Sunday, September 03, 2006
Saudi Arabia: The winds of change?
From yesterday's International Herald-Tribune:
As the kingdom gets its own house in order, it's time it moved to assertively shape a more moderate, prosperous Muslim world.
King Abdullah clearly sees himself in this role. Last December, at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference, he called on his fellow Muslim leaders to emulate "the radiant beacon" of medieval Islamic civilization - a time of scholarship, moderation and wise jurisprudence that proved to be the "decisive catalyst in bringing enlightenment to the dark ages."
Abdullah decried today's extremist bloodletting as the act of miscreants and said he looks forward to "the spread of moderation that embodies the Islamic concept of tolerance" and the success of "Muslim inventors and industrialists, to an advanced Muslim technology, and Muslim youth who work for their life just as they work for the Hereafter, without excess or negligence, without any kind of extremism."
Few paid heed to Abdullah's speech at the time. It was drowned out in the headlines when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran called for Israel to be wiped off the map. Today, across the Muslim world, Ahmadinejad's defiant speeches and incendiary rhetoric have made him a hero to many. Abdullah's voice of moderation barely registers a ripple. But the world should watch Abdullah closely. If his words are backed up with real action, Saudi Arabia could help transform a troubled swath of lands encompassing nearly one-fifth of humanity.
This strikes me as highly unlikely, but what do I know? It would not be the first time that a king transformed his country, and Abdullah is certainly sitting in a position of immense leverage at the moment. Unfortunately, at age 82 Abdullah is not a young man. He has very little time to work change, even if he is sincere, and the world needs Saudi Arabia to change in a period of years, not decades. Supposing for a moment that Abdullah knows that the Saudis have to reform or die, can he manipulate the power structure sufficiently to sustain the reform movement -- that is, if one should come to pass -- beyond his life?
CWCID: Saudi Jeans.
6 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Sep 04, 02:01:00 AM:
This has been in the works for a while now. Maybe 10 months ago the NYT noted (in passing) that the Saudi's (and several others) had drastically shifted their positions WRT Israel. That was a seismic shift.
Another aspect of this seismic shift is the recent elections in Kuwait that had women candidates and allowed women to vote for the first time.
Maybe all this is some huge headfake to the west, but then again maybe not. Sadat came around (and got dead for it), but he did come around.
By 
Gary Rosen, at
Mon Sep 04, 03:15:00 AM:
I'll believe it when I see it. It wasn't that long ago that state-controlled Saudi newspapers were saying Jews use the blood of children in their religious rituals. The House of Saud has been a bunch of corrupt, greedy reactionary despots for as long as I can remember and I don't foresee any real change coming to the country without regime change.
By , at
Mon Sep 04, 06:59:00 AM:
there could be a far longer list of people who were not US allies, who were assasinated, it is not bravery at all, to ally to the US, especially when you are a billionaire, who let your country demonise the US and west afor decades, and saw the world's most dangerous man, birthed from it, here are 57 reason to oppose saudi arabia, http://www.lonympics.co.uk/The%20evil%20of%2021st%20century%20monarchiespartdeux.htm
By , at
Mon Sep 04, 07:28:00 AM:
August marked one year since Abdullah rose to the throne, and in that time Saudi has seen changes - or at least the leading edge of changes - both locally and globally. Little things like cracking down on speeders regardless of their wasta - and bigger things like stepping into the forefront to promote lasting peace in the ME. Adbullah's been quoted as saying many times that change in the Kingdom will come on Saudi's timeline. Let's all just hope this leader is granted enough time.
http://sandgetsinmyeyes.blogspot.com/
By Chris, at
Mon Sep 04, 01:16:00 PM:
No one noticed the irony of Saudi Arabia wanting to become '"the radiant beacon" of medieval Islamic civilization'? I thought that was what they were all along. Until the Saude government stops their own citizens funding jihadist imams and madrassas all over the world, color me unimpressed.
By Dawnfire82, at
Mon Sep 04, 05:49:00 PM:
The Saudi elite are by and large western educated semi-liberals. (at least by regional standards) It's Saudi society that is the real problem. Pinning the likes of OBL on the royal family (which he has vowed to overthrow, BTW) is dumb.
Saudi Arabia as a government has been very cooperative with us since 9/11. One of the better ways to get captured Saudi Salafist assholes to talk is something like, "Well, if you don't have any more information we'll just have to return you to the custody of your government, which is... let me see... Saudi Arabia? With a file on how and where we found you of course."
"No no, please, I'll talk! I know more!"
"Oh really? Do tell."
