So, at the end of the day, all you have left is oil. Their need to sell it and our need to buy it.
The power of S Arabia as world's swing producer will lessen in the next few years as new energy technologies come to market.
US's profligate energy policy is a self indulgence. Too bad neither the gasoline tax folk nor the conservation folk have been successful. The latter have been remarkably restrained with their 'told you so's'.
Short term, I don't think Bush's energy policy will be helpful unless circumstances push price of oil very high, then alternative energy programs will get big support.
I've been saying for a long while now that Saudi Arabia is not an American ally. It can't be because it's the Conneticut Yankee's kingdom come alive. It's rulers have been using the country's income in operations of largesse in the same way medieval barons and kings did supporting large numbers of dependents. Some utterly huge %age of the population is directly dependent on the royal family. The Afghans have more potential to be allies - they, at least, are in the early twentieth century.
SA is King Arthur and Sir Gawain with cars, tanks, guns and rice krispies. Its schools and universities have medieval curricula. They have the means at hand to update that because of all the people they sent abroad for education but will not because of their blinding theocratic concerns.
SA, is, in any case, not a country of @ 20 million in effective population because it forbids half the population meaningful activity. So, it's a country of 10 million and at least half of them are effectively dysfunctional. So really you are looking at a country of about 5million medieval savages sitting on the world's largest supply of oil. The Belgian police force could probably take the place over.
As soon as the Americans go very far away S. Hussein will perk right up. The only restraint on him would be Iran, or it's wacko mullahs might pre-empt him, or the two might decide to divvy the place up. The Iranian mullahs might go for it if they could have Mecca.
They're a basket case and most Saudis don't even know it.
The ones that do are bluffing like crazy - its a middle eastern Oz with a god crazed mullah behind the curtain shouting into a top of the line PA system.
The country would have been better off without the oil.
If the mullahs weren't so socially repressive the country would be one of the world's greatest tourism sites. Folk go there on the Haj but nobody goes to Saudi Arabia for a vacation. What joyful muslim would pack up the wife and kids and go there for a holiday, tour the sites, go camping, relax at the beach? Alexandria's a better bet. So are Tunisia, or France, Greece, Turkey, or Italy. Or Qatar, but it's small and doesn't have a draw like Mecca. And that's where they go; anyplace but Saudi. Then there's all the non-muslims who'd love to visit.... Winter vacations in Arabia Ultima - it's sunny and 77F on the coast - sunbathing, skin diving, golf, tennis. But of course you can't go because your wife will either drown in all those clothes or be flogged or something for wearing a bathing suit or tennis clothes.
The mullah slogan: Purity and poverty are better than pollution. There's going to be lots more poverty soon. |
