Our Arab Cousins
"In beloved Iraq, blood flows between brothers in the shadow of illegitimate foreign occupation and hateful sectarianism, threatening a civil war" said King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Arab leaders as reported in today's New York Times online.
The conference dealt mostly with a regional approach to Palestinian/Israeli issues. Maybe the quote is a throw away line; but, if Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region are ending their silence and non-involvement in Iraq, I think it is a good thing. If the Arabs are serious about us leaving, they as a practical matter have to step up to the regional plate. Maybe this is a signal of a first step.
4 comments:
It's funny, but as I was pumping away this morning on the cardio trainer I had an epiphany (I admit I'm probably the last thinking person to have this thought). The U.S. involvement in Iraq has long ceased to be a war, and has been an occupation for some time.
The Bushies would have us believe that we are in Iraq as invited guests who've been asked to keep the peace while the Iraqi leadership gets their act together. That's pure B.S.
The administration has set up permanent bases and is planning to keep a powerful force in Iraq for the forseeable future. It is not in their interests for the Iraqis to settle their differences and ask us to leave.
King Abdullah is right. Our occupation is illegal. Saddam is gone, there were no weapons of mass destruction, and the Al Queda in Iraq doesn't have any air force and navy that can transport them to our borders. Let the Iraqi's figure themselves out. Our dubious mission is long over, but our troops remain. Imperialism lives on. Thank you, Abdullah, for putting the truth on the table.
I never thought going into Iraq was a good idea. Afghanistan, yes. Iraq, no. I think the focus on Iraq has hurt our efforts in Afghanistan and we are losing ground there.
The Saudis are an extremly self-centered people. They never lifted a finger to help the famine next door in east Africa. They couldn't care less about the current regional genocide, even though it's happening only a ferry ride across the Red Sea away. They have the money to turn Palestine into a paradise, if they really cared.
I think this is all talk. I would be very surprised if they actually do anything.
Saud also said that the Israelis and Palestinians had to get together on bringing in the 1967 boundaries, but a Saudi official went on to say that they acknowledged that neither the Israeli or Palestinian governments had the support to sell it to their people. It all sounds like they are betting on all the horses, but I think that Abdullah's comments have stung George Bush more than he will let on. The message, as I hear it, is "We're not your unconditional friend anymore."
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