Saudi Arabia seeks leadership in Islamic world!

 DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL

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 USA very tactfully used Saudi Arabia to  support the creation of a Israel which gradually grew into monstrous proportions  as a fascist structure destroying peace in Mideast as its key policy of survival. 

The longstanding US-Saudi alliance has rested on the assumption that Saudi Arabia would supply oil and purchase American arms in return for a US guarantee of security for the autocratic Saudi monarchy.

Triclomacy

Quite likely, Saudi Arabia is not happy with a high profile Turkey seen exploring all avenues of  global diplomacy to claim  leadership of Islamic world, especially its rising Mideast role in recent years has made Riyadh even nervous.

In rejecting the temporary UNSC seat, Saudi Arabia must be  thinking of securing a veto membership on UNSC to  assert its leadership in Islamic world.  

The growing breach between oil super power Saudi Arabia and the unilateral United States was also on display in Washington, where a senior Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal criticized Obama's Middle East policies, accusing him of "dithering" on Syria and Israeli-Palestinian peace. In unusually blunt public remarks, Prince al-Faisal called Obama's policies in Syria "lamentable" and ridiculed a US-Russian deal to eliminate Assad's chemical weapons. He suggested it was a ruse to let Obama avoid military action in Syria.

Saudi plans to limit interaction with the US. This happens after the US failed to take any effective action on Syria and Palestine. Relations with the US have been deteriorating for a while, as Saudi feels that the US is growing closer to Iran. the Saudi regime has collaborated closely with Washington in arming, training and financing Syrian militias fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan confirmed that his country’s decision last Friday not to accept a temporary seat on the UN Security Council was “a message for the US, not the UN. He warned that there would be wide-ranging consequences, including on purchases of US arms and on oil sales. Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan,  who was the Saudi ambassador to Washington for 22 years,  is vowing that the kingdom will make a "major shift" in relations with the United States to protest perceived American inaction over Syria's civil war as well as recent U.S. overtures to Iran. Prince Bandar bin Sultan feels that the United States had failed to act effectively against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was growing closer to Tehran, and had failed to back Saudi support for Bahrain when it crushed an anti-government revolt in 2011, the source said. "Saudi doesn't want to find itself any longer in a situation where it is dependent."

Revolt

Deeply hurt by double-operations by its unilateral ally, the USA,  an obedient Saudi Arabia is now seen drifting away from  American guidance and refusing to accept leadership anymore;  instead Riyadh trying to  gain leadership of Islamic world, by outsmarting Turkey and Iran.  

For years now, even as it cooperated with them, Saudi kingdom is increasingly suspicious of US moves in Mideast.

When Saudi rulers rejected a prime seat on the notorious UNSC, blaming the west for that, many dirty eye brows were raised in western media. 

USA might consider the Saudi action as a revolt and a jot to US miscalculations.

This obviously signals a clash of interests between Saudi and American regimes, having strengthened their ties upon the Sept-11 hoax, over some crucial issues like Iran, Syria and Palestine.

Double-headed snake

Saudi king see double-standards in US policy for Mideast.  Riyadh ridiculed a US-Russian deal to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons as “lamentable” and a “charade” designed “not only to give Obama an opportunity to back down from military strikes, but also help Assad to butcher his people.” Now Washington has not only backed away from immediate military strikes, but is in talks with Riyadh’s arch-rival, Tehran.

Having collaborated closely in the US-led war for regime change in Syria, Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to the Obama administration’s decision to pull back from an imminent missile and air attack on Syria last month. It also has concerns over Washington’s involvement in international talks with Iran, which Riyadh regards as its chief rival in the region.

Riyadh seized on the US intervention in Syria both as a means for suppressing the emergence of another revolutionary movement and for ousting the Assad regime, which is a key ally of Tehran, based on the Shiite Alawite sect.

The threat by Saudi intelligence chief Bandar to look elsewhere for arms, oil markets and investment opportunities is an indication of the far-reaching geo-political ramifications of any, even temporary, rapprochement between the US and Iran.

Earlier, USA had sold arms and supported Iran for years. Saudi Arabia is concerned about signs of a tentative reconciliation between Washington and Tehran, something Riyadh fears may lead to a "grand bargain" on the Iranian nuclear program that would leave Riyadh at a disadvantage.

Saudi anger boiled over after Washington refrained from military strikes in response to a poison gas attack in Damascus in August when Assad agreed to give up his chemical weapons arsenal.

Give and Take

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, ploughs much of its earnings back into U.S. assets. Most of the Saudi central bank's net foreign assets of $690 billion are thought to be denominated in dollars, much of them in US treasury bonds.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have been allies since the kingdom was declared in 1932, giving Riyadh a powerful military protector and Washington secure oil supplies. The Saudi criticism came days after the 40th anniversary of the October 1973 Arab oil embargo imposed to punish the West for supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur war. That was one of the low points in US-Saudi ties, which were also badly shaken by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were said to be Saudi nationals! But USA diverted the global attention by invading the nation of Afghans.

