[Update-1 :: Extended with US policy during Bush years and ensuing proxy wars in Middle East – Big Oil, Saudi Arabia and focus on Shiites of Iran]
Battling the Shia Islamic State of Iran through means of proxies … the war effort continues by neocon inspired policy!
See my many earlier diaries throughout the years on developments in the Middle East:
- ○ Hariri II – the American Puppet
○ Saudi Palace Coup As Sudairis Consolidate Power (2015)
○ Beirut Bombing Iranian Embassy – The Hand of Saudi Prince Bandar? (2013)
○ The Saudi-Israeli Alliance and Piggy-back Coup of 2005
How Saudi Arabia turned Lebanon’s Hariri from prime minister to ‘prisoner’ | Al-Arabya |
Saad Hariri arrived in Riyadh without diplomatic fanfare, his phone was confiscated and resignation speech written for him, Beirut officials have claimed, revealing alleged new details into Saudi Arabia’s virtual kidnap and detention of the Lebanese leader.
Sources have said Hariri’s forced resignation was motivated by Saudi efforts to counter Iran and the former prime minister’s refusal to confront Hizballah’s power in Lebanon.
“When Hariri’s plane landed in Riyadh, he got the message immediately that something was wrong,” a Hariri source told Reuters.
The saga reportedly began on November 2, when Hariri was summoned to the kingdom to meet Saudi’s ruler King Salman. Before departing, he told his officials he would be back on Monday.
He also told his media team he would see them at the weekend in Sharm al-Sheikh, where he was due to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Youth Forum.
On Friday, having landed in Riyadh without ministers or princes to greet him, Hariri received an urgent call from the protocol team of Mohammad bin Salman asking him to see the crown prince and spend the weekend with him.
The Friday meeting didn’t happen, and Hariri stayed that night at his lavish home on Al Takhassossi Boulevard in Riyadh.
At 8am on Saturday – unusually early for the kingdom, the Washington Post reported – Hariri was summoned to meet MbS, as the 32-year-old king-in-waiting is known. The trappings of protocol were gone and Hariri travelled in two cars with only his personal security. At some point, Hariri had his phone confiscated, Reuters sources said.
Hours later he was presented with his resignation speech to be broadcast by a Saudi-owned TV channel.
Feared assassination
In his speech, Hariri said he feared assassination and accused Iran and Hizballah of sowing strife in the region. He said the Arab world would “cut off the hands that wickedly extend to it” – language which one source close to him said was not typical of the Lebanese leader.
[Read on …]
The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, told the Guardian the rigid doctrines of the past three decades were the result of not knowing how to deal with the Iranian revolution
Continued below the fold …
From my earlier analysis of ME developments and political intrigues …
Quite Depressing Really, Obama and the ISIS Crisis
After the push by Israel and America’s neocons for a war with Iran in 2012 (opposed by the Obama administration!), president Obama worked with Russia, France, Britain, Germany and the EU to get the nuclear deal with Iran. Obama had to compensate Israel and the KSA with military goods to appease both nations. Trump just threw some octane fuel on the fire/clashes between the Arabian Gulf States and Iran. The war in Syria is nearing a climax and possible military confrontation between Russia, Iran and the US.
Read on – Hare On Fire!
From my diary Emir Al Thani, Sultan Erdogan and HRC Foreign Policy of Revolutions
Clinton Lauds Virtues Of Al Jazeera: ‘It’s Real News’ | NPR |
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went out of her way to single out the Al Jazeera TV news network for its work in covering recent uprisings throughout the Middle East.
“You’ve got a global — a set of global networks — that Al Jazeera has been the leader in, that are literally changing people’s minds and attitudes,” Clinton told members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Her remarks are a marked shift from the hostility expressed toward Al Jazeera by many conservatives, as well as some officials under former President Bush.
“Viewership of Al Jazeera is going up in the United States because it’s real news,” Clinton said
Yep, HRC gave support to the militancy of the Muslim Brotherhood under direction and leadership of Turkey’s Erdogan and Sheikh Hamad al-Thani of Qatar … all because of her experience as FLOTUS during the Bosnia War of Yugoslavis in the mid ’90s.
