The Saudi prince applying himself

[DRSB]

--- against terrorism. It took a terror act in Egypt that cost 300 lives to trigger him. Yes, I'm rooting for him!

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — I never thought I’d live long enough to write this sentence: The most significant reform process underway anywhere in the Middle East today is in Saudi Arabia. Yes, you read that right. Though I came here at the start of Saudi winter, I found the country going through its own Arab Spring, Saudi style.

Unlike the other Arab Springs — all of which emerged bottom up and failed miserably, except in Tunisia — this one is led from the top down by the country’s 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and, if it succeeds, it will not only change the character of Saudi Arabia but the tone and tenor of Islam across the globe. Only a fool would predict its success — but only a fool would not root for it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/opin ... pring.html

[pErvinalia]

It'S hard to hope for some rationality out of that place.

[Hermit]

Cool. Prince Mohammed bin Salman seems to have many of his opponents safely ensconced in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Now he needs to defang the religious police, and before that he'll have to deal with their backers, the Wahhabists who have been the backbone of the Saudi kings since 1744.

Last year 153 people were executed for breaking Saudi laws. I wonder how many will meet that fate in 2018. And what plans, if any, does the crown prince have for the thousands of guest workers that live in SA in abject misery? Still, one step at a time might be a wise way to proceed, and the first step or two have been made. Mohammed bin Salman is in his early thirties, and seems determined to drag his country into civilisation. if he does not get assassinated or ousted in a coup, he has a long time to effect change for the better.

[DRSB]

And old article worth revisiting.

Now the truth emerges: how the US fuelled the rise of Isis in Syria and Iraq

The war on terror, that campaign without end launched 14 years ago by George Bush, is tying itself up in ever more grotesque contortions. On Monday the trial in London of a Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear British intelligence had been arming the same rebel groups the defendant was charged with supporting.

The prosecution abandoned the case, apparently to avoid embarrassing the intelligence services. The defence argued that going ahead with the trial would have been an “affront to justice” when there was plenty of evidence the British state was itself providing “extensive support” to the armed Syrian opposition.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... syria-iraq

[Tyrannical]

--- against terrorism. It took a terror act in Egypt that cost 300 lives to trigger him. Yes, I'm rooting for him!

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — I never thought I’d live long enough to write this sentence: The most significant reform process underway anywhere in the Middle East today is in Saudi Arabia. Yes, you read that right. Though I came here at the start of Saudi winter, I found the country going through its own Arab Spring, Saudi style.

Unlike the other Arab Springs — all of which emerged bottom up and failed miserably, except in Tunisia — this one is led from the top down by the country’s 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and, if it succeeds, it will not only change the character of Saudi Arabia but the tone and tenor of Islam across the globe. Only a fool would predict its success — but only a fool would not root for it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/opin ... pring.html

That was radical Sunni ISIS that attacked minority heretic muslim mosque in Egypt. Minority as in I think belonged to Assasd's sect, and we know how the Saudis feel about that lol.

We may have missed our opportunity in the middle east with Hillary and friend's pushing some false Russian election narrative..... But MBS could be reasonable, Assad wants stability, Iraq has unity land wise with the Kurds, Iran is an enemy of ISIS. Israel... can always be expected to act in their best interest lol
Oh and as human rights go, Syria and Assad ranked way above our Arab Saudi friends. And the Assad regime 'human rights' violations, lots of terrorists caught up. If MBS and Assad make peace, that may be something.