Tag Archives: Saudi

Our Disfunctional Relationship With The Saudis

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Last Thursday I posted an article about a Saudi national who had been declared a ‘person of interest’ then later a ‘witness’ in the Boston bombings and was scheduled to be deported as a national security threat and then was unscheduled to be deported as a national security threat (rightwinggranny.com). Talk about having a good lawyer!

Glenn Beck at The Blaze added a whole new dimension to the story today. The bottom line is that the Saudi is either on his way out of the country today or will be leaving shortly for Saudi Arabia. How did all this happen and why is it important?

Highlights from the article:

  • A Saudi national originally identified as a “person of interest” in the Boston Marathon bombing was set to be deported under section 212 3B — “Security and related grounds” — “Terrorist activities” after the bombing
  • As the story gained traction, TheBlaze’s Chief Content Officer Joel Cheatwood received word that the government may not deport the Saudi national, originally identified as Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi
  • Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refused to answer questions on the subject when confronted by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on Capitol Hill.
  • An ICE official said a different Saudi national is in custody, but is “in no way” connected to the bombings.
  • A congressional source, however, says that the file on Alharbi was created, that he was “linked” in some way to the Boston bombings (though it is unclear how), and that documents showing all this have been sent to Congress.
  • Key congressmen of the Committee on Homeland Security request a classified briefing with Napolitano
  • Fox News’ Todd Starnes reports that Alharbi was allegedly flagged on a terrorist watch list and granted a student visa without being properly vetted.  Sources close to the investigation also told him the Saudi is still set for deportation.
  • New information provided to TheBlaze reveals Alharbi’s file was altered early Wednesday evening to disassociate him from the initial charges
  • Sources say the Saudi’s student visa specifically allows him to go to school in Findlay, Ohio, though he appears to have an apartment in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Sources tell us this will most likely now be kicked from the DHS to the DOJ and labeled an ongoing investigation that can no longer be discussed.

The article continues:

“We are not sure who actually tagged him as a ’212 3B,’ but we know it is very difficult to charge someone with this — it has to be almost certain,” Beck explained.  “It is the equivalent in civil society of charging someone with premeditated murder and seeking the death penalty — it is not thrown around lightly.”

Beck continued, noting that after Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud on Tuesday, the FBI began backtracking on the Saudi national from suspect, to person of interest, to witness, to victim, to nobody.

Then, on Wednesday, President Obama had a “chance” encounter with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud and Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.

“Wednesday at 5:35 p.m. the file is altered,” Beck said.  “This is unheard of, this is impossible in the timeline due to the severity of the charge….You don’t one day put a 212 3B charge against somebody with deportation, and then the next day take it off.  It would require too much to do it.”

He didn’t mention the fact that Michelle Obama visited this Saudi in the hospital in Boston (she did not visit any other bombing victims).

So what is this about? Glenn Beck looks at it as part of the agreement we have with the Saudis to maintain stability in the Middle East. There is probably a lot of truth in that, but there is one more part. The American dollar is used to trade oil. The Saudis are one of the world’s largest exporters of oil, so they have a fairly strong voice in OPEC. The fact that oil is traded in American dollars stabilizes the value of the American dollar somewhat (despite various QE’s done by the U. S. Treasury) and helps the American economy. One reason that gasoline is so expensive at the pump is that the value of the American dollar has been so undermined by the QE’s, but that’s another story.

I would like to go back to the idea that the Saudis help preserve stability in the Middle East. That is probably true, but at some point we need to examine the price of that stability. We have backed some rather nasty people in the Middle East in order to maintain that stability. At one point we sided with Saddam Hussein against Iran, we supported Hosni Mubarak, and we showed some level of support to Muammar Gaddafi at various times. None of these men were champions of either democracy or free speech. However, Christians in their countries were safer with them in charge than they are with the new leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. Stability isn’t all it is cracked up to be. At some point we need to stand for freedom and democracy. Our alliance with the Saudis does not show a support of either freedom or democracy–Bibles are banned in Saudi Arabia, women are second class citizens, and Christian Churches cannot be built.  It’s time to rethink our Middle East policy. We have allied ourselves with tyrants during more than one administration.