More to follow …
Clinton touts new constitution as opportunity for Turkey | Today’s Zaman – July 17, 2011 | [cached article]
At the end of her two-day visit to Turkey to warm up relations after a period of tension over Iran and other issues, Clinton praised Turkey’s role as a regional and global player, while politely but firmly pointing out grounds for concern regarding the rights of non-Muslim minorities and of Kurds, media liberties and human rights.
Clinton called on Turkey to utilize the constitutional reform process in a way that will address the concerns “about recent restrictions on freedom of expression and religion” and boost the rights of minorities, which in return could advance the country’s long-standing bid for EU membership, also backed by the United States.
Alongside her appraisal of the possible role Turkey can play as a democratic model for the Middle East and as an engine in the region with the performance its economy has shown so far this year, Clinton said it was important to protect freedom of expression and the rights of minorities. “People across the Middle East and North Africa are seeking to draw lessons from Turkey’s experience,” she said in an appearance with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
Growing cooperation
Clinton highlighted the booming economic ties between the United States and Turkey — an emerging regional power boasting an 11 percent growth rate. Trade between the United States and Turkey is up more than 50 percent this year and US officials say the country is a big opportunity for US business.
Clinton’s meetings included Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül and also focused on increasing diplomatic cooperation between Ankara and Washington on the conflict in Libya and the crisis in Syria, Turkey’s immediate neighbor.
Turkey has not matched the United States and the European Union in imposing financial and travel sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle. But US officials say Ankara, which on Friday hosted a meeting of the international contact group on Libya, has been a strong diplomatic voice for bringing about change in the Arab world, adding weight to efforts to back peaceful protesters.
Both Clinton and Davutoğlu expressed support for Syrian opposition groups, which were holding a separate meeting in İstanbul to discuss tactics against Assad. “Efforts by the opposition to come together to organize and to articulate an agenda are an important part of political reform,” Clinton said, adding the US was encouraged to see what the Syrian people are doing for themselves.
Links from my diary on palace coup in 2015 …
Cheney vs Baker in the House of Saud (Dec. 2006)
Cheney and the Sudairi Seven
Bandar is Cheney’s man (and vice versa). The rest of the Right Arabist establishment has lined up behind King Abdullah and the Faisal brothers, Turki (until recently Saudi Ambassador to the US) and Saud (currently Saudi Foreign Minister).
Cheney isn’t simply backing Bandar. Bandar–the son of Saudi Crown Prince Defense Minister Sultan–represents the Sudairi Seven that let Cheney station 500,000 US troops on Saudi soil in 1990 over the objections of Abdullah.
Cheney’s top Middle East aide, David Wurmser is crystal clear about his preferences within the House of Saud, not to mention his vision for Iraq and Iran. From an article while he was still at the American Enterprise Institute:
To begin to unravel this murky business, it is necessary to go back to the mid-1990s, when a succession struggle was beginning in Saudi Arabia. This struggle pits the octogenarian king, Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz, and his full brothers in the Sudairi branch of the family (especially the defense minister, Prince Sultan) against their half-brother, Crown Prince Abdallah. King Fahd and the Sudairis favor close ties to the United States, while Crown Prince Abdallah prefers Syria and is generally more enamored of pan-Islamic and pan-Arab ideas…
In August, King Fahd fired his director of intelligence, Prince Turki al Faisal… Since the mid-1990s, Turki had anchored the Abdallah faction, and under his leadership Saudi intelligence had become difficult to distinguish from al Qaeda….
More recently, Turki bin Faisal’s full brother, Saudi foreign minister Saud bin Faisal, unleashed his diplomats to write shrill and caustic attacks on the United States, such as the article a few weeks ago by Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in London, Ghazi al Qusaibi, calling President Bush mentally unstable.
The Baker Boys and King Abdullah
Meanwhile, the rest of the Baker Big Oil crowd backs Abdullah, favors dialogue with Iran, etc.
