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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SirRealist who wrote (16738)	1/18/2002 2:20:03 PM
From: Win Smith	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

On the subject of Saudi bases, I think you're right in general. The Saudi bases were pre-built to US specifications, long before the Gulf War. And SA is a really big, mostly empty country. The anti-Saudi drumbeat seems to be picking up here again, so I had to go check out what's in the papers. These are mostly Reuters/AP stories, there seems to be a minor flood in the works. I think the Saudis get in trouble when they try to play to the US press, there are much better players lined up against them on that field. In the less public areas of diplomatic relations, I imagine things will be played out more calmly. The US and Saudi Arabia do have certain interests in common, and traditionally those common interests have been sufficient to overcome the sand in the works. Saudis May Ask U.S. to Leave, Washington Post Says nytimes.com US Envoy Plays Down Reports of Strains with Saudi nytimes.com White House Thinks U.S. Presence in Saudi Needed nytimes.com Powell: No Saudi, U.S. Pullout Talks nytimes.com Bush Wants to Keep U.S. Military in Saudi Arabia nytimes.com Dismay With Saudi Arabia Fuels Pullout Talk nytimes.com One last semi-related bit just for posterity, a week old but from an author old timers might recognize. The Future of bin Ladenism By REUEL MARC GERECHT nytimes.com