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The West’s Alliance With Saudi Arabia Fuels Islamism
By Toby Matthiesen is a senior research fellow in the international relations of the Middle East at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He is the author of "Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Spring That Wasn’t" and "The Other Saudis: Shiism, Dissent and Sectarianism." Originally posted on the NYT.
The West’s Alliance With Saudi Arabia Fuels Islamism
One of the key contradictions of Western foreign policy toward the Middle East is the strong alliance with Saudi Arabia. With its vast oil resources and its strategic location between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, staunchly anticommunist Saudi Arabia became a key Western ally during the Cold War.
This alliance with the West and the influx of enormous oil revenues since the 1970s have allowed Saudi Arabia to export its brand of Sunni Islam, named Wahhabism after its founder Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, encouraging the homogenization of Islamic practices around the world after the model of the Wahhabiya. Known for its rejection of pre-Islamic history, visitation of tombs, the mixing of men and women, its zeal to purify Islam from allegedly deviant practices (such as Sufism and Shiism) and its disdain for other religions, the Wahhabiya was a puritan movement that gave religious legitimacy to the conquests of the Al Saud.
The United States teamed up with Saudi Arabia to undermine the Soviet Union in 1980s Afghanistan. This cooperation with radical Islam was to have disastrous consequences and the rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS is an outcome of this pairing of an alluring ideology with the resources of an oil-rich state allied to a global superpower.
The spread of extremist Islamist ideology is then as much a result of Western foreign policy as of Saudi machinations. Western and Gulf support for the rebels in Syria followed a similar path as the one observed in Afghanistan, before ISIS started to turn against the West and the Gulf states. But it is no coincidence that ISIS is adopting Saudi religious textbooks in its schools, killing Shia in Saudi Arabia just like the early Wahhabi zealots wanted to, and generally garnering much support on a popular level in the kingdom.
The West's strong alliance with the Saudi ruling family has not led to a moderation of the country's religious policies. But in the recruitment strategy of ISIS it makes it much easier to describe Middle Eastern monarchies as puppets.
The key ideological difference between ISIS and the early Saudi-Wahhabi movement is that the Islamic State wants to establish a caliphate, and regards monarchy as an un-Islamic form of government. Frightened by this challenge, which the Gulf states helped to create, Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its alliance with the conservative Wahhabi religious forces in the country.
But in ISIS, Saudi Arabia now has a foe that is so close to its own religious interpretation of Islam, that Saudi Arabia can not be seen to be fighting ISIS very strongly because it would undermine its authority at home. And so the West's support for Middle East dictatorships continues to fuel the flames that have given rise to Al Qaeda and ISIS, despite a growing awareness that these alliances are a double-edged sword.
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Mainstream republicans should read about Operation Cyclone. It mirrors current medling in the Middle East. Blowback will happen if M.E. sovereignty continues to be disrespected. It seems like Islamist's are randomly targeting American's because they're free and prosperous. This, everyone knows, is false in many ways. And if one thinks this is a unique Obama thing then there is a lot of catching up to do.
It's all about maintaining dollar denominated oil markets. The petrodollar: printing oil since 1973. It's the foundation of our import driven consumer economy.
You Can’t Understand ISIS If You Don’t Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia
Lot more going on here than meets the eye!
If any other well-armed cult, religious or otherwise, was overtly threatening the destruction/overthrow of the United States government, our military would have dispensed with them long ago. Begs the question....why is this group of radical Islamic State (caliphate government) terrorists not being targeted in every way possible? After all Obama did swear to uphold the same Constitution that they are determined to burn or could it be that if a muslim swears an oath on the Bible it doesn't count.
ISIS is USUS
This article is far from complete. The House of Saud wouldnt have been more
than another Bedouin tribe without the support of the British. Wahabi's ideology
allowed the Saudis justification to attack other Muslims as Unbelievers.
They consolidated the Peninsula, killing, banishing, or forceably converting
400,000 inhabitants including many Jews.
The British believed their strategy would weaken Islam by having a radical
sect in charge of Mecca. The discovery of oil caused this to backfire.
Truthhunter, you’re right. Now look into the lineage of the people of the House of Saud.
