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How The NSA Is Actively Helping Saudi Arabia To Crackdown On Dissent
Submitted by Michael Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
It is not an exaggeration to say Saudi Arabia is one of the most oppressive, authoritarian regimes on the planet. Despite having been the main foreign instigator pushing for conflict in Syria, as well as its increasingly disturbing ties to the attacks on 9/11, it remains one of the U.S. government’s closest allies.
I’ve covered some of the human rights abuses of the Saudi regime on several occasions due to the fact that it so clearly exposes the total hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy. The most recent example was the recent sentencing of human rights lawyer and activist Waleed Abu Alkhair to 15 years in prison for “inciting public opinion,” i.e., effectively utilizing free speech. I covered this in detail in the post: Saudi Human Rights Lawyer and Activist Jailed for 15 Years for Free Speech Under New “Anti-Terror” Law.
Thanks to revelations from Edward Snowden, we now know that our taxpayer money is directly funding the ability of this autocratic regime to brutalize its citizenry. The Intercept reports that:
The Saudi Ministry of Interior—referred to in the document as MOI— has been condemned for years as one of the most brutal human rights violators in the world. In 2013, the U.S. State Department reported that “Ministry of Interior officials sometimes subjected prisoners and detainees to torture and other physical abuse,” specifically mentioning a 2011 episode in which MOI agents allegedly “poured an antiseptic cleaning liquid down [the] throat” of one human rights activist. The report also notes the MOI’s use of invasive surveillance targeted at political and religious dissidents.
But as the State Department publicly catalogued those very abuses, the NSA worked to provide increased surveillance assistance to the ministry that perpetrated them. The move is part of the Obama Administration’s increasingly close ties with the Saudi regime; beyond the new cooperation with the MOI, the memo describes “a period of rejuvenation” for the NSA’s relationship with the Saudi Ministry of Defense.
In general, U.S. support for the Saudi regime is long-standing. One secret 2007 NSA memo lists Saudi Arabia as one of four countries where the U.S. “has [an] interest in regime continuity.”
But from the end of the 1991 Gulf War until recently, the memo says, the NSA had a “very limited” relationship with the Saudi kingdom. In December 2012, the U.S. director of national intelligence,James Clapper, authorized the agency to expand its “third party” relationship with Saudi Arabia to include the sharing of signals intelligence, or “SIGINT,” capability with the MOD’s Technical Affairs Directorate (TAD).
Over the past year, the Saudi government has escalated its crackdown on activists, dissidents, and critics of the government. Earlier this month, Saudi human rights lawyer and activist Waleed Abu al-Khair was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a so-called “terrorist court” on charges of undermining the state and insulting the judiciary. In May, a liberal blogger, Raif Badawi, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes; in June, human rights activist Mukhlif Shammari was sentenced to five years in prison for writing about the mistreatment of Saudi women.
I’m still waiting for Hollywood celebrities to hashtag outrage about Saudi abuses.
Asked if the U.S. takes human rights records into account before collaborating with foreign security agencies, a spokesman for the office of the director of national intelligence told The Intercept: “Yes. We cannot comment on specific intelligence matters but, as a general principle, human rights considerations inform our decisions on intelligence sharing with foreign governments.”
Remember, your government loves you. Full article here.
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snowden is much more than just a patriot
something to think about:
The Indisputable Connection Between Outsourcing Projects And Stock Markets (Part 1)
http://enronnext101.wordpress.com/
r
foch off
"Despite being directly involved in Syria and ties to 9.11"?
"Despite"? Theses are American/Saudi parallel policies, with Saudis playing the junior partner. Not "despite".
The Saudi's are off limits, hands off, moar protected then "Jews". They are allowed great latitude, I know a cop that was working off duty at a orlando Hotel near the house of mouse that intervened in a severe beat down of one of the familiy's servants by a saudi low life money bag in rags and he damn near lost his job and recanted his statements in his report under pressure. I also know a president that allowed the royal shit stains to flee america on 9/11
I met a man who worked in the Saudi Oil Fields back in the early 90's. As Americans they were segregated in a company compound. I asked him about live working for an American company doing business in Saudi Arabia. He said little, almost as if this was a sate secret. But he did say as non muslims they were encouraged to work and stay in the compound, sort of like hihgly paid prisoners. They had a clause in their contract that forbid and discussion of Saudi Arabia or conditions there. I assume this was to prevent him revealing how the third world slaves he often worked around were treated. Saudi is a slave state, guest workers are really salves by a different name.
they have them over a barrel
By 'them' you obviously mean US government.
