Saudi Arabia and Islam itself personify evil. Brutal against its own citizens, particularly women, it serves only its very nasty 'royal' family.

Most of the criticism of Saudi arablia in this piece represents fair comment, much of which has been said before. I wonder, however, whether we in the West are being more than a little hypocritical.

"The two religious teachers told me I was doomed as a non-Muslim". The old fashioned catechism (not to mention the Bible) said the same about non-believers, as I recall.

"Saudi encouragement and financing of a fundamentalist form of Islam is a threat to stability everywhere". Did we in the West not have colonial conquest and "the Missions" as a means of spreading our own versions of Christianity?

"Saudi Arabia can be compared with the lslamic State, with its extreme religious ideology and cruel sharia-based justice". How many European countries prescribe that their head of state/monarch must be of a certain religion? I can think of a few. Our Queen still holds the title 'Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England'. Archbishops and bishops of the Church of England are appointed by The Queen on the advice of the (British) Prime Minister. They take an oath of allegiance to The Queen on appointment and may not resign without Royal authority.

"Meanwhile, despite its vast wealth, the country apparently failed to welcome refugees fleeing conflicts in the region". Australia with its vast tracts of lands (perhaps not entirely without justification) has not been enthusiastic about taking these refugees either.

Etc,

Yes bren your points are germane, however we don't have a queen who can order a brutal beheading and truth be told, on the flimsiest of evidence, nor is a property division divorce avoided by a bullet in the brain of a non compliant sex slave wife! And where customary goes entirely unpunished?

That said, not all islam is welded to violence. The Sofie tradition is arguably the oldest lest revised version of Islam?

And practises meditation and prefers peaceful cohabitation,as opposed to the habitual violence of latter day islam, which is divided along a schism, into warring Shiite and Sunni tribes, and I believe the Saudi Wannabes, are a branch of the latter?

None of who should be allowed to relocate here under any circumstance or indeed bring their stone age traditions with them.

As for the Saudis, They will do exactly as they please and according to their own lights. (Human rights, animal welfare, universal suffrage) Some of which is as simple as growing and keeping market share for their refined petroleum products.

Our influence only extends as far as the size of the cheque book/bank account!

And usefulness as useful idiots and a source of high tech weapons!

Flooding the market with cheap oil only lasting as long a shale oil development or any attempts to develop the vast Middle East rivalling Edmonton 1.8 trillion barrel reserves, or their own oil runs out, whatever the first!

And not a worry for someone with their new massive high tech refining capacity, and where they make their real money as price setters. I mean, what's the wholesale price of a barrel (180 litres?) of refined diesel!
Rhrosty.

Thanks for putting in the time and effort. This is an excellent summary of so much that is wrong with Western foreign policy in the Middle East.

It is also a useful reminder of just how bad things get when this policy is based on the national interests of the US and its allies - primarily commercial and long-term security interests - instead of the more fundamental values which unite national communities, including the values underlying principles of international law.

Max Atkinson

Thanks Max, it just goes to show that, no matter what is happening around the world, it's ultimately the fault of the US. Wow, that saves a lot of hard thinking.

And how come we don't hear about the thousands of Muslim refugees being welcomed with open arms in Muslim countries ? How come the media (all US-controlled) is so quiet about that ?

Uh, yeah, because their numbers aren't any worth mentioning - but ho do we know that's not because US agents stop people and turn them back ? Have you ever seen a story in the (US-controlled) media about all that ? No !

Well, there you go. US domination ! Ptuh !

Joe
PS. Make it up as you go, great fun :)