Of
Virtue and Vice: The Saudi-
American Fight Against Terror Financing
By Tanya Hsu and Grant F. Smith
[SAF Essay #25 -
December 23, 2003]
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The
global fight to disrupt funding flows to
terrorists requires new strategies, cooperation
and painful domestic countermeasures.
In Saudi Arabia the elimination of
untraceable cash contributions to charities, bans
on international charity transactions and
establishment of a joint Saudi-American work group
has placed new controls over previously opaque and
under-regulated potential funding sources.
While this has shut down many legitimate
charities and inconvenienced needy recipients, the
higher goal of preventing terror remains the key
Saudi objective.
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| Saudi
Arabia Accountability Act
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 19, 2003]
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The
Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2003 was
introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (R - PA) on
November 18, 2003. It was later introduced
in the House on November 21, 2003. This bill
seeks to place sanctions on Saudi Arabia unless
the President makes a certification that Saudi
Arabia is making a maximum effort to fight
terrorism.
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| State's
Armitage Applauds Saudi Arabia's Anti-Terrorism
Efforts
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 18, 2003]
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"Since
the May bombing and the second bombing in
November, the Saudis have been going after these
terrorists and trying to tear them out, root and
branch, and in the process they've also lost
several of their policemen and SWAT members. I
think they are really going after it."
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Scapegoating
Saudi Arabia for 9/11
By Ahmad
Faruqui
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 17, 2003]
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Ever
since the 9/11 attacks, a variety of American
writers and talk-show hosts have declared 'open
season' on Saudi Arabia. The vilification of Saudi
Arabia began in July 2002. Laurent Murawiec, a
Rand Corporation analyst, called Saudi Arabia 'the
kernel of evil' in a briefing to the Pentagon's
Defense Policy Advisory Board that was then headed
by arch neo-conservative Richard Perle.
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Thomas
Lippman - "Inside The Mirage"
US-Saudi
Relations -- SAIS Panel
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - December 16, 2003]
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"...I
think that in order to talk about where we're
going here, it's useful to look at how we got to
where we are and where we've been in this
relationship.
Everyone should understand that the
relationship between the United States and Saudi
Arabia has been and is much broader and deeper and
involves many more spheres of human activity than
people are commonly aware of.
Oil was the start; oil is not the finish.
It certainly goes far beyond oil and
defense..."
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Understanding
US-Saudi Relations: Challenging Stereotypes
Amb. Chas
Freeman at SAIS
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - December 12, 2003]
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"I
think the point is that we need to be careful
before we accept the stereotype, particularly
those developed in a time of great emotion, and
Saudi Arabia deserves a close look.. ..there
hasn't really been any fundamental change in the
interests that bind the U.S. and Saudi Arabia
together..."
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Security
in Saudi Arabia and the Prospects for Political
Reform
Khaled al-Maeena, Editor in Chief of Arab News at
the Middle East Institute
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 12, 2003]
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"...Al-Maeena
argued that the attack-perpetrated by 19 hijackers
including 15 Saudi nationals-prompted Saudi
society to examine the social factors that led to
such a tragic incident. Saudi Arabia will enter a
stormy phase in the coming years, as it decides
upon what path of change to pursue..."
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A
Different View: A Young Saudi Woman Talks About
Society and Culture
An
Interview with Sahar al Husseini
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 10, 2003]
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"...Sahar
al Husseini is a 24-year-old Saudi who has been
studying in the United States for the past six
years. Her outlook on the United States and Saudi
Arabia is quite interesting for us to hear because
she has some views regarding what life is like
there for women versus what life is like here for
women..."
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A
Change in the Kingdom
By William
Tracy
[SAF Item of
Interest - December 4, 2003]
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"...During
our study visit we heard from dozens of Saudi men
and women about their warm feelings for America
and their shock and anguish over the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They also told of their
sadness and frustration when they see the U.S.
media so quick to blame their entire country for
the outrageous acts committed by a dangerous but
relatively small fringe of radical
extremists..."