That goes for Saudi and NSA
The NSA has their slimy tentacles into EVERY country!
these must be the (lack of ) freedoms we are hated for
"sentencing of human rights lawyer and activist Waleed Abu Alkhair to 15 years in prison for “inciting public opinion,” i.e., effectively utilizing free speech"
Could some kind soul explain to me how this is any different to the West's 'incitement to racial hatred' laws?
This is part of the so-called "petrodollar" arrangement that dates back to the early 1950s. The United States has essentially guaranteed the continued supremacy of the House of Saud in the region. In return, the Kingdom agreed to only accept dollars for the oil it sells.
every rich country in the middle east is like that. I personally saw how they are treated, its pretty fucked up. The shipyard in bahrain was pretty bad. These people worked in the burning 120 degree sun for 10 hours, 6 days a week, and eaned the equivilent of about 8 dollars a day. The living and working conditions were appaling as well. It truly is modern day slavery. The employer pays for their plane ticket to bahrain, and at the end of the contract, pays for their ticket home. The contract is usually 2-4 years. technically, they can quit anytime they want, but they earn so little that they could never afford a tiket back o india/bangladesh/pakistan, wherever, so essentially they are stuck. Also, the minute they quit their job, the visa is no longer valid, so they are in the country illegally. The bahrainis, and kuwaitis, would throw them in prison for a while then deport them. So while technically these people can quit their jobs, they cant afford to get out of the country, so the real choice is to either work in these slave labor conditions until the contract is up, or go to prison
I'm very familiar with SA and can confidently state that it's among the most evil countries on the planet. I can't think of one good thing to say about it.
One of my most enjoyable moments was, on retiring and knowing I'd never go there again, writing to all my contacts there and letting them know exactly what I thought of them and their despicable country.
Until they agree with the Chinese to accept RMB as payment for oil........
The house of Saud are Iraqi Jews installed by the Red Shield Banksters.
They act as a hub for terrorism funding for the Zionist controlled opposition.
Wahhabism, known in the West as 'extremist Islam', was created here with patronage of the House of Saud.
Ever heard politicians calling for regime changein Saudi Arabia?
Memoirs Of Mr. Hempher, The British Spy To The Middle East
http://www.sunna.info/antiwahabies/wahhabies/htm/spy1.htm
Never ...
go full retard
Saudi Arabia is a democratic state. They just suffer from a lot of terrorism. That is why they need the NSA's aid so much.
/s
Guess they aren't teaching them how to steal cows.
"It is not an exaggeration to say Saudi Arabia is one of the most oppressive, authoritarian regimes on the planet."
The United Socialist States of Amerika is catching up fast.
Is that joker searching that other joker for weapons or surveillance devices?
Yet another tangled web,
Support Iran, attack Syria, fund IS, set up phony regime in Iraq then abandon phony regime in Iraq? support Israel and then support Hamas? Piss off Saudi and then help Saudi?
We have no idea what the fuck we are doing.
Hamas is very useful for Israel's purposes.
created by Israel:
Even the F*#king WSJ says so:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB123275572295011847
No kidding. Nobody denies it either. Since it s creation though 10 different wars were fought within a 100 square mile radius. And it's and age old tactic - the enemy of my enemy is my friend. PLO was viewed as the Zionists' greatest threat throughout the late 70s and 80s. Hamas was the perfect counter - religious, homegrown, small - and weak enough to be contained. Of course that's just the product of skewed reasoning of israeli politicians meant as a substitute for dealing with the actual root of the Palestinian problem. But such is the nature of politics and politicians. When Pompey came to Jerusalem in 66 BCE with the intention of asserting Roman authority he used the hasmonean claimant to the throne, aristoblus, against his brother hyrcanus. According to Josephus many thousands were slain in this "bankster war". Not that it helped Rome in the years afterwards - the Hasmonean dynasty eventually degenerated into a rotten and weak regime and was easily usurped by the idumean slave Herod, paving the way for the proletariat religious zealot rabble to eventually seize power and fight the Romans in a costly and miserable war. But I digress. Hamas for the past 20 years has very much been its own man and has turned completely on its original benefactor. The fact that Israel had some part in its creation is at this point irrelevant.
