41 and 43 and the Saudis (fwd)

["Clement M. Henry" <chenry@mail.la.utexas.edu>]

This critique of the LA Times I just sent you is also on the mark, though
it does not deny the basic conflict, apparently, between #s 41 and 43.
And we can still wonder to what extent oil interests may underly US
hawkish policy, at least for some of the hawks who are not particularly
pro Israeli. As for the military and diplomats who have served in Saudi
Arabia, I think most of them favor the royal family as the least bad
alternative and just cross their fingers for gentle change away from less
corruption to greater transparency and participation, ideas favored by the
current Crown Prince Abdullah.

*****************************
Clement M. Henry
Professor of Government
University of Texas at Austin
Austin TX 78712
tel 471-5121, fax 471-1061

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 13:44:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Gary G Sick <ggs2@columbia.edu>
To: gulf2000 list <gulf2000-list@columbia.edu>
Subject: 41 and 43 and the Saudis

Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 13:25:52 EDT
From: EvanZSiegel@aol.com

Luttwak's is not a very impressive editorial. He seems to think he is able
to read Dubwa's mind (such as it is) and comes up with such whoppers as "
President George W. Bush and his closest advisors see the cheap oil of
Arabia as the greatest disincentive to the development of alternative
sources of energy..." Oh really? And as opposed to Bush Sr.? And what do
we make of the following: "Since Sept. 11, Bush junior and his camp have
received an entire education in how Saudi oil revenue is spent: in part
for the profligate luxuries ofmore than 5,000 princes with their large
families" Like they didn't know..... And what about "The most bitter and
influential opponents of the Saudis in the U.S. are not Jews or Zionists
but rather the many U.S.  military officers and diplomats who have served
in Saudi Arabia and who despise the princes and abhor the fanaticism they
propagate." It is precisely the military brass which is pursuing the
pro-Saudi policy of not rocking the boat by attacking Iraq.

I fail to see the worth of this article, which is filled with such
unsupported--and unlikely--claims.

Evan Siegel