Prince Turki accused Obama of meddling in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain."We Saudis observe President Obama's efforts in this regard.  Prince indicated that Saudi Arabia will not reverse that decision, which he said was a result of the Security Council's failure to stop Assad and implement its own decision on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Saudi Arabia gave a clear sign of its displeasure over Obama's foreign policy last week when it rejected a coveted two-year term on the U.N. Security Council in a display of anger over the failure of the international community to end the war in Syria and act on other Middle East issues.

The longstanding US-Saudi alliance has rested on the assumption that Saudi Arabia would supply oil and purchase American arms in return for a US guarantee of security for the autocratic Saudi monarchy.

US economic interests in Saudi Arabia involve government contracts in defense, other security sectors, health care, education, information technology and construction.

Saudi coordinated with Turkey in Syria. Turkey which is a NATO ally has also been intimately involved in US-backed efforts to oust the Assad regime. It hosts a CIA base that coordinates the flow of arms, supplies and Sunni Islamist fighters into northern Syria from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

USA knows its unethical and anti-humanity stand of protecting the Zionist criminal regime has harmed its ties with Islamic world, especially in Mideast, now with Turkey. In early October, Turkey, which is a NATO ally, shocked Washington by announcing that it would purchase a sophisticated FD-2000 air defense missile system from China. Turkey remains a key NATO ally, but its decision to buy Chinese arms sends a message to Washington that its support cannot be taken for granted.

Prince Bandar is seen as a foreign policy hawk, especially on Iran and over past year has led Saudi efforts to bring arms and other aid to Syrian rebels. He suggested that the planned change in ties between the energy superpower and the United States would have wide-ranging consequences, including on arms purchases and oil sales.

The Saudis have armed and financed rebel groups in Syria fighting Assad.

Saudi Arabia backs Assad's mostly Sunni rebel foes. Americans for tactical reasons support the Sunni overtones in Mideast and in war on terrorism. In Bahrain, home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, for instance, a simmering pro-democracy revolt by its Shi'ite majority has prompted calls by some in Washington for US war ships to be based elsewhere.  The Syrian leader Assad, whose Alawite sect is derived from Shi'ite Islam, has support from Iran and the armed Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah. Assad denounces the insurgents as al Qaeda-linked groups backed by Sunni-ruled states.

The USA has failed to take any effective action on Syria and Palestine. Relations with the USA have been deteriorating for a while, as Saudi feels that the U.S. is growing closer with Iran and the U.S. also failed to support Saudi during the Bahrain uprising.

The kingdom says it respected U.S. requests not to supply the groups with advanced weaponry that the West fears could fall into the hands of al Qaeda-aligned groups.

Many US leaders say that the Saudi moves were intended to pressure Obama to take action in Syria. "We know their game” and let them allow women to drive" even fully drunk.

However, the State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Riyadh had not conveyed to the State Department its intention to reduce its cooperation with the United States.

In London, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he discussed Riyadh's concerns with Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal in Paris on Monday, he told him no deal with Iran was better than a bad deal.

Kerry still says: "I have great confidence that the United States and Saudi Arabia will continue to be the close and important friends and allies that we have been" when Saudi has clearly show n its new path.

Observation

Like many US allies across the globe, UNSC has also been reduced to a US puppet, dancing to the CIA muse- a muse that hails Zionism, colonialism and imperialism.

Saudi's rejection of UNSC seat has sent shock across the globe where every nation is vying with other for a UNSC membership not just for boasting but to control third world nations and gain US support by promoting its imperialist interests. The decision to forgo membership of the Security Council is based on the ineffectual experience of that almost American body.  Moreover, the UN Security Council has been paralyzed over the 31-month-old Syria conflict, with permanent members Russia and China repeatedly blocking measures to condemn Assad.

Upset at President Barack Obama's policies on Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia's ruling class is threatening a rift with the United States that could take the alliance between Washington and the kingdom to its lowest point in years.

Saudi Arabia was elected - and not selected or nominated by the UNSC- and it looks awkward that after filling  its  nomination for UNSC temporary membership and subsequently getting elected , Riyadh has decided not  take up the membership, thereby creating uneasiness among  its western "allies" and Israel.    

Possibly, had Saudi Arabia not sought membership and out-rightly rejected the plea even from USA and its allies for seeking election that would not have made any impact.  Now refusal to take up the seat has caused enough flutter internationally derailing all hidden plans of USA-Israeli rogues. 

If Saudi Arabia is really sour over the way the UNSC is being weakened by the veto members led by USA, it has only two options to act now: one, ask for the removal of veto status for any nation, big or small or, second, to seek veto membership for Riyadh to repair the  international organization and  help  world move in a truly democratic  manner.

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