One sign the Baker fidelity to Abdullah came in the case of former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan. According to reports (“Saudis Have Had Enough of US Ambassador,” UPI, September 25, 2003):
The U.S. capital is starting to buzz with questions about the early retirement of U.S. Ambassador to Riyadh Robert Jordan, apparently demanded by the Saudis. Jordan, a partner in the Baker, Botts law firm in Texas (as in former Secretary of State James Baker) , is an honorary member of the Bush clan and his premature departure is a shock. The State Department has yet to confirm it, though Jordan has told friends that he’s heading back to Texas. His offense was to state too publicly — at private Saudi dinner parties — Washington’s preference for Crown Prince Abdullah to succeed the ailing King Fahd. This supposedly offended Defense Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz. Jordan also annoyed other Saudis by insisting that any American wife of a Saudi citizen should get embassy or consulate help in marriage disputes and child custody cases.
Add to this the fact that Chas Freeman took swipes at Prince Bandar in 2005, and you can begin to see the outlines of a major split in Washington and Riyadh.
Chas Freeman, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, says Bandar “has basically been AWOL for years” but had been kept at his post because of “inertia at the top” of the Saudi royal family…
1. (S) Summary: The Al Saud are a political party as well as a family. As with any political party, there are always internal rivalries and policy disputes. Ruling family disputes currently center on the role of seniority in succession, policy towards Israel, and cuts in royal compensation. It is well known that tension existed between Prince Abdullah bin Abudulaziz and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz when they were Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister respectively. Now that Abdullah has become King, Crown Prince Sultan, like any good number two, is standing squarely behind his boss. End Summary.
2. (S) The new Succession Law created winners and losers (see reftel). Merit, rather than age, has become the primary factor in electing a new King. Most princes have accepted this change. After all, under the old system very few princes ever expected to become King. Now, many more actually have a shot at the throne. Only Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the next in age after Crown Prince Sultan, has been outspoken in his protests about the new arrangements. Riyadh Governor Salman bin Abdulaziz is often the referee in family disputes. According to a reliable contact with good access to ruling family circles, Salman recently had a blunt conversation with Abdulrahman in which he told his brother to “shut up and get back to work”.
3. (S) We have also picked up first hand accounts of intra-family tension over policy towards Israel. Some princes, most notably National Security Advisor Bandar Bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, are reportedly pushing for more contact with Israel. Bandar now sees Iran as a greater threat than Israel. Other princes believe that Saudi Arabia’s traditional concerns with the Islamic holy places and the plight of the Palestinian should remain paramount.
4. (S) By far the most widespread source of discontent in the ruling family is the King’s curtailment of their privileges. King Abdullah has reportedly told his brothers that he is over 80 years old and does not wish to approach his judgment day with “the burden of corruption on my shoulder.”
…
6. (S) Land is the most important source of income for many princes. The government, specifically the Ministries of Finance and Municipal and Rural Affairs, often transfers public land to princes, who in turn sell it at huge profit to real estate developers. This is not all that much different than the deal between King Charles and William Penn, just a
different century. During the last weeks of King Fahd’s life there were many reports of princes and senior courtiers racing to finalize land grants before the regime changed. A contact with direct access to the information reports that Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz and Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz made hundreds of millions of dollars when they sold land for the new King Abdulaziz Economic City to the Dubai real estate development company EMAAR. Another source with less direct access to information has added the names of Mitab bin Abduallah bin Abdulaziz and Saudi Arabian Investment Agency Governor Amar Dabbagh to those who have profited from EMAAR’s real estate development plans in Saudi Arabia. Since ascending the throne, King Abdullah has dramatically reduced the practice of transferring public land
to favored individuals.7. (S) In recent months tensions in the ruling family reportedly came to the boil with Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz sought to openly confront the King over reducing royal entitlements. According to well established sources with first hand access to this information, it was Crown Prince Sultan who stood by the King in this quarrel. Sultan reportedly told his brothers that challenging the King was a “red line” he would not cross. He advised that stability and internal security are the ruling families foremost goals. “If we challenge Abdullah where will it end?” Sultan also advised his brothers that the Kingdom faces serious dangers in Iraq and Iran. It is no time for internal disunity. He reportedly said something similar to Benjamin Franklin’s admonishment to the Continental Congress that, “We must all hang together or we will certainly all hang separately.” The Crown Prince’s arguments carried the day due to the force of his personality and his position as the eldest full brother of the so called Sudairi Seven. Our contact went on to say that while King Abdullah is “wise and kind”, Crown Prince Sultan is “smart and shrewd.” He added that the King’s great popularity with the people of Saudi Arabia, resulting in part from his cutting royal entitlements, made opposing him unwise.