Lengthy material on Saudi Arabia...
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INDEPTH: SAUDI ARABIA
The Sauds: too many princes
Justin Thompson, CBC News Online | Updated October 20, 2003
Saudi Arabia is a kingdom of riches and opulence - for its rulers, at least - built upon a foundation of oil. For decades, Saudi wells and pipelines have fed the world's ever-growing thirst for petroleum; and its rulers have reaped untold wealth.
Today, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of oil, accounting for 12 per cent of global production. It controls one quarter of the world's known oil reserves.
It's also the biggest exporter, and sent more than 320 million tonnes abroad in 2000 - the lion's share to the United States, its biggest customer.
Holding the keys to the kingdom is the Saud family. When patriarch Abdul Ibn Aziz Al Saud founded his kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula in 1932, he established a line of succession that has allowed his family to govern - and live off the spoils - ever since.
In an article for Atlantic Monthly magazine, Robert Baer, a 21-year CIA veteran in the Middle East, estimated the Saud family consists of some 30,000 members - a number he says will double within the next generation.
And privilege comes with membership: no need to work (there's a monthly stipend for the 3,000 to 4,000 princes, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars each); unlimited flights aboard Saudi Arabian Airlines; and first dibs (not to mention low prices) on land expropriated by the kingdom.
To many in Saudi Arabia, the perquisites are not only excessive, they are evidence of a corrupt royal family in bed with U.S. politicians and business interests who have bankrolled much of the affluence.
Groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda - which are highly critical of and violently opposed to western influence within the country - have spoken out against King Fahd, who is known for having friendly relations with the U.S.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
A ray of hope for these groups could come in the form of Crown Prince Abdullah, grandson of Abdul Ibn Aziz Al Saud and next in line to become king. Long considered a reformer and threat to the established system, Abdullah has said that, as king, he would attempt to reduce Saudi reliance on U.S. money and put more diplomatic and economic distance between the two countries.
Another change, which he has already attempted to enact, is a reduction in the amount of money given to the many Saud princes. After King Fahd had a stroke in 1995, Abdullah made attempts to sway the weakened King into curtailing the stipends given to the princes.
And while the flow of money continues its downward flow through successive generations of Saud princes, there are growing signs that Saudi Arabia's economy may no longer be able to sustain the tradition.
Experts say Saudi Arabia's extremely high birth rate (37.5 births per thousand compared with 11.09 births per thousand in Canada, according to the CIA Factbook) along with the high-priced lifestyles of the fast-growing royal family, may prove to be more burden than the country can afford.
cbc.ca
The House of Saud
New Internationalist magazine, August 2000
When Ibn Saud was consolidating the current royal family's power over the Arabian peninsula back during World War One, British agent Harry St John Philby referred to him as 'the greatest Arab since the Prophet Muhammad'. This despite Ibn's proclivity for roaring with laughter as he beat his servants with a stick in front of his guests, his dependence on a full-time interpreter of his dreams and his taste (also shared by his 'modern' relatives) for public amputations and beheadings.
It was a point in history when the British were more concerned with undercutting Turkish influence than by the ' niceties of royal conduct. Ibn, who hailed from the Wahhab Sunni sub-sect of Islam, gave the newly minted royal dynasty c healthy kick-start with an impressive number of progeny from his hundred-odd wives.
The reasons have changed but the policy remains the same. Despite much official ballyhoo about democracy and human rights, the 'permissive' attitude of the West towards the House regional dictators like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qadhafi are punished for arbitrary imprisonment, mistreatment of minorities and elimination of I any opposition, the House of Saud is commended as a bulwark of regional stability. The reasons are clear enough - religion and oil.
Saudi Arabia also sits on 25 per cent of the world's known oil reserves and plays a moderating role in OPEC by manipulating supply to keep prices down. So the West's addiction to oil makes the House of Saud subject to only mild tut-tutting on questions of human rights. While addictions to Burmese heroin or Colombian cocaine are treated as national disasters, the addiction to 'black gold' is never questioned.
The current House of Saud is nominally ruled by King Fahd. but his poor health has left the actual reins of power in the hands of his half-brother, Prince Abdullah. Both are in their seventies. Other princes, mostly Fahd's brothers, hold down such key positions as Minister of Defense and Minister of the Interior. The powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef (one of the King's brothers) recently pronounced that 'we have no intention of allowing women to drive'. The Saudi female population continues to be harassed by The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice if they defy 'Islamic norms'. A mostly behind-the-scenes struggle for a long-term successor continues amongst the various princes of the next generation.
The only concession to democracy is the tame Majlis AlShura - a consultative council appointed by the royal family.
