Burning Down the House

The House of Bush and the House of Saud have been indelibly married to one another for several decades now. It’s a relatively simple deal when you boil it down to its core principles. The US energy industry needs cheap oil, which is easily attainable in the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi royals and business oligarchs need cash, and at one they needed protection from their Middle Eastern competitors, Iran and Iraq. For them it was a pretty good deal as the US always showed favoritism to Saudi needs, even when they were counterintuitive to our own strategic goals.

The Saudi’s for their part have always manipulated themselves into a position of being covered on both ends. As they cultivated a relationship with the US military-industrial complex, they were also propagating the public myth that we are the “Great Satan,” in the eyes of their oppressed people. On the backs of America’s reputation, they helped build a foundation of hatred and jealousy that would eventually create Osama bin Laden and then lead to a series of terrorist attacks, culminating in 9/11.

Needless to say, after Islamic fundamentalism brought down the Twin Towers, the jig was up. Saudi Arabia could no longer rely on plausible deniability that they were not responsible for promulgating anti-American Islamic fundamentalism. As many of us should know by now, the House of Saud was highly dependant on maintaining a distant hatred of America on the Arab Street, lest its people figure out who was really oppressing them.

For the last couple of years, Saudi Arabia has tried to throw its weight against the monster itself created, at least to stave off its own overthrow of power. For some time, it looked quite possible that UBL could have incited popular revolution and claimed his homeland for Islamic Nationalism has he defines it.

The Saudi’s have been walking a tightrope trying to appease their partners in Washington while not inciting anti-royal family riots. This endeavor was greatly marred by the US’ insistence in overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. After Baghdad fell, many Arabs, Persians, and Muslims rightly asked, “Are we next?”

It’s a valid question for sure. Shortly after “major combat operations” was declared over, former Searle CEO and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld suggested that we immediately being down Damascus and then possibly Tehran. Now just as Iraq and Iran had once been allies of ours, it’s entirely probably that the House of Saud so the writing and the lighter fluid on the wall and realized that it was only a matter of time before the US got to the business of “bringing democracy to Mecca and Medina.”

Not ones to idly watch their house get burned to the ground; the Saudi’s have been busy little bees trying to establish equal or greater trade with other countries. And who should be waiting with bated breath and billions in expendable cash, our friends the Chinese.

According to a story in Xinhua On-Line, Saudi Arabia has become China’s largest oil provider.

”Saudi Arabia has become China's largest crude oil provider, largest trade partner and second largest export market in the regions of west Asia and Africa, Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai said here recently.

Bo made the remark at the third meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia economic and trade committee.

In 1999, when the second meeting of China-Saudi Arabia economic and trade committee was held, bilateral trade was below 2 billion U.S. dollars. By 2005, the figure had risen to 15 billion dollars, with an annual average growth rate of 41 percent, the Chinese minister said.

In four or five years, the bilateral trade volume is expected to reach 40 billion dollars, he added.

China is willing to enhance economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas of energy, mining, petrochemicals, investment, infrastructure construction, science and technology and human resources, he said.

The Chinese side will make concerted efforts with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council including Saudi Arabia to push for the signing of a bilateral free-trade agreement as early as possible, he said.

The two countries should enhance coordination and cooperation under the framework of the World Trade Organization, he said, expressing the hope that Saudi Arabia will streamline visas issuance for Chinese business people and workers.

Saudi Arabia thanks China for supporting its entry to the World Trade Organization, said Minister of Finance Ibrahim Bin Abdel Aziz Al-Assaf of Saudi Arabia.

He expressed his wish that the two countries would enhance cooperation in energy, medical services, education and training as well as finance.”

It was only a matter of time before this was bound to happen. Aside from the financial implications, it is apparent to me, what Saudi Arabia has done. Look at the case of Iran. Barring troop deployment issues and all of that, under normal circumstances, does anybody think the US would have been this patient with a country it obviously sees as a militaristic and economic threat to energy interests? Of course not. Save for the interests of both China and Russia, there would be canyons where Iranian nuclear power plants once stood. But, because said countries have heavily invested in Iran and have strategic partnerships with the for Persian Empire, the US’ plan for regime is effectively stuck until those countries opt to step aside and participate.

Saudi Arabia has taken a page from the mullahs and has now erected wall made of Chinese yuan to protect itself from the callous war hawks in Washington (whomever they may be in both parties).

And just in case China isn’t a strong enough ally, the Saudi’s have also begun a strategic partnership with India, based on mutual needs in the War on Terror. Now ain’t that a kick in the head?

From The Indian Express, ”India and Saudi Arabia today took the first step towards combatting terrorism together through an agreement that opens the door for intelligence-sharing for the first time between both countries.

While the agreement signed today in the presence of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one on combatting crime, it does cover terrorism. This is extremely important from an Indian standpoint as it will help in gathering information and conducting investigations into terror networks and their financial support.

According to the MEA spokesperson, King Abdullah acknowledged the need to work together on fighting terror. ‘‘This is a long-term struggle, but this was one which will be carried on until this scourge is completely eliminated,’’ the Saudi King is believed to have said at the talks…Both sides will continue to look at broadening the scope of cooperation on fighting terror and related financial crimes.

Earlier, the Prime Minister and the Saudi King held a one-on-one as well as delegation level talks covering all important areas of the bilateral relationship. Singh, who has initiated the ‘Look West’ policy, views Riyadh as an important partner in expanding economic ties with oil producing states.

Both countries signed four agreements today. Apart from the MoU on combatting crime, the two sides also signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation, investment promotion and protection agreement, and cooperation agreement in sports and youth affairs.”

We’re not breaking up with Saudi’s yet; they’ve just decided to see other people.