An Article I wrote on Saudi 2 years ago...I saw it coming! The role of Saudi Arabia in the Arab Spring What role can a pseudo-democratic monarchy play amidst a wave of democratic hype in the Arab World? The biggest Arab oil producer is playing a role in shaping the new Arab world in a critical moment. It is a big puzzle how a country that doesn’t allow a woman to drive a car and bans its citizens from holding balloons on New Year’s Eve can play such a role. The Arab people’s euphoria was instigated by the need for democratization in a region that has never experienced any form of circulation of power. With the exception of Lebanon, there was not any real opportunity for opposition groups to play a significant role in any Arab nation until 2011. Knowing the centrality of democratization to this historic moment, a Saudi role is controversial or even devastating to the cry for democracy coming from the Arab street. Since January 2011, Four Arab states have witnessed change of regime after massive protests and armed resistance. Two other countries, Bahrain and Syria, have had serious protests attempting to challenge and topple their regimes. Far from supporting the uprisings in its neighboring gulf state, Saudi helped Bahrain to press down the uprising of the Shi’aa majority against the Sunni ruling Monarchy. To stabilize, or neutralize the revolutionists in Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) sent Saudi troops to support the Bahrain Monarchy. In KSA, the terminology “Arab Spring” is forbidden from any public occasions or settings, including universities and seminars. However, the outcries of the Arab spring are not far from reaching the autocratic oil monarchy, with 15% of its population, the Shi’aa Muslim minority, suffering negligence. On Saudi soil, the Shi’ite citizens of the terrain of Katif east of the kingdom have started their uprisings in the wake of the Arab spring. In November of 2011, the Saudi authorities killed three protesters to quell the Shi’aa uprising. In January this year, the authorities killed one Saudi Shi’aa citizen and wounded four others in similar protests. After all these practices, the Saudi regime still has managed to preach “pro-Human Rights” messages to the Assad regime in Syria in support of the protesters. They have even played a highly active role in heightening the Security Council of United Nation’s reactions on the Syrian regime’s massacres against its protesting population. Anti-Assad demonstrations started on March of 2011 and were subject to a harsh blow back by the Syrian regime causing the death of around 8,000 people, mostly civilians. Saudi’s role in Egypt have no less questionable intentions in the country’s political scene. Late in 2011, the Saudi King pledged to offer Egypt $4 billion as aid for the struggling Egyptian economy. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawy, the head of the Security Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), thanked the Saudi Monarch Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz in acceptance of the offer. Recently, the Egyptian premier announced in a cabinet meeting that the Egyptian-Saudi relations should stay as calm as possible to facilitate the financial support deal. In November of 2011, Egyptian activists started a campaign to criticize the Saudi intentions in support of the economy. The activists at the time connected the rich oil state’s offer with Mubarak’s ongoing trials for corruption and killing of demonstrators under his regime. Many activists have suspected that Saudi wants Mubarak, a former friend to the kingdom, out of jail. In new Wikileaks documentation of a stream wire communication between KSA and Egypt published in February, the former is requiring Mubarak’s right for a less humiliating destiny in return for their financial aid. Other sources in Egypt announced that Saudi Arabia has expressed its preferences to SCAF over the next Egyptian President. What gives a country with an anti-democratic background such a strategic role in the region? The answer is more complicated than just the power of their oil money. The state of Israel and Iran are at the brink of an expected war. Israel wants to weaken and slower the Islamic state’s ability of owning an atomic bomb. Such a war will not only affect the Middle East region, but the whole world, given the west concern’s over the Iranian nuclear program and the severe economic implications. Iran is the number one enemy of KSA and the other Arab Gulf states. In February, American news channel, NBC, quoted U.S sources stating that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are prepared to support an Israeli attack on Iran. The report stated the Gulf Arab state’s desire to put an end to the Iranian atomic program will motivate them to exchange Intelligence information with the Jewish state. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has promised to open its air space for the Israeli air force in case of any eventual air strikes; the rich oil country also vowed to provide fuel support for the Israeli air force, according to the NBC report. The answer is clear: If the international community needs the political and strategic support of an oil rich country, they will have to ignore its poor profile regarding Human Rights issues and democracy.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 02:30:29 +0000
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