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Saudi
Arabian Elections
By Thomas W.
Lippman
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - November 19, 2003]
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| Decades
ago, at the start of my life in journalism, a wise
old editor cautioned me never to use the word
"unprecedented" in a newspaper article.
Every time we say something is unprecedented, he
said, we hear right away from readers telling us
about the last time it happened.
I was reminded of
that conversation recently as I read news accounts
about Saudi Arabia's announcement that it would
soon hold elections for municipal councils. All
the articles I read said the elections would be
the first in Saudi history--that is,
unprecedented.
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| President
Bush Nominates James Oberwetter to Serve as the
New Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
[SAF Item of
Interest - November 18, 2003]
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President
George W. Bush today announced his intention to
nominate James Curtis Oberwetter, of Texas, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. Currently, Mr. Oberwetter serves as
Vice President of Governmental and Political
Affairs for Hunt Consolidated, Inc.
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Riyadh:
Rooting Out Al Qaeda
By
Edward S. Walker and Wyche Fowler Middle East
Institute
[SAF
Item of Interest - November 17, 2003]
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"...In
this campaign, the radical Islamists have found
odd bedfellows: neoconservatives, liberals and
otherwise moderate pundits who emphasize the
negatives and fail to acknowledge that progress is
being made. US-educated Saudis, including women,
many of whom spent a decade or more studying and
working here, have told me that they are
distraught to find Americans falling into the trap
set-out by Usama bin Laden and his cronies : to
drive a wedge between Washington and Riyadh that
could destabilize the latter, leaving the door
open for extremists to step in and take
charge..."
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A
Clear and Present Danger:
"Wahhabism" as a Rhetorical Foil
By Alexander
Knysh
[SAF Essay #24 -
November 14, 2003]
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"...one
cannot help but be struck by the frequency with
which "Wahhabism" and/or "Wahhabi
Islam" is invoked by Western and Russian
journalists, academics, and political analysts as
the principal cause of troubles and political
instability in these areas..."Wahhabism"
has become a "catch-all" explanatory
category..."
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| TERRORISTS
STRIKE RIYADH COMPOUND IN SUICIDE BOMBING
[SUSRIS Special
Reports #1-3 - November 8-12, 2003]
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From
Special Report #1
Riyadh's
Night of Terror
Raid Qusti, Riyadh Bureau
Chief
RIYADH, 9 November
2003 - Terrorists struck in the heart of the
capital late last night, the official Saudi Press
Agency reported.
At least one, and
perhaps as many as three, explosions rocked a
residential compound in western Riyadh.
Eyewitnesses reported one big explosion, followed
by two smaller ones 15 seconds apart. Smoke could
be seen rising from the area of the blast. The
streets were crowded when the blasts took place
with late-night shoppers because of Ramadan.
At least 50 people
were injured in the explosion. "So far there
are 50 injured," Health Minister Hamad Al-Manie
told Saudi TV.
[more]
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Report #1- Complete Item - HTML]
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Report #2- Complete Item - HTML]
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Report #3- Complete Item - HTML]
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| President
Bush on Freedom in the Middle East
[SAF Item of
Interest - November 7, 2003]
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US
President George W. Bush yesterday called for the
expansion of democracy in the Islamic world, while
describing Islam as a religion "consistent
with democratic rule" and praising Gulf
countries including Saudi Arabia for taking steps
toward democratic reforms.
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Perspectives
on Developments in US-Saudi Relations:
A
Saudi Woman Speaks On The Issues
[SAF Item of
Interest - November 3, 2003]
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"The
idea that Saudis hate Americans, it is so
painful to hear that. You know it's..
America is the number one destination for all
Saudi families to travel to. It is the
dream of every Saudi graduate to study in the United
States." - Samar Fatany
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Saudi
Redeployment of the F-15 to Tabuk
By Anthony H.