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Why Energy Independence Is Important

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UPDATE:  Since I posted this story, it has changed. The Saudi national named in the story is not scheduled for deportation. The connections between his family and terrorism are still the same as they are listed in the story. That has not changed.

As the debate on the Keystone Pipeline continues, there is one aspect of energy independence that we need to pay more attention to–where our oil comes from.

The following chart was posted at a website called Window on State Government:

U.S. Crude Oil Supply by Source, 2006: U.S. total production accounts for 33.5%, imports from OPEC nations account for 31.4%, and imports from non-OPEC countries make up 35.0%.

Just for the record, there was another thought-provoking chart on that sight:

Cost Structure of Gasoline: We paid $3.24 per gallon of regular gasoline in March 2008. 72% of that in the cost of crude oil, 13% is taxes, 8% is refining and 8% is distribution and marketing. Numbers may not total due to rounding. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

I posted the above graph because the gasoline tax is about to go up in Massachusetts, increasing the amount of profit the government makes from every gallon of gasoline sold in America to more than 13%. I think that is obscene.

Anyway, back to the actual subject of this article. Note that nearly a third of our oil imports come from OPEC countries. Remember that most OPEC countries are not free democracies–they are Islamic dictatorships. One of the least free of the OPEC countries is Saudi Arabia. The Saudis also claim to be our friends. Well, maybe.

Yesterday, as Americans heard the news that the Saudi national who had been detained after the Boston Marathon bombing was innocent, Front Page Magazine posted a story about the culture of clans in Saudi Arabia. First of all, I need to mention that I posted a video last night stating that Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi, the Saudi who was detained, will be deported back to Saudi Arabia next week due to security concerns. Since the Saudi culture is one of clans rather than country, let’s take a look at Alharbi’s clan as described in the Front Page Magazine article:

Perhaps a quick look at the Arabic sources should raise the eyebrows of every American relative to the extent of the problem at hand. Many from Al-Harbi’s clan are steeped in terrorism and are members of Al-Qaeda. Out of a list of 85 terrorists listed by the Saudi government shows several of Al-Harbi clan to have been active fighters in Al-Qaeda:Perhaps a quick look at the Arabic sources should raise the eyebrows of every American relative to the extent of the problem at hand. Many from Al-Harbi’s clan are steeped in terrorism and are members of Al-Qaeda. Out of a list of 85 terrorists listed by the Saudi government shows several of Al-Harbi clan to have been active fighters in Al-Qaeda:

As was stated in the video posted, America doesn’t arrest Saudis connected to terrorism–we simply deport them.

Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi may be innocent of everything except having questionable relatives (something we can all understand), but it would be interesting to know if the actions we are taking would be different if we were not so dependent on Saudi Arabia to be a voice friendly to America when OPEC meets.

Energy independence is a good idea because it not only protects us if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, but it also allows us to act to protect America from terrorism without having to worry if we will lose our oil supply.

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Saudi Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Has Died

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Fox News is reporting today that Saudi Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has died. Crown Prince Nayef was in his late 70′s. He was responsible for Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on Al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks on America. He was the successor to the throne of Saudi Arabia.

The article reports:

Nayef’s death unexpectedly reopens the question of succession in this crucial U.S. ally and oil powerhouse for the second time in less than a year. The 88-year-old King Abdullah has now outlived two designated successors, despite ailments of his own. Now a new crown prince must be chosen from among his brothers and half-brothers, all the sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder, Abdul-Aziz. 

The figure believed most likely to be tapped as the new heir is Prince Salman, the current defense minister who previously served for decades in the powerful post of governor of Riyadh, the capital. The crown prince will be chosen by the Allegiance Council, an assembly of Abdul-Aziz’s sons and some of his grandchildren. 

As much as there are serious questions about some of the links between Saudi Arabia and radical Islam,the Saudis have traditionally been the ones who have been the voice of sanity in keeping the price of oil under control. The Saudi royal family is also on the radar of the Muslim Brotherhood as a target for the Arab Spring. The death of Crown Prince Nayef will have an impact on the balance of power in OPEC and in the Middle East.
 

