Just look at this joker, honestly. Apparently the Saudis are saying the Houthis are associated with al Qaeda (or al Kayda) as they are known in the United States.

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Researchers from Tel Aviv University and King Abdullah University (TAU and KAU) collaborate on computer 'bot' problem.

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Cool Arabia

I had the chance to spend a considerable amount of time watching Arabic satellite channels over the past few weeks and one thing struck me almost immediately - how very Saudi a lot of it is. This is probably not a surprise, but it would be interesting to see how and when (and by whom) the decision was made to start a concerted and massive PR campaign for the Saud family's private kingdom (formerly the Hejaz). In the many adverts, you almost always see a smiling woman in a fresh and attractively wrapped hejab promoting the latest product. Slick adverts show you a situation that could be in any metropolitan city in the world, but there is always the innocuous appearance of a man in a galabiyah or a woman in a hejab placed discreetly and professionally. Saudi music is also increasingly popular thanks to the many degenerate music channels such as Rotana and Melody that now grace our airwaves. The new Saudi Arabia is hip, trendy and forward looking. Ramadan and Eid are commercialised with enticing and orientalised adverts whilst Arab countries now vie for tourist traffic through specially designed adverts catered for the Gulf [Saudi] family - for an example just look at the recent adverts for Egypt which, apart from being demeaning for the country, are aimed exclusively for these Gulf tourists. LBC has, for some time now, also been quite happy to take part in this phenomenon and routinely shows programmes where Wahhabi sheikhs handle queries from the many faithful. It goes without saying that the "It's cool to be Saudi" ads are now standard on the channel but something like this would have been impossible to imagine in the late eighties. I guess this is hardly surprising considering the countries political climate and the neo-liberal vision that Hariri had for it before his untimely demise. "Cool Arabia" has been born, where it is funky and hip to be from "The Kingdom" or KSA as some like to call it.

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On a slightly different subject, does anybody know what the situation is with Prince Walid bin Sultan regarding Syria? I hear he has now pulled most of his investments out of the country apart from the Four Seasons hotel. I've also heard - unreliably - that Prince Bandar's son is being held incommunicado for the Mughniyeh killing in Syria.

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"Saudi Arabian football authorities are investigating an error that led to the Syrian national anthem being played before a match against Lebanon."

:-)

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"The initiative has the support of the Saudi monarch King Abdullah, who is seen as a bridge between the west and the Muslim world."

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"King Abdullah has in the past said that he thought a day would eventually come when Saudi women were allowed to drive."

It's all going down hill from here, next thing you know they'll start voting or something.

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Who said the kingdom wasn't progressive?

"The authorities in Saudi Arabia have decided to end a ban on unaccompanied women staying in the country's hotels. A woman can now stay in a hotel alone as long as she carries identification."

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One of the things I resent about Saudi Arabia is that they think they can monopolise debate on what is "halal" and what is "haram" because their king has proclaimed himself as custodian of the two holy sites of Islam. If you intend to apply Islamic law, then at least do it properly since the bedrock of Islamic law, like any other body of laws, is justice. A Saudi judge has sentenced a rape victim to 200 lashes for breaking segregation laws in the Kingdom, whilst doubling the already ridiculously low sentences for the rapists. The ridiculous sentences passed down by the Saudi judge are unjust and only underline his complete incompetence in these matters. He has also made a mockery of Islamic jurisprudence which has very clear prescriptions for delivering justice in cases like this. It seems Islam too, like many other things, is to be applied only where convenient.

"According to the Arab News newspaper, the 19-year-old woman, who is from Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, was gang-raped 14 times in an attack in Qatif in the eastern province a year-and-a-half ago."

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You have to hand it to them, these Saudi diplomats know how to have a good time, pass the coke and champagne:

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"Bills he is claimed to have run up on an array of luxury amusements include two top-of-the-range Chevrolet 4x4s, a thermal night vision kit for his Hummer H2, dozens of designer watches and jewels, a selection of handguns and two Arab karaoke machines. One takeaway meal came to almost $800 (£391). And then there is the $2,500 item on a trip to a hotel in Casablanca that reads: "Girls: party night 5"."

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Some headlines which caught my eye

The Times has an article on a report released yesterday. The report claims that the number of suicides amongst Iraq war veterans is almost double that of those killed in action whilst serving in Iraq:

"The rate of suicides among veterans prompted claims that the US was suffering from a “mental health epidemic” – often linked to post-traumatic stress."

