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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (48852)	8/11/2005 11:33:00 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

abdullah's kingdom: saudi arabia after king fahd Middle East Institute April 8, 2005 Speaker: Thomas Lippman Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute Summary: Veteran journalist and author of Inside the Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia, Thomas Lippman discussed the domestic and external challenges that confront the House of Saud following the death of King Fahd. He outlined the issues of political, economic and social reform that the new king, Abdullah Bin Abd al-Aziz, will have to address. Brief: Despite the long-standing political relations between successive American administrations and the House of Saud, for the vast majority of Americans, Saudi Arabia remains an enigmatic ally. There are very few US “experts” on Saudi Arabia. Lippman remarked that as King Abdullah begins his formal rule, he faces two “insoluble conundrums”: the issues of security and reform. Since the 1940s, the House of Saud has maintained close personal relations with successive US governments. However, this reliance on the US has not been popular among the Saudi population. On the domestic front, King Abdullah faces increasing demands for reform. However, dramatic reform in a conservative society like Saudi Arabia may lead to an unexpected backlash. Mr. Lippman outlined several of the domestic and international challenges facing King Abdullah. The foremost of these obstacles is regional stability. The prospect of a Shiite-majority government in post-Saddam Iraq with close ties to Iran could mark the rise of Shiite power in the region. Any political outcome in Iraq, be it civil war or the establishment of a stable democracy, could potentially have negative implications for neighboring Saudi Arabia. According to Lippman, the late King Fahd bears some of the responsibility for the rise of religious extremism and xenophobia that has pervaded Saudi society since the 1980s. A series of dramatic political events posed a major challenge to the legitimacy of the Saudi monarchy. In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile and successfully established an Islamic republic in Iran. This was followed by the takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamic militants. In order to re-establish the waning "Islamic credentials" of the monarchy, King Fahd took on the title “The Custodian of the Two Holy Places”. He also initiated a social crackdown by allowing religious extremists, whose literalist Wahhabi interpretation of Islam has been particularly pervasive in Saudi society, to have a free hand. One of the most controversial decisions of Fahd’s rule was to allow American and other allied troops to establish and maintain military bases in Saudi Arabia. This has caused widespread discontent within Saudi Arabia and formed the basis for one of Al Qaeda's major rallying cries. With regard to domestic reform within Saudi Arabia, Mr. Lippman contended that Saudi society is much more dynamic and complex than it is often portrayed. He stated that contrary to popular usage, it is inaccurate to categorize the Kingdom as an “absolute monarchy.” Important decisions within the Kingdom are not made by the monarch alone but rather through a series of consultations within the royal family and religious councils. As a result, dramatic initiatives have been lacking in the Kingdom. However, Lippman argued that not all reform in Saudi Arabia is dictated from the top down. He cited the example in recent years of educated middle-class Saudi women becoming increasingly vocal in demanding reform and political rights. King Abdullah will have to tackle the mounting charges of corruption within the Saudi royal family. Lippman cited the problem of younger princes taking over local businesses and property. However, King Abdullah has not been personally tainted by allegations of corruption. He is emblematic of traditional Bedouin values in a rapidly urbanizing society and is seen to have the stature and integrity among the populace to carry out the much-needed reform. Saudi Arabia has undergone an immense transformation in the span of the last half-century. Lippman concluded his remarks by observing that Abdullah has witnessed these changes within his lifetime. The Saudi Arabia of Abdullah’s youth was an impoverished state with little in the way of basic infrastructure. Today, Saudi Arabia is a fully mechanized country. In many ways, rapid development from a semi-nomadic to a modern society has been unnatural. Although Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth has enabled it to develop many of the physical trappings of a modern society, it will take much longer to develop a democratic political system that reconciles its cultural and religious values with the demands of modernity. About this Policy Brief: Thomas Lippman gave this briefing at MEI on August 8, 2005.

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (48852)	8/12/2005 7:38:35 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

"They say he is a Syrian and has been convicted in Syria for many crimes, and that they need him for those crimes." Muslim Syria requests Lebanon to extradite ' Muslim brother' Bakri, Bakri must be cursing the day he left for Lebanon, now that it has emerged that Bakri could be extradited from Lebanon to Syria. Going to Syria must not be a very happy occasion for the great son of Islam, Asad knows how to deal with them without making too much noise. Sadr under \|Saddam was a incarcerated man and so was the entire leadership of Iraq but freedom never meets the expectations of these very radical mullahs, they like the touch of the dictators. No habeas corpus no voice may ever be heard. A Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said: "There is an official request from the Syrian authorities to surrender him to the security forces in Syria.