Hmmmm.......I ain't gonna say it.....
Check it out.
It's a doozy (rolling eyes)
LOL.
'Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 as the herald and the signpost of the new era. The arab countries to the east of the Suez Canal came under the influence of westernization (modernization at the dawn of the industrial age) and the modern era, after centuries of stagnation.
The British took control of Egypt in 1881. The political fragmentation which followed the breakup ([sick man?of Europe?][ empire-- note: the empires involved during WWI that are no moar?!?]) of the Ottoman Empire after WWI and the varied foreign influence which occupied that breakup, created a multitude of parochial interests, attitutes, loyalties, and prejudices, which according to what seems to be the "Iron Law of Oligarchy", [which we're aware to this very day] and[?] tends to be overtly self perpetuating!
The Kemalist Turks abolished the Caliphate in 1924 along with the 'Republic under a Islam [ie, sharia law] Constitution'.
Mosul was to be Turkeys. But, the demarcation of the British and French under Sykes-Picot gave it to Iraq. The reason being it was to close to Baghdad for comfort. Note, at the time Mosul was the grand prize for regarding Oil Wealth. Iraq infrastructure was built about,... for getting Mosul oil to the Gulf. Interestingly, Kuwait was also part of Iraq, but was never mentioned nor was it of concern being with all that was happening at the tyme. The British knew of its geography.
The British were already aware of oil on the Arabian peninsula being aware that it was leaching/ perculatiing from the desert like a underwater spring. Please be advised that the Caspian Sea oil was big on the agenda for both the Nobels and Rothschilds. This oil too, woul flow via Mosul's infrastructure. And, yes... Rockefeller was involved as the 'New Age of Energy was to Unfold'!
Islam is Universal as Muhammad proclaimed and was never to be a National Religion.
Important Note: Arabia (Saudi's and all clans and tribes) owes to Islam its very existence!
Again, Islam is addressed to all mankind, as the Prophet Muhammads` Quran ex-implicitely maintained, contrary to what the Arabs interptret as being originally designed for them alone.
Lastly, the 'Caliphate' or He the (Caliph) is merely an administrator of the "Sharia Law", and the decision of the people to end it, or create another. But, it is a religious constitution, for the people and by the people, period!'
Ps. Jihad was a correct terminology of the tyme being juxaposed adversely to the western crusaders, which were no different in terms of sanctimonious overreach!
PPs. this is a compilation of several passages from many books. absolutely from the great writers of history regarding ME. Books dated 1919 - 2008!
This article could have gone much further. Israel wants to keep up the appearance of anti-arab sentiment but is secretly working with Saud behind the scenes with ulterior motives. Saud has financed the Gazan conflict for reasons the MSM won't report.
"The cooperation between Tel-Aviv and Riyadh is part of the US plan to create a « Common Arab Defence Force », under the auspices of the Arab League, but under Israeli command. This « Force » is already effective in Yemen, where Israeli pilots fly Saudi bombers within the framework of an Arab Coalition whose headquarters have been installed by the Israelis in Somaliland, a non-recognised state situated on the other side of the the Bab el-Mandeb straits"
Great. Give Peace a chance. Move the UN to Yemen.
My money is on Astana.
Dox or it didn't happen.
Check link and links therein.
secretly working with Saud
That was 2006. Today they are quite opoen about their common interest.
It's all a bunch of Islamic tribal bullshit and the west fell for it hook line and sinker because of a lust for middle eastern oil.
What is the difference between communism and Saudism?
communists are less likely to fugg goats n camels
JFK was president ISIS would have been WASWAS..and federal reserve would have been OUT OF BUSINESS..
The Federal Depleted
*crosses fingers*
That's why he was shot.
The Saudis heart ISIS because they can export their most incorrigible psychopaths to get killed in Syria. Putting these meat shields in coffins keeps them from turning attention to the house of Saud and its abuses.
What they would really like is to get Russia out of ME and Assad gone. Then they can cut production, cut a direct supply line to the EU, and turn their attention to Iran, and send the whole lot of these wahhabi monsters to Yemen to murder and rape Shiites.