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The Saudis Bring Reason To OPEC

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The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is meeting this week. The Financial Times reminds us that oil prices have dropped from $128 a barrel in March to a current price of about $100. The drop is partially due to the financial difficulties in the European Union and the general slowdown in the world’s economy. Normally when the price of oil drops, OPEC calls for a decrease in production so that the price will rise again (supply and demand works!).

Recently OPEC has been producing more oil than its quota in an effort to lessen the impact of the oil sanctions that Europe and America have placed on Iran in an attempt to end Iran’s nuclear program. Saudi Arabia seems to be responsible for the increase–Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, told the Financial Times in March that he would like to see lower oil prices  “that will not hurt the global economic recovery”.

The Saudis have called for higher oil output levels despite the lower prices. I would love to be a fly on the wall (one who understood whatever language is spoken) at the coming OPEC meeting!

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Saudi Arabia Has Closed Its Embassy In Cairo

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Yesterday’s Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia has closed its embassy in Cairo after protests by Egyptian activists at the embassy. The protesters are protesting the arrest of Ahmed al-Gizawy, who was arrested when he arrived in Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. The Saudis have accused Mr. al-Gizawy of smuggling Xanax (which is an illegal substance in Saudi Arabia) into the country.

The article further reports that the protesters believe that Mr. al-Gizawy is being held because of a court case he brought in Cairo over the illegal detention of Egyptians in Saudi Arabia. The Egyptians have been held without trial. Mr. al-Gizawy had been tried and sentenced in absentia in a Saudi court, but was not told that in advance of his trip.

Before the fall of Mubarak, the government of Egypt would not have allowed protests against the Saudis. One reason I find this interesting is that I believe that the rulers of Saudi Arabia are the next target of the Muslim Brotherhood in the ‘Arab Spring.’ They are the major non-democracy still standing in the Middle East. Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia practices Sharia Law, it is under the control of the Saudi royal family–not the Muslim Brotherhood.

Make no mistake, the Muslim Brotherhood supports a world-wide caliphate–but only one which they control.

 
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A Serious Problem For The Future Of Free Speech

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Yesterday Frank Gaffney, Jr., at the Center For Security Policy posted an article about the arrest of a Saudi newspaper columnist named Hamza Kashgari in Malaysia.

The article reports:

A Saudi newspaper columnist named Hamza Kashgari was detained in Malaysia, reportedly on the basis of an alert by the International Criminal Police Organization, better known as Interpol.  Reuters quotes a Malaysian police spokesman as saying that, “This arrest was part of an Interpol operation which the Malaysian police were a part of.” It was apparently mounted in response to a “red notice” (or request for help apprehending an individual) issued by Saudi Arabia.  Kashgari was then sent back to Saudi Arabia where he faces almost certain death.

Mr. Kashgari’s crime?  He criticized the founder of Islam, Mohammed, on his Twitter account.  According to press he reports, he addressed the man Muslims call theProphet directly, writing: “ I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you. There is a lot I don’t understand about you….I will not pray for you.”  

The troubling part of this is that Interpol played a part in the arrest. Interpol is supposed to protect human rights and free speech.

The article further reports:

An Interpol spokesman insists that his organization had nothing to do with Hamza Kashgari’s apprehension in Malaysia and involuntary return to Saudi Arabia.  What is clear at this point is that the Saudis sought help apprehending the man who fled their not-so-tender mercies.  It seems likely that the Saudi red notice to Interpol provided the Malays a pretext for intercepting and extraditing a columnist who dared to exercise free speech.

So what–I live in America, what has this got to do with me? Well:

After all, in a December 2009 executive order unveiled on a Friday afternoon in the run-up to the Christmas holidays, President Obama issued Executive Order 13524.  It amended an earlier order by President Reagan that conferred on Interpol some – but not all – of the privileges of a foreign diplomatic mission.  

Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor and one of the finest legal minds and essayists of our time, wrote on the occasion that Obama’s amendments would have the effect of establishing here “an international police force immune from the restraints of American law.”  He added that, thanks to the Obama executive order:

“This international police force (whose U.S. headquarters is in the Justice Department in Washington) will be unrestrained by the U.S. Constitution and American law while it operates in the United States and affects both Americans and American interests outside the United States.”

Are you worried yet?

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