Dont they have enough money over there to create their own spy agency?
Spy agencies are borderless. They'll help each other as long as the powerful stay in power. Human rights? Pffffffft.
No brain.
They have one thas serves them all.
It's call NSA.
The fact that we get photos of Bush walking hand in hand with the Saudi king and Obama bowing to him should tell you everything you need to know about whole host of issues, including the illusion of two separate parties in United States of America. The sooner the Saudis run out of oil the better off we are.
I honestly doubt they have as much left as they say they do. It would certainly explain the change in our attitude toward Iran.
I'd like to believe that, but knowing how the U.S works I'm skeptical. Believe me, if they were of no value to the empire the Sauds would be dropped like a hot potato to fall into chaos and be consumed by their enemies.
Ya I know what you mean, but then what in the world was that meeting between the royals and Obama about that lasted all of twenty minutes and left everybody with a sour look on their face? and why the sudden shift on Iran? Seems like if there was still much value there we wouldn't dare risk the relationship by warming up to Iran.
But then again our foreign policy has seemed completely sensless for awhile now, so who knows...
They could likely bring down the US government with what they know about 9/11
Quite the card to have in your hand.
Could bring down Israel as well with the same card.
Any guesses as to the identity of the other three protected regimes back in 2007?
Qatar comes to mind.
Then again, what is the population there like?
If they could have voted, they would have elected OBL.
The Egyptians elected the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Iranians, the mad mullahs.
Who should we support?
Who should we support?
Ron Paul! Leave them alone. We are more than capable of supporting and protecing the USA. We are approaching 18T in debt and slaves to the central banks with no end in sight. I can't beleive why people can't get that thru their heads.
Plus, You'll have many less truculent allies.
EVIL Govs must stick together.
At the top, they're borderless. There's some sort of agreement, that whatever happens to the small shmucks (non billionaires), the money/power must remain at the top in a controlled fashion.
The fiat money mobsters and their SA friends don't care for anyone or anything but money, coke, castles, expensive vehicles, all kinds of degraded sex, gambling, arrogance, harshness and megalomania. Actually they're just like the lusty and degraded joe average. Indeed, it's Kali Yuga.
Stop using government issued fiat.
Yeah, let me go tell my boss to pay me in silver maples lol.
You can change FRNs for Maples on the way home from work.
And I do. Unfortunately, I have to cross a lake by boat to get to my suburban home.
I love you're ability to turn "insipid" text into worthwhile, readable- reality Skateboarder.
Words are our friends. They use it against us in the form of legalese: it binds you to its will. We as scholars and musicians and poets have to always pave the way for creating voices and sounds that tell our tale. Every civilization has its storytellers. My prose is terse and I like to bridge the sane and the insane. Am a fan of your tone as well.
I print my own.
Go to Saudi Arabia and get a head.
How The Pentagon Will Be Actively Helping Kiev.
I don't see how this conflict will not escalate.
U.S. intelligence will give the junta coordinates militias (26.07.2014)
The Pentagon is ready to send confidential data, received from us intelligence, the Kyiv authorities.
RT with reference to the New York Times reports that we are talking about information about the location of the militias, and at their disposal, air defense systems and other equipment.
This information is needed for Kiev to deliver a crushing blow to the forces of resistance. In addition, according to the publication, in the Pentagon, the discussion is whether or not simply transfer the data to Kyiv or to help him to attack the forces of militia.
I've been saying this for years. If you want to get serious about a war on terror do something about those Saudi fuckers. They're the ones backing it, financing it, exporting the ideology that fuels it.
The worst part is that its all back door proxy war bullshit with them. Look at Syria now. Seriously.. And they have the chutzpah to be all pious about themselves. And were supposed to be all shit scared of Iran, right?
But hey, its getting to the point where 9/11 truthers will get mad at you for saying this because it messes up their 'it was an inside job/bush is Satan' narrative.
