had more than 50 sons from multiple wives.
They call them players over here.
Notably, he was one of the so-called ‘‘Sudeiri Seven’’ — seven sons born to one of Abdul-Aziz’s most favored wives, Hussa bint Ahmad Sudeiri. The seven full-brothers were seen as a center of power within the family. Abdullah’s predecessor, King Fahd, was among the seven, as were Abdullah’s first two crown princes, Sultan and Nayef, who died in 2011 and 2012 respectively before ever reaching the throne.
The Al Saud family has long sought to keep a united front, papering over any internal disputes to keep the stability of its rule. Salman appears to have played a frequent role in ensuring that unity. The 2007 U.S. Embassy memo said he ‘‘is often the referee in family disputes.’’ It pointed to an incident after King Abdullah formalized the Allegiance Council, a body of top royals that is tasked with voting on succession issues based on merit and not just age. Salman’s eldest living brother, Abdul-Rahman, was outspoken in his criticism of the arrangement, but Salman bluntly told his brother to ‘‘shut up and get back to work,’’ according to the memo.
Salman is also known to have extensive contacts among the country’s tribes and his influence is further extended through a network of family businesses, including a stake in the pan-Arab newspaper ASharq Al-Awsat.
At a relatively young age, Salman became the governor of Riyadh in 1963 and over the next 48 years he oversaw its transformation from an isolated desert town into a crowded city of skyscrapers, universities and Western fast-food chains. He also saw it struggle to keep up with demand for affordable housing and sufficient public transportation for its 4 million residents. The post made him well known internationally, as he played host for VIPs and international envoys and helped secure foreign investment for the country’s heartland and capital.
He was elevated to defense minister in 2011, and then Abdullah named him crown prince — heir to throne — when Nayef died.
In discussions with U.S. diplomats in 2007 revealed in several memos, Salman spoke out against militancy, but added that Jewish and Christian extremism has fed Islamic extremism — even warning that the United States will one day see a threat from Jewish and Christian radicals. He told the Americans that the key to bringing stability to the Middle East is to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding that Israel is ‘‘a burden on the U.S.’’
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You know, what is with making me search it out and waste ti..... Aaaaaaaaaahhh!
Also see: Saudi King Abdullah, 90; US ally in fight on Al Qaeda
Never mind that bin Laden and the hijackers in that cover story crapola were Saudi patsies and Saudi Arabia is the main funder and supplier (along with other gulf sheikdoms) of ISIS and Al-CIA-duh terror recruits.
Western Politicians and Media Rush To Issue Tributes To King That Led The
World In Beheadings, Whipped Bloggers For Criticism & Banned Women From
Driving
Yeah, well, it's in bad taste to point out western hypocrisy.
You might want to put on some sunglasses if you head on over to the desert.
UPDATE: Saudi King Abdullah- Dead- A Wily King?
NDU:
"New Saudi king sets stage for continuity; Names next two successors to the throne" by Ben Hubbard, New York Times January 24, 2015
BEIRUT — The recent fall in world oil prices may strain the country’s finances as it seeks to diversify its economy and to integrate its large and not particularly well-educated youth population into the work force.
And all that loot all these years.
The biggest challenge the country faces may be one at least partly of its own making, the decline in the oil revenues that form the economic foundation of the state. As the dominant producer in OPEC, Saudi Arabia’s decisions on production levels have enormous influence on world oil markets, and it has maintained fairly high output recently despite an oversupplied market, helping to depress prices.
Not only are the Saudis acting on AmeriKan wishes to hurt Russia and Iran, they have decided to undercut U.S. oil production as well. That's what behind the vague NYT pos.
Saudi leaders use their oil income not only to affect regional politics but to pacify their own people. After the popular uprisings known as the Arab Spring toppled or threatened several Saudi allies in the region, Saudi Arabia responded by bankrolling its friends abroad and spending lavishly on domestic projects.
The country, with significant reserves of wealth, does not face an immediate financial crisis, but a long period of low oil prices could limit its ability to maneuver, both abroad and at home.
Prices have started to go back up. You gotta hand it to the money ma$ters and manipulators; they $ure know what they are doing.
The scene in Riyadh on Friday clearly demonstrated Saudi Arabia’s regional clout. Leaders like President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey swiftly rearranged their schedules to fly to the Saudi capital for Abdullah’s funeral. King Abdullah of Jordan canceled an appearance at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in order to attend.
Related: At Davos economic summit, women still only 17% of the ranks
That's about all I've seen from Davos in my Globe. Hmmm.
Despite tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Iranian government also offered condolences Friday and said its foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, would attend an official memorial service for Abdullah....
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