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Saudi war on Yemen: total destruction |
Since the start of the uprisings that transformed many Arab
countries, the rulers of Saudi Arabia have acted irrationally, arrogantly, and
belligerently. As a country that continues to rely on an archaic system of
governance, and given the significance of the changes taking place in the
region, they ought to be nervous. However, when their paranoia pushes them to
act in ways that risked stability and peace in the region, the world community
ought to remind them of the limits established by international law and
diplomatic protocols. Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, said that President
Obama and Salman will discuss the conflicts in Syria and Yemen as well as
“steps to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.” Saudi Arabia
has played a very destructive role in these and many other regional and
international issues, and the President should tell the King that the behavior
of the Saudi rulers is weighing heavily on the U.S.’s reputation and
credibility. The Kingdom’s instances of malfeasance are numerous.
1. Saudi Arabia, along with Qatar and Turkey, has supplied
genocidal fighters of ISIL, al-Nusra, and Ahrar al-Sham with material and
political support, increasing the level of violence and sectarian tension in Lebanon,
Syria and Iraq.
2. Saudi Arabia launched an illegal war on Yemen, imposed a
devastating blockade on that country, used illegal weapons, and destroyed roads,
airports, ports, schools, markets, and hospitals, pushing the poorest Arab
country to the far edge of catastrophic conditions. In the words of Amnesty
International, the Saudi-led campaign has left a "bloody trail of civilian
death." Curiously, the Saudi air campaign spared al-Qaeda fighters in
Yemen. In fact, the bombing campaign created the kind of environment where al-Qaeda
and ISIL thrive, giving them now a stronger foothold in southern Yemen.
3. Saudi Arabia continues to frame the conflicts in Bahrain,
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen in sectarian terms, accusing Iran of
interfering in Arab affairs when it is in fact Saudi Arabia that is bombing
neighboring countries, arming genocidal fighters, and demanding the removal of
presidents of other countries, all while harboring other dictators who have
killed protesters and blocked real political and economic reforms.
4. The Saudi rulers continue to offer support and sanctuary
for religious figures who preach hate, sectarianism, and supremacism. Hundreds
of satellite televisions broadcast thousands of programs full of divisive
content that has been used to justify the murder of civilians, the abuse of
ethnic and religious minorities, and the subjugation of women.
5. While the Saudi rulers are actively pursuing
destabilizing agendas in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon, all countries that have
a tradition of some level of citizen participation in electing their leaders,
Saudi Arabia has been governed without its citizens’ consent and the ruling
clan has no plans to change that reality.
6. The rulers of Saudi Arabia have relied on Wahhabi
religious preachers to legitimize their repressive control over the peoples of
the region. Wahhabism, the extreme creed skillfully disguised as pure Sunnism, is
espoused by all extremist religious groups who kill civilians on sectarian and
religious grounds. The Saudi rulers have used the country’s wealth for the
benefit of a single clan and a single religious denomination. While relying on
public relations advisers, extensive media outlets, generous investments in
prestigious American Ivy League universities, and diplomatic relations with key
Western governments, they were able to project a moderate image of a sectarian
creed and political philosophy that is actually an ideology of hate, exclusion,
and supremacism.
The U.S.-Saudi alliance has outlived its utility. If U.S.
foreign policy is built on democratic principles and human rights norms, we
must ask: what democratic principles and human rights norms do the Saudi rulers
espouse and practice? In the post-Arab Spring era, the U.S. administration must
align its foreign policy with the nation’s proclaimed values and support
peoples’ aspiration for dignity. There are no shared values between clan-based abusive
rule and an established democracy. U.S.’s support of a belligerent, criminal
regime in Saudi Arabia diminishes its standing in the eyes of Arab masses,
validates the double standard charge against the U.S., and exposes U.S. policy
as self-interested and unprincipled. The administration ought to change that
narrative, and can do so by communicating the above facts to the Saudi ruler on
Friday.
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* Prof. SOUAIAIA teaches at the University of Iowa. His
most recent book, Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies, provides a historical and theoretical
treatment of rebellious movements and ideas since the rise of Islam. Opinions
are the author’s, speaking on matters of public interest; not speaking for the
university or any other organization with which he is affiliated.
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