An interesting story carried by the Independent on how a Lebanese woman was able to breeze through security checks for both the CIA and FBI and look up details of her family on their databases:

"Prouty, 37, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to using her security clearance to illegally access files on government computers about the Islamic terrorist group Hizbollah. She also confessed to fraudulently obtaining US citizenship through a sham marriage. After her wedding in 1990, Prouty worked as a waitress at Middle Eastern restaurants in Detroit, where she was recruited by the FBI in 1999. It is believed she was "talent spotted" to spy on the city's large Arab-American population. The FBI gave her full security clearance and then posted her to its Washington field office, which investigates crimes against US citizens overseas."

Yesterday the Guardian carried an article alleging that a CIA agent had met Osama Bin Laden in Dubai, interesting (Yazan has just pointed out this is dated the 1st of November 2001, oops!):

!The CIA chief was seen in the lift, on his way to see Bin Laden, and later, it is alleged, boasted to friends about his contact. He was recalled to Washington soon afterwards. Intelligence sources say that another CIA agent was also present; and that Bin Laden was also visited by Prince Turki al Faisal, then head of Saudi intelligence, who had long had links with the Taliban, and Bin Laden. Soon afterwards Turki resigned, and more recently he has publicly attacked him in an open letter: "You are a rotten seed, like the son of Noah". "

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"The sad, awful truth is that we fete these people, we fawn on them, we supply them with fighter jets, whisky and whores. No, of course, there will be no visas for this reporter because Saudi Arabia is no democracy. Yet how many times have we been encouraged to think otherwise about a state that will not even allow its women to drive?"

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More on 'rebels without a clue'

The newspapers are having a field day criticising King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia's visit. Whilst I'm no fan of his, I find the hypocrisy of these human rights activists and journalists astonishing. Yes, their accusations against Saudi Arabia are all perfectly true, but why oh why do they keep up the pretence that somehow the United Kingdom and it's government are better and thus that they should somehow be disappointed with it's position? Do they really expect any better or that they themselves are better? It takes two to tango or have they forgotten the history of their own country? Apart from "Empire" and it's racism there is also the apalling tradition of undermining governments in Africa and the Middle East and more recently, the invasion of Iraq, the stance on US "rendition", the fact Britain is a major weapons manufacturer and exporter, it's outrageous and criminal support of Israel's 2006 attack in Lebanon and it's continued support for Israel's 'right to exist' and erasure of the Palestinians. I don't like King Abdullah, but please spare me the self righteous indignation.

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A royal welcome for...

His royal highness, the self appointed custodian of Mecca and Medina (and allegedly of Ikea and Abu al Abd's shawarma place in the Midan) has arrived in London. Here he will meet a female head of state who will not ask him why women are not allowed to drive in his kingdom, enter music shops (until recently) and travel without permission from their "guardian". He also did the following to one of her citizens:

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"He woke up in the Madhethe interrogation centre, where the Saudi police demanded he confess to being a British spy ordered to plant bombs in the country. He told them the bombs were obviously the work of Saudi Islamists – a view now accepted to be true – so they hung him upside down and began to beat his feet and buttocks with an axe handle for eight days. All the while, he could hear his friend Bill Sampson being gang-raped in the next room."

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Those two foreigners got off lightly, unlike the many Saudi's who barely survive such treatment. Few things rile me more than the "kingdom" and it's obscenely "polite" and affluent section of society which ignores the ugly and festering reality hidden under it's gleaming exterior. The "kingdom" where the name of Islam has been mired in filth and ignorance, the only country in the world named after the ruling family who claim they own the very earth if not the people on it. Their "liberal" TV stations grace our airwaves with obscene and lewd "artists" and television shows which entice people to a lifestyle that is not theirs and never will be, while their official version of Islam is used to capture the disillusioned and impoverished youth who reject the very decadent lifestyle that Saudi money promotes and encourages. If you don't believe me, turn your television to LBC, the rabidly anti-Palestinian, anti-Syrian and till recently closet anti-Muslim television station. You will see a Saudi (and very Wahhabi) sheikh answering religious fatawas, something which was virtually impossible and unthinkable until the arrival of a certain very rich (and now very dead) Lebanese billionaire.

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Truly they own both the carrot and the stick for many in the Arab and Islamic worlds. The prophet Muhammad once said of their land, Nejd, "Earthquakes and fitnah are there, and there shall arise the horn of Satan." like many things that this wise man once said, I'm starting to wonder whether there isn't some truth in that statement.

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"A key aim of the King Abdullah International Gardens is to give Riyadh a sense of cultural gravitas, its backers claim. Although one of the world's principal cities, Riyadh lacks museums and other centres. It is well supplied with shops for the lavishly rich and little else."

