THE ROVING EYE
\nFear and loathing in the House of Saud
\nBy Pepe Escobar<\/p>\n
Early last week, US President Barack Obama sent a letter to Saudi King Abdullah, delivered in person in Riyadh by US National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon. This happened less than a week after Pentagon head Robert Gates spent a full 90 minutes face to face with the king.<\/p>\n
These two moves represented the final seal of approval of a deal struck between Washington and Riyadh even before the voting of UN Security Council resolution 1973 (see Exposed: the Saudi-US Libya deal, Apr 1, Asia Times Online). Essentially, the Obama administration will not say a word about how the House of Saud conducts its ruthless repression of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain and across the Persian Gulf. No ”humanitarian” operations. No R2P (”responsibility to protect”). No no-fly or no-drive zones.<\/p>\n
Progressives of the world take note: the US-Saudi counter-revolution against the Great 2011 Arab Revolt is now official.
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\nThose ‘pretty influential guys’<\/strong>
\nThe wealthy, truculent clan posing as a perpetual absolute monarchy that goes by the name House of Saud wins on all fronts. Last month’s ”Day of Rage” inside the kingdom was ruthlessly preempted – with the (literal) threat that protesters would have their fingers cut off. …more<\/a><\/p>\n