As some commnenters have said correctly on this site, salafism/wahhabism is equally a totalitarian myth and a cold faith, but baser political motives are driving what is going on now. This sect offers merely a hate-filled and convenient set of slogans justifying Saudi royal family goals.
Nothing we didn't already know. Also, do recall that the "strong alliance" with Saudi Arabia is a fairly recent thing. Those of us in the politically dominant Boomer demographic can remember the Arab Oil Embargo led by the Saudis VERY clearly, and know that the Saudis were never our "friends".
By 'fairly recent' I guess you mean the Bush era? Who can forget the photo of George W. walking hand in hand with the Saudi king?
Or the kiss?
How about the photo of Obama bowing and kissing (nose to the ground) the hands of the Saudi sheiks while later not even offering the Queen of England so much as a nod?
Like she deserves even that! (Not that the Saudis do, though.)
"Arab Spring" my furry butt. We should have left the ME alone from the first. So what if Saddam took over Kuwait? The region would be in much better condition were he and Gadaffi and Mubarak still in power.
Worse than this, we have reduced a former key ally in Egypt to going hat-in-hand to oil-price strapped Gulf states. Largely because Obama's pride was wounded. His narcissim is matched only by his idiocy.
If Egypt blows, there is going to be real trouble.
Sunni Muslim Barrack Hussein Obama, an Indonesian citizen and President of the United States of America, is subservient to the Saudis, an ally and supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and it's affiliates like Al Qaeda, ISIS, etc. Knowing that makes the reasoning behind his policies understandable, such as his policy to import hundreds of thousands of military-aged Muslim men into the United States.
gregga777 + 1,000
You just hit every nail on the head there.
Shite! I Wahantah-bi an Isis Sunni......................or later:)
it's only a feeble play on words guys.....jeeesh, wtf......
Just nuke Riyadh, and see how fast...
A. The oil glut ends, and Fracking jobs return
B. Jihadist go home
what about langley?
Are you naive or dumb, or hoping I am?
If you state something like that, i.e. "threatening a specific Agency or Gov employee", you can expect DHS to be knocking on your door, or kicking it down. But there is no law -- yet -- to express sentiment on what should happen to a foreign power or any foreign entity, public or private, that seeks to build or add to a grassroots sentiment or movement of preserving our European roots and heritage.
Why nobody is bombing these countries yet?
Barrack HUSSEIN OBAMA= USSA killed someone by the same name Saddam Hussein.. Obama sounds like what happen to us in 9/11 Obama they did?
ISIS= IsraeliSecretIntelligentService ( ISIS fighters treated in Israeli hospitals! facts= google is your friend)
leader of ISIS= Baghdadi we OBAMA Baghdad Iraq?
The puppets/crisis actors to me all in the name of the Greater Israel..
ISIS has NOT TARGETED ISRAEL why is that???
It's sad how dumb the people ( most) really are..
America STOP DEFENDING Israel let them kill each other.. JEWS are weak/cowards there arrogance speaks for itself.. ISRAELI tanks rolling over Palestinians boys throwing rocks at them..
Yeah right Cowards!!! LOOK at Palestine today how much it shrunk from 1967??
The Greater Goal is for the whole middle east to be run by Jews = The greater Israel
ISIS will attack Israel if the are not destroyed first.
Since they are supported logistically by the Saudi regime, they by and large serve immediate Saudi aims... disrupt Shiite aspirations in Iraq, Yemen, regime change in Syria (not to discount Turkish support, which is largely aligned). If these aims are attained, they will turn on their own to other targets.
That said, if they aim at Hezbollah and they kill each other off, it would be a best case for Israel.
The CIA started working with the Muslim Brotherhood right after WW2. This is documented in A Mosque in Munich and other works.
John Lofton reports that the CIA bought the MB agent network from the British after WW2.
The story goes from Egypt to Saudi Arabia then to Afghanistan. The CIA played a substantial role in the creation of Al Queda in Afghanistan, The Base = The Database = the CIA rolodex.
After the collapse of the USSR western elites set up a CIA front in Azerbaijan to bring in jihadis from Afghanistan.