What I don't get is the lengths the us government seems to go through to keep this scum out of the wind. Why? Just oil? Then why not invade them? Wouldve been so much easier than Iraq.
If only things were as simple as "do something about those Saudi fuckers."
The current regime keeps the oil flowing and keeps fanatics (mostly) in check. This is why the U.S. supports the regime and its oppressive ways.
If you throw out the regime, you get Iraq / ISIS on steroids... to the hundredth power. Good luck with that.
ISIS wants to export oil too. It's a good racket. It saves us money and lives by cutting ties with the whole ME. They are price-takers. Let them pump it and deal with extremists.
Tell that to the Spaniards, who have been threatened with an invasion.
Saudi is the location of Mecca and if the US invaded them, there would be hell to pay.
Anyway, why invade? They help prop up the petrodollar like our other OPEC satraps and their elites are wildly unpopular, so they need the US to stay in power.
As for the terrorism, it gives 'our boys' target practice, someone to test our latest weapons on, a means to use up existing stocks of munitions and hence secure future orders from governments around the world, and an excuse to tighten the screws at home.
Get rid of the Saudis? Are you nuts? They're fucking gold, man!
"Then why not invade them? Wouldve been so much easier than Iraq."
you're forgetting an important point:
Mecca is in Saudi Arabia.
So, what happens when Mecca falls to the Infidels?
it becomes a terror magnet.
Then you nuke it.
It was an inside job if you include dual citizens as inside. The Saudis provided money and the patsies.
There would be no need for a War on Terror if a) we stopped attacking Muslim countries and b) never allowed them to immigrate by the million into the West. Cf. Steve Sailer 'invade the world, invite the world'. http://isteve.blogspot.ie/
The Clap > Clapper
The keffiyeh is like a golf club. It says: i fart in your general direction.
The relationship with Saudi Arabia will not save America in the long run. For every one dissident jailed, killed or tortured, many more will awaken to the evil and move against when the moment allows them.
The Saudis may think they are creating fear but they are in fact creating loathing in far greater proportion.
You need to evoke Snowden to understand that the two corrupt local pillars of US oil patch hegemony are Salafist Saud and Zionist Israel since 1971?
What happened to historical perspective ?
Since 1949, the USA has been protecting its oil patch future, having built the petrodollar without gold.
Just like Pax Britannica did before it the Canal and Iranian/iraqi oil.
CIA--- Mossadegh and Bandung Treaty bashing and then Nam...now NSA, same program.
Usually you spy on your enemies. Who's list are you on?
So Saudi is caught between a rock and a hard stone. Support from No.1/2 Allies in terms of weaponry/security Or appeasing biggest customer China.
What's a bunch of Elitists to do?
I'm relatively sure that the agreement between the Saudis and the US Government to continue using US Dollars as currency after August 1971 is entirely dependent on the US sending aid to the Saudis to suppress dissent within their country.
The Saudis are the key you see. When they stop using US dollars the American Empire collapses.
Sounds legit, but they only supply 10% of world supply. How can you say that it's up to them?
they need us to protect them. without us, they would all be dead fairly quickly.
Man,this is a tangled web with City of london,Echelon counttries,Saudis,gulf kingdoms & jordan & of coure israhole.
Time for a change.
Saudi ties to 9/11 pale in comparison to Israeli/Zionist/sayanim ties to same.
In fact, the effort to blame Saudi at this stage is likely, apart from being demonstrated with newly created 'old' evidence, mostly about obfuscating Israel's role, as well as doing some set up work on preparing the hoi polloi for the inevitable attack on Saudi Arabia, a country very much on the neocon/zionist wish list.
This, of course, is in no small way aided by the fact that Saudi Arabia is a terror-exporting repressive regime which has also had too much influence on US foreign policy... so you know what... fuck it.
Clearly, the masses aren't inquisitive enough to look into the physics or the far-too-many-coincidences of the collapse and believe anything but the O.S., and in particular, they are well trained to simply presuppose that implicating Israel's government and clandestine services is "anti-Semitic," hence requires absolutely no honest investigation or research at all.
So in that reality - I will she few tears for SA's inevitable destruction. Hope they can get to the oil wells before they can set em on fire this time.
yep
Remember who Greenwald really works for and turn who his boss works for and in turn who he works for.