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Hezbullah meets with Saudis

The ongoing political crisis in Lebanon may no longer be on the front pages of the newspapers, but behind the scenes there has recently been a flurry of activity. al Quds al Arabi reports that talks between Hezbullah and the Saudi's have not led to any progress. Sheikh Naim Qassem and Mohammad Fneish a high level official in Hezbullah were flown to Saudi Arabia in a private Saudi jet on the 26th of December while al Sayed Hassan Nasrallah declined a Haj invitation for security reasons. Nasrallah did however, meet with the Egyptian ambassador to discuss the Lebanese situation, the first meeting of its kind since the eighties. These are considerably high level meetings and it would be interesting to see what kind of carrots the Saudi's and Egyptians are offering Hezbullah to backdown. As one reader on the site commented, power gains you respect. The Egyptians and Saudi's (the United States and Israel too) recognise this and now behave accordingly with Hezbullah, interesting.

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The 'moderate' rulers of Saudi Arabia are holding top secret talks with Israel, according to al Quds al Arabi. Apparently the top of their concerns are Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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The Saudi connection

"Sultan, who is crown prince, "has a corrupt interest in all contracts", according to a dispatch from the then British ambassador Willie Morris published in a recent Commons committee report. An accompanying Ministry of Defence briefing paper prepared for the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher describes Prince Sultan as "not highly intelligent ... He has prejudices, is inflexible and imperious, and drives a hard bargain". The Al Yamamah deal, worth £43bn in total, has long been the subject of allegations of secret commissions to Lady Thatcher's son Mark, and to several members of the Saudi royal family. All those involved have always denied the allegations."

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The New New Middle East

While many of us believe things are now going quiet in the Middle East, it appears that Western intelligence services have been busily networking and crafting. American foreign policy with regards to the region has been seriously undermined at the moment with Iraq in the grip of civil war and ruin, Israel defeated by Hezbollah, Iran going nuclear and Syria still with fingers in many pies. It appears that attempts at a new Sunni axis, to counter the contrived Shia arc from Iran to Syria, are now underway.

In Egypt, Gamal Mubarak started making noises about nuclear power, Jordan's puppet Hashemite King is still playing his PS2 while his intelligence services are now effectively the Middle East branch of the CIA and Saudi Arabia is ecstatic that it is now back in America's good books; nobody there really wanted to talk about Al Qaeda or fundamentalism. Lastly, within the Palestinian territories, thugs supported by the Israelis and Americans are now fomenting civil strife against the Hamas government, to distract all Palestinian movements from nipping at Israels heels.

To sum up, it appears to me that the beacon of freedom and democracy in the world is acting as midwife to the "moderate" nations of the Middle East against radical rogue states. Condoleeza Rice's new Middle East may have been a stillborn, but it's sibling is being conceived as we speak. In the West where the concept of the "single mum" has gained acceptance, there may be no difficulty in accepting this child. However, in the East, many people will still recognise the offspring for what it is, a bastard.

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The voices of reason and moderacy in the Middle East...

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Joseph Samaha (My translation)

This is my translation (far from perfect) of an article by Samaha

Saudi Arabia not Sa'ad?

Joseph Samaha

What was more important than the speech of Sa'ad Hariri two days ago was that it was said after the return of the “head of Future movement” from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the presence of it's Ambassador in Lebanon.

It begs the question: Is this an ominous omen of the transition of Saudi Arabia from caretaker of Lebanese cohesion into factionalism, encouraging one group over another, and aiding policies that lead to an escalation of tensions internally? Has Riyadh committed itself and decided to push Lebanon towards a crisis? Does it [Riyadh] really want to open another dangerous file in Lebanon to be added to the Palestinian and Iraqi crises (along with Afghanistan)?

These questions would all have been circumstantial and without substance had it not been for clear indications which show any complacency to be naïve to say the least.

First: We must remember the Saudi position in the beginning of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. It was a position that condemned the “miscalculated adventurism” and a rejection of particular behaviour which would alter the agenda without prior agreement and consent and with unforeseen consequences. This position came as a surprise to many, not least because it came extremely close to justifying the Israeli punishment that was raining down on Lebanon and it's resistance. However it did abandon this position by giving the Lebanese the 'Green Light' to talk about a 'settling of scores' to follow the Israeli 'settling of scores' and continue it. Furthermore it gave other Arab voices (Egypt and Jordan) the opportunity to declare their allegiance to the “Axis of Good”.