Cordesman
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - November 1, 2003]
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These
are remarkably tough times in the Middle East and
it is easy to overreact to developments that might
be quietly accepted in periods when Arab-Israeli
tensions were not as high, and events like 9/11
had not created so many concerns regarding Saudi
Arabia.
The Saudi decision this March to deploy F-15
aircraft to Tabuk, a base in Northwest Saudi
Arabia, some 150 kilometers from Israel, is a
case in point. So is the fact that Saudi Arabia
held its first joint exercises near the Gulf of
Aqaba in October, although these exercises were
far smaller and less impressive than some critics
seem to feel.
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Saudization:
Development and Expectations Management
By Grant F. Smith
[SAF Essay #23 -
October 31, 2003]
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The
Saudization program is striving to increase
workforce participation of Saudi nationals in the
Kingdom. The
goal is 70% Saudi workforce participation by the
end of the decade, although the Saudization of
some industries has been accelerated.
In this environment, opportunities for American
investors continue to be attractive, though more
complex. Paradoxically,
U.S.-Saudi relations will most likely improve as
Saudi employees experience increasing employment
in American and joint venture firms operating
throughout the region.
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Behind
and Beyond the Headlines: Saudi Arabia
By Karen
Miller Lamb
[SAF
Item of Interest - October 30, 2003]
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For
centuries, the mystique of "Araby" has
intrigued the world. The modern country of
Saudi Arabia [the Kingdom] was formed in 1932.
Since then, it has become a strategically
important power and partner in the international
economic and political arena. Yet despite
its high visibility -- numerous books have been
written about it in the last three years alone --
Saudi Arabia remains, in many ways, a mystery to
millions of Americans. To better educate
Christ Church, the International Mission Committee
sponsored an October 6th evening lecture featuring
Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the National Council on
U.S.-Arab Relations and a parishioner. The usual
lively and informed "Q&A" followed
his talk.
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Saudi
Constitution Guarantees Human Rights
By Raid Qusti,
Arab News
[SAF Item of
Interest - October 23, 2003]
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That
Saudi Arabia hosted a conference on human rights
for the first time was not just important in
itself but also essential to ward off the
allegations against it waged from abroad that our
country violates human rights in its teachings,
laws, and culture. On the last day of the
conference, Dr. Saleh Al-Shareedah spoke about the
implementation of human rights in Saudi Arabia. I
wish every Saudi citizen had been present at the
conference to hear for himself how our
constitution guarantees human rights.
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Correcting
Misconceptions About Women's Role in Saudi Society
By Maha
Akeel, Arab News staff
[SAF Item of
Interest - October 25, 2003]
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Four
Saudi businesswomen were part of a women's
delegation which spent three days in Brussels
earlier this month. The delegation met members of
the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
the European Parliament and the president of the
lower house of the Belgian Parliament, Herman De
Croo. The meetings were arranged by the Council of
Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry to show
what Saudi women have achieved in various fields,
correct some misconceptions about women's rights
in the Kingdom and explain how women are involved
in Saudi Arabia's economic development.
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Saudi
Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah Discusses Relations
between Muslim and Non-Muslim Nations
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - October 19, 2003] |
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"...The
immediate duty that awaits Muslims in every Muslim
country is of two parts: The first part is
deepening and strengthening national unity within
each Islamic state, and the second part is the
establishment of relations between Muslims and
non-Muslims on a healthy and sound base."
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Strengthening
Arab-US Relations: What is Required?
A Saudi
View of the Palestine Problem
[SAF
Item of Interest - October 11, 2003]
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Amr
Khashoggi Talks About Regional Political Dynamics
12th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference
Washington, DC
September 7-8, 2003
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"In
Defense of the Nation":
Terror and Reform in Saudi Arabia
By James A.
