Reforming the Saudis

Jamie Glazov in Frontpage interviewing Ali Alyami on the future - and recent past - of Saudi Arabia.

Money quote for a nation at war:

FP: If you were to give the Bush administration advice on policy toward Saudi Arabia what would you recommend?

Alyami: Contrary to President Bush's bashers, he of all American Presidents has been able to change the political landscape in the Arab and Muslim countries. There is no more evidence of this than in Saudi Arabia. Bush’s public pressure on the Saudi princes to share power with their oppressed citizens have empowered Saudi democratic men and women reformers to speak up and demand fundamental changes in their politically stagnant society. My recommendation would be to continue public demands and pressure on the Saudi ruling family to share power with educated, democratic and tolerant Saudi men and women or step aside and let the people rule themselves. There are alternatives to the present system that can be put in place. Millions of educated Saudi citizens are capable of doing superior a job than the geriatric and uneducated princes who are in charge now.

The piece includes an interesting history of Wahabbism, including a look at how it's changed Arab culture (for the worse) in one man's lifetime.

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Mitch at January 19, 2006 04:12 AM | TrackBack