“Until a few weeks ago, Saudi Arabia was riding high. Its regional policies, based on countering revolutionary fervour and containing Iran, appeared to be bearing fruit. Egypt’s army ousted the Islamist president, to plaudits and generous funding from Riyadh; the Syrian opposition elected a new pro-Saudi leadership; and the US seemed poised to launch military strikes on the regime in Damascus that Saudi Arabia has tried to dislodge. But Riyadh’s satisfaction turned to dismay as a US and Russian deal to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons removed the need for military strikes; leading rebel factions turned against the leadership of the Syrian National Coalition; and relations between the US and Iran appear to be warming as the new president, Hassan Rouhani, pledged to negotiate over Tehran’s nuclear program………………..”

Clearly the princes are pissed (to put it succinctly) about a few things. Syria is just one of them, given that they finally got their own man, Ahmed Al-Jarba appointed as figurehead chief of the Syrian National Coalition (the real head is a Saudi prince). Sure enough, within weeks of his appointment, the rebel military groups that are inside Syria put up new obstacles against the exile “leaders”( the warlords put obstacles against everybody, including each other, especially each other). Then there is the new possibility of negotiations between the Iranians and the Americans, something that would make anyone jealous: after all if your steady date starts flirting with the scowling mullahs, look out! Even the Gulf Salafis who never cared for Americans except in evil malevolent ways are upset with this turn of event.
The princes are pissed enough to cancel their annual speech at the UN General Assembly. Not that many would listen to the speech by the usual prince. The usual prince, Saud Al-Faisal, has been foreign minister of his family for about forty years, appointed by his uncle who took over after his father was assassinated. Forty years seems to be the charmer for Arab potentates in high potent positions, from Colonel Gaddafi to the decrepit prime minister of Bahrain. I think the (Christian) marriage liturgy applies to most Arab potentates, the one that says “………..Till death do us part”.

Cheers
mhg