Russell
[SUSRIS Item of Interest
- October 7, 2003]
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The
May 12, 2003 attacks in Riyadh on Western housing
compounds and the ensuing summer-long series of
anti-terrorist operations mounted by the Saudis
against Al Qaeda leave no doubt about the intent
of the Saudi government to seriously address its
terrorist problem. The May 12 attacks constituted
a wake-up call to the House of Saud, just as the
September 11th attacks awakened the United States
to the global nature of the threat posed by Al
Qaeda. The extent of the Al Qaeda network in the
Kingdom, which apparently exists throughout the
country from Riyadh to Medina to Qasim and the
Eastern Provinces, serves as a reminder that Al
Qaeda continues to pursue a core mission as
articulated by Osama bin Laden: to destabilize the
Kingdom and remove the House of Saud from power.
If Iraq now constitutes the "central
front" in the global war on terror, then the
Kingdom itself must be regarded as one of the
related and important geographic theaters in that
war.
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| Previous
Essays and Items of Interest |
- HRH
Prince Saud Al-Faisal Foreign Minister of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the U.S.-Arab
Economic Forum
[SUSRIS Item of Interest September 30, 2003]
- Saudi-American
Forum Interview: Ambassador Chas
Freeman, Part III - A Relationship in
Transition -- What Is To Be Done
[SAF
Interview Series September 25, 2003]
- The
United States Must Not Neglect Saudi Arabian
Investment
by Tanya C. Hsu [SAF Essay September 23, 2003]
- Saudi-American
Forum Interview: Ambassador Chas
Freeman, Part II - A Relationship in
Transition -- 9/11, Then What?
[SAF
Interview Series September 19, 2003]
- Saudi
Officials Take on Challenges in the Media:
Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Prince Turki
Al-Faisal Respond to Charges
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - September 12, 2003]
- Saudi-American
Forum Interview: Ambassador Chas
Freeman, Part I - A Relationship in Transition
-- And Then 9/11
[SAF
Interview Series September 12, 2003]
- Whither
Saudi Arabia? Three Authors Try to
Penetrate a Middle East Enigma
by David Long [SUSRIS Item of Interest
September 4, 2003]
- Flogging
the Arabs for Votes? The 2004 U.S.
Presidential Election and the Middle East
by David T. Dumke [SAF Essay September 3,
2003]
- Mission
Complete: Operation Southern Watch
Forces in Saudi Arabia Deactivated
[SUSRIS Item of Interest August 30, 2003]
- Saudi
Arabia: Current Issues and U.S.
Relations
Congressional Research Service Issue Brief for
Congress
by Alfred B. Prados [SUSRIS Item of Interest
August 21, 2003]
- At
Your Service: Future U.S. Service
Exports to Saudi Arabia
by Grant F. Smith [SAF Essay August 20, 2003]
- The
Crucibles: 9/11, Afghanistan and the
Fashioning of a Foe [Part II]
by Gregory J. H. Dowling [SAF Essay August 13,
2003]
- Saudis
Reject Bin Laden and Terrorism
by James Zogby [SUSRIS Item of Interest -
August 13, 2003]
- Views
on the Saudi-U.S. Relationship
[SUSRIS Item of Interest August 12, 2003]
- On
Terrorism, Methodism, Saudi
"Wahhabism," and the Censored 9-11
Report
by Gary Leupp [SAF Item of Interest August 12,
2003]
- The
Crucibles: 9/11, Afghanistan and the
Fashioning of a Foe [Part I]
by Gregory J. H. Dowling [SAF Essay August 7,
2003]
- Saudi
Government Counterterrorism - Counter
Extremism Actions
by Anthony H. Cordesman [SUSRIS Item of
Interest August 4, 2003]
- Internet
May Lubricate Politics and Economies in Arab
World
by Jim Landers / The Dallas Morning News
[SAF Item of Interest July 24, 2003]
- Getting
Back on Track: Saudi Study in the United
States
by Grant F. Smith [SAF Essay July 16, 2003]
- Common
Enemy: U.S. and Saudi Arabia Unite
Against Terrorists
by John Duke Anthony [SAF Item of Interest
July 15, 2003]
- Saudi
Arabia: A Relationship in Transition?
