Middle East Focus: On Syria's Future: Roots of another Despotic Dynasty………..

Arabia Deserta

On Syria's Future: Roots of another Despotic Dynasty………..

Rattlesnake Ridge

BFF
“But what of Syria’s religious minorities, the moderate Alawites; the Christians and the Shia? What of its women? What of the ever-dwindling number of free-thinking intellectuals, its ordinary moderate Muslim ‘folks’, in Obamaian parlance, who do not wish to live under a backward Wahhabi theocracy? They can suffer in silence, it seems. American and Israeli ‘security interests’ must come first, and are best served by a pact with the devil. Of course, Russia and China’s veto at the UN had nothing to do with concerns about human rights. For China, it was revenge for being duped by Nato after the UN sanctioned a no-fly zone over Libya strictly to protect civilians but which was used as an excuse for all-out war and subsequently to ensure that China no longer had access to the country’s vast oil reserves. Russia has extensive economic investments in Syria, whose main port is leased to the Russian Navy; and it sells billions of dollars of arms to the Assad regime. But we sell many billions more to Saudi Arabia, which is Britain’s main trading partner. We installed the Al-Saud dynasty back in the 1920s………....”

This piece is a little confusing, making it seem like the writer is confused about some of the issues in Syria and the Middle East. He has some good points, but also several points that are just plain wrong, incorrect about Syria. It is true that Syria will become more Islamic fundamentalist once Assad leaves (and I believe now that he will have to go). The current secular Syria will be no more, although it may be politically freer. Yet I doubt the point about a 'Wahhabi theocratic' state, it could be modified to a simple 'quasi-theocratic' state.
But the Syrian issue is more complex, for Syria is the new prize now: everybody wants it in their camp and that is unfortunate for Syria and her people.
I was mainly intrigued by this excerpted paragraph, especially the last five lines, especially the very last sentence. That one is basically true: the British at least aided and encouraged the al-Saud clan to expand from their Nejd homeland and occupy the Hijaz and al-Hasa (Qatif) and Najran and Jazan (Yemen). Without British acquiescence, they would be just a small tribal emirate in Nejd instead of a large tribal monarchy.
So, you see, it is true because I say so, and I say so because it is true. Wirklich.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com