They are all foxes....
The biggest market makers in commodities trading work for the NSA and they laugh at people who think from any other perspective other than their own be it whatever political perspective.
My cursor is blinking rapidly so I guess I've awakened something...
Fundamentals do not matter if some derelict on the other side of the trade has an unlimited account with which to set prices by decree.
ussa is a whore .... the house of saud pays well
Petrodollar. GRC (Global Reserve Currency).
Questions?
There is a mountain of evidence linking Israel to 911. Regarding a Saudi connection, well I'm glad people are wanting to dig a little deeper, but please let's stop the phoney bullshit here. It's obvious.
The links between gvts of USA, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar and some folks are obvius.
The Saudis were bit players, providing money and patsies. Not capable of anything more.
Saudi Arabia is the template for the USA's NWO.
one big North Korea.
i lived in riyadh for a year working on a Saudi Government project. without a doubt it was the most horrible fucking project i have ever worked on. i would fly to dubai once a month for R&R. when the weekend was over and i had to get back on that plane for my next 30 day rotation - holy fuck, flying to saudi was like going to mars. in fact, it was all so disturbing i can't event talk about it suffice to say the oppression you feel in Saudi in the Air...never have i felt anything like it...one weekend i woke up in Riyadh after sleeping in the plane and taxi so i just 'appeared' in my bed in Saudi and was convinced i had died and was in hell.
that Jesus Christ spoke to me when i was there and told me to GTFO which i did after a few months later after almost being killed in a couple of car wrecks and visiting the infamous "Chop Chop Square"...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deera_Square
i have turned down jobs make $20K a month in Saudi....i will never go back. not for a million dollars a month. anyone living in a compound (as I did) know that the Saudi guarding you would rather kill you than protect you.
i see Riyadh in my nightmares from time to time - seriously. no joke.
Yep, I understand what you mean, I had the dubious pleasure of working in Riyadh, it is like going to another planet, the injustices I saw were extreme, we were always advised to keep cash on us for bribes of cops if we were pulled over as that is your best hope, locked up in Saudi is extremely unhealthy. Twice I had car loads of young saudi males try to run me off the road, because the state supplies them with everything are generally bored youths with God complexes. The guy I was replacing was not white enough and while out walking at pray time...which is like every few hours... was attacked by Saudi youths on the street because he was not at pray, even though he was Christian, they took him out to the desert and he was beaten so bad that he was in intensive care for a week, they flew him out after that, there was never any investigation or even interest from authorities. I met one really great Saudi guy at work in Riyadh, who had travelled extensively over seas and had obtained an education of the world, the vast majority are wrapped up in their own little alien world known as Saudi Arabia where they know they are superior to every one else on the planet .
Workers are bought in from all over the world to do the work so that the spoiled god complex Saudi can live a life of leasure, those that do work, spend only a few hours putting in a token effort, when I left they chased me via my work for 2 years to try and get me to go back, they could not pay me enough money to go back to that crap hole.
On the other hand, I did have an experience when I was lost that a bunch of villagers were extremely hospitible to me in the middle of nowhere until they could find someone who spoke english to help me. Its a very weird place and I'm sure that despite my rant there are very many considerate, kind, hard working Saudi people, trying to be as balanced as possible here.
An excellent and balanced summary.
Ask OPEC cartel, beyond that; people are exiting the stage. Proxy wars are no longer effective. That's when the banker children will find daddy is involved in corruption. Bang, bang. Then?
.
A joke I always tell my Arab friends..
Why do Americans always feed Muslim babies feet first into meat grinders?....
....So they can cum in their mouths.
Actually I don't really have any Arab friends, but some of them drop dead from apoplexy so its all good any way and it gets the message across.
Prepare to stand your ground.
Why cant fraud-Saud buy their own NSA?
Because the USA is a Saudi-bitch-for-oil and they already did, that's why.
With friends like the Sauds, who needs enemies...
Somewhat OT, but Gov. Perry could give arrest powers to National Guard @ US Southern Border: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2014/07/27/gov-perry-could-give-n...
And people said that Ron Paul was crazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esp-ruhkZqQ