by Hugh Renfro [SAF Item of Interest July 9,
2003]
- The
Children of Saudi-American Marriages
by Muddassir H. Siddiqui [SAF Essay July 2,
2003]
- Tribal
Traditions and Modern Culture: A Review
of The
Belt
by Isabel Cutler [SUSRIS Item of Interest June
25, 2003]
- Women's
Rights in Saudi Arabia
by Raid Qusti� Arab News Staff [SUSRIS
Item of Interest June 19, 2003]
- Imagined
Kingdoms: Islamic Militancy and
Opposition in Saudi Arabia
by Gregory J. H. Dowling [SAF Essay June 18,
2003]
- Winds
of Change
by Massoud Derhally [SAF Item of Interest June
12, 2003]
- Pumping
Up Online Resources to Fuel Saudi-US Relations
by Molouk Y. Ba-Isa � Arab News Staff
[SAF Item of Interest May 30, 2003]
- Remember
Khobar Towers
by Louis J. Freeh [SAF Item of Interest May
22, 2003]
- Saudi
Suicide Bombings Work Against Al Qaeda
by Wyche Fowler and Edward S. Walker [SAF Item
of Interest May 20, 2003]
- Saudi
Arabia: Don't Let Bin Laden Win!
by Anthony H. Cordesman [SAF Item of Interest
May 16, 2003]
- Terrorists
Strike Multiple Targets in Riyadh
[SUSRIS Special Supplements May 15, 2003]
- The
Approaching Turning Point: The Future of U.S.
Relations with the Gulf States
by F. Gregory Gause, III [SAF Item of Interest
May 14, 2003]
- In
the Eye of Yet Another Storm: US-Saudi
Relations and the Iraqi Campaign
by Gregory J. H. Dowling [SAF Essay May 10,
2003]
- Saudi
Arabia: Winds of Change in the Desert
by Sandra Mackey [SAF Item of Interest May 7,
2003]
- The
Prince
by Elsa Walsh [SAF Item of Interest April 30,
2003]
- US-Saudi
Ties Prove Crucial in War
by Michael Dobbs [SAF Supplement April 29,
2003]
- Baer's
"Fall of the House of Saud" and the
Stakeholders in the Saudi-American
Relationship
by Kevin R. Taecker [SAF Essay April 20, 2003]
- Wahhabism:
A Christmas Eve Talk
by Abdalla
Musa Tayer Mohammed [SAF Essay April 10, 2003]
- Myths
and Realities about Unemployment in Saudi
Arabia
by Kevin R. Taecker [SAF Essay March 30, 2003]
- Saudi
Arabs, Americans and Oil
by Robert L. Norberg [SAF Essay March 20,
2003]
- Saudi
Arabian-American Relations - A Special View
Interview with Colonel Bernard Dunn, Former
U.S. Defense Attache to Saudi Arabia
[SAF Supplement March 13, 2003]
- The
Role of the Extended Family in Saudi Arabia
by David E. Long [SAF Essay March 10, 2003]
- Stakes
and Stakeholders in the U.S.-Saudi Commercial
Relationship
by Kevin R. Taecker [SAF Essay February 28,
2003]
- Being
a Woman in Saudi Arabia: A Personal
Perspective
by Sally Al-Turki [SAF Essay February 20,
2003]
- The
Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the
Muslim World
by David E. Long [SAF Essay February 4, 2003]
- The
State of Saudi-U.S. Cooperation on Terrorism:
Facts and Falsehoods in Context
by John Duke Anthony [SAF Essay January 29,
2003]
- A
Snapshot of the U.S.-Saudi Political
Relationship
by David T. Dumke [SAF Essay January 24, 2003]
- Terrorism
as Mass Tort: Responsibility for 9/11
by Christopher H. Johnson [SAF Essay January
14, 2003]
- Crown
Prince Abdallah's Peace Initiative
by John Duke Anthony [SAF Essay December 10,
2002]
- Rough
Waters: U.S.-Saudi Relations in the
107th Congress - Personal Insights
by David T. Dumke [SAF Essay November 29,
2002]
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