Second: It was not logical for Saudi Arabia to interfere with throwing it's weight on the side of those demanding an immediate ceasefire. It would not have been logical because those who refer to “adventurism” are incapable of anything but looking away when these adventurers and opportunists are being disciplined. In spite of that, Saudi Arabia was forced into a hasty retreat from it's position and into condemnation of the Israeli aggression. The changing realities on the ground added pressure, along with increasing public support both locally and on an Arab and Islamic level for the resistance, and this was a public sympathy which overcame any attempts at stirring sectarian tensions.

Thirdly: There were some in the Saudi media who were extremely biased against the resistance, firstly for sectarian reasons, secondly in the name of a purported liberalism, and finally with the context of a bitter enmity with ....Qatar! Some of these media analysts and writers excelled in presenting lessons on realities, in sympathy for the victims, and in praising the handouts that alleviated the effects of the aggression which should have been prevented and that they should have sought to stop.

Fourth: With the “acts of aggression” coming to a conclusion, the Saudi position wavered somewhat and then solidified into a policy based on two main principles: Hiding the scale of the victory first, and acting, secondly, to minimise the ripple effects whatever they may be both within the Lebanese arena and in particular on the wider Arab arena. It has been said that “the Summer War sounded alarm bells”. Resisting the enemy is more dangerous than the enemy, and the real danger is the possibility of a spread of this sentiment, like a contagion.

Fifth: There was an official Arab attempt, which Saudi Arabia was a part of, to “minimise the time of the aggression”, and it was said that after the dust had settled there would be serious attempts and peace initiatives in the Security Council to resolve all the problems and lead to a comprehensive agreement within months, except that this initiative was exposed as a sham. What is clear, today, is that the most that can be accomplished is pay lip service to the Palestinian issue and pretend to champion it in order to absorb the enmity of their critics, and in order to obtain more favourable conditions to engage whatever confrontations that the American “War on Terror” may demand in future.

Sixth: There is no doubt that the Arab citizen has noticed the exceptionally cool response the Saudi's have given to leaked reports of their meetings with Israel at a high level. Yes, Riyadh has denied these reports, and it is “proper” to believe these denials, but that does not prevent anybody from pursuing the special meaning to the flow of soothing words emanating from Tel Aviv on what officials there consider the Saudi political developments. Political dialogue, in the eyes of Israel, is more important than personal dialogue. The above mentioned “developments” do not of course include the initiatives decided on in the Beirut summit. Quoting Shimon Peres, “ The Arab peace initiative is impractical...the problem is what will happen to terrorist groups considering they represent the biggest obstacle right now?”.

These various definitions, represent a gradual slide of the Kingdom towards using an American world view which defines the problems of the region...and the fear is that the recent Saudi behaviour towards Lebanon demonstrates this. The statements of the American foreign secretary Condoleeza Rice have clarified the definining features of this “world-view” in a series of press interviews that she has conducted over the past few days:

1. The real danger that is engulfing the region is the “Iranian” threat and it's “subsidiaries”. Therefore the resolve of the resistance in Lebanon is not an Arab victory over Israel, but an Iranian sectarian victory over the Arabs.

2. Embargoing Iran is more important now than at any time, and this is an embargo that must leave the military option open. For that, it is important that the “moderate” Arabs prepare to face the effects of any possible war, and even take part as much as possible, and with all capabilities, in such a war.

3. Rice says that the United States and it's Allies has an, “opportunity to challenge Iran's ambitions in the region”. She adds: “we cannot allow the continuation of matters in such a direction, and for that it is important to reinforce the moderate Lebanese forces...and the resistance of Damascus and Hamas and finding a way to allow the moderates in the Palestinian Territories to emerge”. She also said, in another interview: “Hezbullah is feeling the pressure”, calling for a continuation of pressure and the importance of, “Arab moderates supporting each other”, referring specifically to the Saudi support to Lebanon. This is a complete agenda that covers the entire region and assigns to each of it's official and political forces a role.

4. It is expected that the United States will continue to emphasize “Democracy”, in order to strengthen “moderates”. That is it's gift to it's allies.

We can deduce that we, in Lebanon, are faced with a most serious matter. In the light of what I have discussed earlier, Sa'ad Al Hariri does not appear as representing his own political movement alone, and his comments of “emptying Quraitem, Al Mukhtara, and Al Saraya” are ones he may not be forgiven for. We now see before us “regional discussion” (Saudi in the first degree) and international (American). We now have before us the possibility of a “Moderate Trinity”, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, assigned to look after the “Stricken Trinity”: Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq.

Thursday, 28^th September

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