From Afghanistan jihadis are sent to Chechnya to fuel a rebellion with the ultimate goad of breaking up the Russian Federation; jihadis were sent to western Azerbaijan to fight the Armenians; and other jihadis were sent to Bosnia to fight and head chop Serbs. Osama bin Laden himself visited Bosnia certainly with CIA assistance.
The ignorant in the West that deny that the US and its CIA are not supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria are either liars or simple minded fools.
Easy to see the Bush/Skull & Boner/CIA/Oil connection there. And throw in Skull & Boner Kerry while yur at it.
"... purify Islam from allegedly deviant practices (such as Sufism and Shiism)"
Sufism, too bad. The one bright spot.
Closer to Buddhism than Islam
The ONLY trustworthy people I met in Morocco turned out to be Sufis
The only souvenir I took home from Morocco was a brass Fly....so that I would remember not to go back.
The only souvenir I took home from Morocco was a brass Fly....so that I would remember not to go back.
I'd believe it.
"Sufism, mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God."
The following is a Canadian perspective that I think my fellow Americans can appreciate. A description of the House of Saud that you won't find in the US MSM. An excerpt from CBC Canada.
"In the years following the 9/11 attacks, important American officials and politicians regularly declared that the mass murderers had sneaked into the U.S. through Canada.
The subtext was clear: Canada, which had declined to help invade Iraq, was soft on terror.
It was a massive, sprawling lie, but a convenient one. It played well with the anti-immigration crowd, and helped distract Americans from the nasty truth: that 15 of the 19 hijackers were citizens of an ally that has actually bankrolled terror: Saudi Arabia.
These men entered the U.S. directly and legally, on visas issued by the U.S. government, and some of them were supported once in America by Saudi consular officials.
That last bit of information remains officially suppressed by the White House, even though it's widely known to be in Congress's 9/11 report because, you know, it might embarrass the Saudi government, which must remain protected from the embarrassing fact that Saudi individuals, charities and clerics cultivate and fund extremism around the world. "
1/2 boon1/2 liberal twat. White girls, black dick might feel good or you feel it's going deep. Keep in mind, you will be fucked more ways than one.
Psychopaths go all huggy
A Peace Shit no Prix sheiks hands with a beheading Shit. er Sheit, er, Sheek Shit....
"But in ISIS, Saudi Arabia now has a foe that is so close to its own religious interpretation of Islam..."
Say what? ISIS is Saudi Arabia, full stop.
But I understand why the NYT would want people to think otherwise and to soft-pedal the idea that the Saudis cannot fight them because of "domestic politics". What domestic politics? It is follow the regime or be beheaded.
This whole piece is the biggest crock I have ever read on ZH, and that is a very high bar to clear.
http://thenewsdoctors.com/?p=561403
Aside to Obama's homosexuality, he likes to fuck Saudi Arabia goat prince. They both like to dress up in serf picnic style headdress.
After a good nightly ass pounding, claim gay rights in testicle of mouth and support central banking ISIS expansion. There are bets on the table to complete this experiment.
Hint, start investigation the philanthropist investors. You'll have the terrorist organizations closed down in 5-12 hours. International timeline difference.
Not a joke, most of the information is already at hand on Internet.
It seems Hillary is going to be are new installed United States President. Not a fucking chance.
Get busy ABC groups aka alphabet soup branches. You have better tools. Look in the direction of someone dropping the SOAP. Winks.
What does his fagginess (or lack thereof) have to do with anything?
INSIGHTFUL Re. what is coming...
US May be Salvaging Victory for Jihadists in Syria: How & Why
http://thenewsdoctors.com/?p=561418
Yep, I'd say it is insightful.
This may mean that Putin takes a more aggressive approach to avoid being dragged into a drawn-out quagmire a-la Afghanistan 1980s.
If we could please have some more San Diego's targeting the radical joos that would be fine with the Amish folks....
RT writers doing doube duty.
Want to end radical jihadist threat?
Put the house of Saud to the sword.
I have long wondered if this isn't one of the reasons why the Obama isn't dealing with ISIS. Because he knows he will push these rats back into their nest in Saudi.
Saudi Arabia == Devil
America == Dragon
together