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Obama, the Sauds, and Bottomless Hypocrisy

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by poncho, Apr 5, 2014.

  1. poncho

    poncho Well-Known Member

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    US President Barack Obama’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia confirms what many even causal political observers have begun to suspect regarding recent US political history, that Washington’s values aren’t just nonpartisan, driven entirely by special interests permeating both sides of the political aisle, but are altogether non-existent. To understand why requires an understanding of both US-Saudi relations, not just during the Obama administration, but over the past several decades, as well as a basic understanding of Saudi Arabia itself.

    Despite the integral role Saudi Arabia plays in US foreign policy, particularly but not limited to the Middle East, many know very little regarding this nation. American, British, and European media intentionally serve up disjointed reports regarding the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Should ever a complete picture be given to global audiences and the same amount of attention given to the shortcomings of Saudi Arabia as is given toward the perceived enemies of the Western world, clear limitations would be demanded by the public in regards to their respective governments’ relationship with the Saudis until badly needed reform was undertaken.

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    In defense of criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, the Saudi Deputy Premier, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, told the U.N. Third Millennium summit in New York that ”it is absurd to impose on an individual or a society rights that are alien to its beliefs or principles. He continued by warning of, “the ramifications of unbridled globalization and its use as an umbrella to violate the sovereignty of states and interfere with their internal affairs under a variety of pretexts, especially from the angle of human rights.”

    While Saudi’s Crown Prince may have a valid argument to make, his own nation’s foreign policy is evidently equally “absurd.” The very justification used by the Saudis to interfere in Syria by funding and arming fighters in a bid to overthrow the current Syrian government has been its own desire to impose upon the Syrian people an opposition it finds favorable to its foreign policy and regional ambitions. It is clear that for Saudi Arabia, it is not principles that drives its policy, but rather its policy that selectively uses “principles” as convenient veils to hide behind.

    America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is no different. The principles America promotes are but a façade that are selectively applied only when convenient, and abandoned altogether when they serve as an obstruction.

    Read More At: http://journal-neo.org/2014/04/04/obama-the-sauds-and-bottomless-hypocrisy/
     
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