The House of Saud is not small. There are 3,000 to 4,000 Saudi princes (some 30 to 40 new males are born every month) receive an annual stipend of $500,000 plus various other perks including 'grace-and-favour' tickets on the national airline and favourable access to appropriated land to enhance their real-estate portfolios. In the meantime the income of the average Saudi citizen fell from $14,600 in 1982 to $6,5s6 in 1998. The Saudi state has run budget deficits for 17 straight years. It now has a public debt of 150 per cent of annual income - roughly equivalent to that of Lebanon with its legacy of war. Virtually every part of the Saudi budget has been cut with the exception of the royal family's upkeep and the military budget. The Saudis are one of the West's most lucrative customers for modern weapons-systems with a military force numbering more than 150,000.
The Saudi royal family is well known for its ostentatious and profligate displays of wealth. King Fahd is said to owe billions to Saudi banks - $1.5 billion to the National Commercial Bank alone. In the 1980s Saudi royalty were accused of selling oil on the spot market, taking advantage of price differentials to divert billions from the public treasury.
On the spending side rumour inevitably outweighs fact - the muzzled Saudi press is careful not to step on royal toes. But disparities are becoming glaringly obvious with the royals owning Cadillacs, satellite dishes and plush houses replete with servants while even the middle class sees its living standards tumble.
Prince Abdelaziz (one of Fahd's sons) is today building himself a grandiose replica of Spain's Alhambra palace in Riyadh. Expensive partying also soaks up the cash. A combination of arrogance and hypocrisy makes the House of Saud the object of bitter resentment amongst the poor of the region and increasingly amongst its own subjects.
thirdworldtraveler.com
Originally Broadcast on December 11, 2002 JUSTICE IN SAUDI ARABIAHuman Rights ConcernsInternational organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have investigated claims about the harsh justice system in Saudi Arabia. They've interviewed scores of detainees, both nationals and foreign workers. There are many serious concerns and activists have written reports such as Saudi Arabia: End Secrecy, End Suffering to shed light on this highly secretive justice system. The ShariahCriminal cases in Saudi Arabia are heard by the General Sharia (or Islamic court). The last stage of judical review is by the Supreme Judical Council. This 11-member body reviews judgements handed down in major cases. In cases of captial punishment the sentence needs to be approved by the Royal court. These courts interpret the Shariah or Islamic law. The Shariah is known as 'the word of God' and is based upon the Koran.Many of the laws are vaguely worded which means individuals can be arrested and imprisoned on religious or political grounds. Once arrested detainees are held incommunicado and are denied any contact with family members or lawyers. Reports of Frequent TorturePrisoners have stated that they were forced to sign false confessions. Methods of getting prisoners to sign include electric shock, cigarette burns, nail-pulling, beatings and threats to family members. There are reports that some prisoners have died as a result.Secret Court HearingsThe prisoners frequently know nothing about their cases, do not attend their trials and often aren't even informed when they have been convicted. This adds to unnecessary suffering because many have no idea why or how long they will be in jail or whether they face execution.Court hearings are held in secret which means that the families of the defendants as well as the general public are denied the right to be present. The hearings last between five minutes and two hours - even for the most serious cases.No guaranteed legal defenseDefendants have no right to a lawyer and have little opportunity to mount a defense. Many are denied the right to call witnesses and evidence that may have been gathered during the investigation is hidden from the defendant. The judge acts as the defendant's lawyer and questions the prosecution. Acccording to Amnesty International while some laws in Saudi Arabia refer to detainees having lawyers, it is rare. Defendants can be convicted solely on the basis of confessions which may have been extracted by torture. Many people are suffering in Saudi prisons because they were forced to sign these 'false' confessions.Corporal PunishmentFlogging and amputation of limbs are used extensively as judicial punishments. They can be applied to many offences ranging from alcohol and sexual offenses to theft. Men, women and children are flogged in prisons and in public squares around the country. There is no upper limit on the number of lashes judges can order. The most lashes ever recorded was 4,000 given to an Egyptian national who was convicted of robbery.Death by BeheadingSaudi Arabia also has one of the highest rates of executions in the world. This sentence can be applied to a wide range of offenses including 'witchcraft' and 'sexual crimes' both considered 'corruption on earth'.The death sentence - by beheading - is often carried out in public in what's know to locals as 'Chop-Chop' Square in Riyadh. Saudi ambassador designate to Britain claims that "We do not consider the punishment of beheading as either abhorrent or against human rights." The punishment for death is beheading under the law of the Shariah.Prisoners often receive no warning that they are about to be executed. They are taken to a public square, blindfolded and forced to kneel and are beheaded. Most prisoners are not allowed to visit with family before they are executed, in fact, most families are notified only after the prisoner is dead.
cbc.ca
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