How
to Reform Saudi Arabia Without Handing
It to Extremists
"The Middle East Institute
and Foreign Policy magazine
hosted a panel to discuss an article
written by Professor Greg Gause
titled, 'How to
Reform Saudi Arabia Without Handing It
to Extremists.' The article took
the form of a memorandum addressed to
Crown Prince Abdullah noting that, 'To
survive, the monarchy must battle the
militants, reassure the religious
establishment, and give the
middle class a taste of
democracy..'"
Shaybah
Cafe: Saudi Aramco Gathers Business
Leaders to Ponder Future
By
Stephen L. Brundage and Rick Snedeker
"Saudi
Aramco senior vice president Salim S.
Al-Aydh loves a good cafe .. The topic
at Al-Aydh's most recent cafe was
especially weighty: the future of
Saudi Arabia's economy and the role of
the private sector in stimulating
growth.."
Saudi
Trial Could Alter Pace of
Reform
by
Scott Wilson
"What
sets the case apart from
scores of others involving
Saudi dissidents is that for
the first time the
proceedings are being held
in open court and watched
closely by the Saudi news
media, human rights
activists, foreign diplomats
and friends and families of
the accused .. The case
illustrates the challenge
facing the royal family as
it edges open a closed
system in hopes of reducing
mounting social frustrations
within the kingdom.."
Shoura
Drafts
Anti-Terror
Strategy
By P.K.
Abdul Ghafour, Arab
News "The
Shoura Council
has prepared a
strategy to
fight terrorism
as its members
met with top
government
officials and
leading
advocates of
takfir (branding
opponents as
infidels) and
those jailed for
issuing
provocative
statements.."
Complete
report ..
Massive
Census Operation
Gets Under Way By
P.K.
Abdul Ghafour
& Fahad Al-Ghethi,
Arab
News/Al-Eqtisadiah
"Saudi
Arabia yesterday
launched its
nationwide
census, which is
to play a vital
role in
preparing the
Eighth Five-Year
Development Plan
(2005-2010) of
the country.
Some 42,000
officials,
mostly teachers,
have been
deployed all
over the Kingdom
to carry out the
work.."
Complete
report ..
Seven
Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph by T. E.
Lawrence
Book
Description This is
the exciting and highly
literate story of the real
Lawrence of Arabia, as
written by Lawrence himself,
who helped unify Arab
factions against the
occupying Turkish army,
circa World War I. Lawrence
has a novelist's eye for
detail, a poet's command of
the language, an
adventurer's heart, a
soldier's great story, and
his memory and intellect are
at least as good as all
those. Lawrence describes
the famous guerrilla raids,
and train bombings you know
from the movie, but also
tells of the Arab people and
politics with great
penetration. Moreover, he is
witty, always aware of the
ethical tightrope that the
English walked in the Middle
East and always willing to
include himself in his own
withering insight.
[Book
Note: The SUSRIS provides
listings of books on
subjects relating to
US-Saudi relations as a
service to subscribers but
does not necessarily endorse
the views expressed.]
Statement
by Assistant to the President
for Press Relations Fitzwater
on Arms Sales to
Saudi Arabia
October
8, 1987
The
administration is making
advance notifications to the
Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and the House
Foreign Affairs Committee of
four separate arms sale cases
for
Saudi Arabia
. The sales are 12 F - 15C/D
aircraft to be delivered on a
one-for-one basis to replace
losses of aircraft sold under
previous agreements, 93
artillery ammunition carriers,
and upgrade and modernization
packages to keep Saudi Arabian
F - 15's and M - 60 tanks at
an adequate level of operating
effectiveness compatible with
U.S. equipment of the same
model.
Today's
advance notifications inform
Congress that these sales are
under consideration and
initiate a 20-day period of
additional consultations and
discussions. At the conclusion
of this 20-day period, the
administration will formally
notify Congress of the systems
it plans to offer for sale to
Saudi Arabia.
Having
taken the situation in the
region into account and after
extensive consultations with
Congress, the President at
this time has decided to
withhold notification of a
proposed sale of Maverick
air-to-ground missiles. The
administration will keep the
issue of Saudi need for
Maverick missiles under very
close review in the light of
threats to Saudi security and
will maintain close contact
with Congress. The President
has personally assured the
Saudi Government that in the
event of an emergency, the
United States
would provide Mavericks from
American stocks with
appropriate notifications to
the Congress.
These
sales are an essential part of
the
U.S.
strategy of protecting
U.S.
interests, as well as those of
our friends in the Gulf
region, through security
cooperation. The sales support
Saudi Arabia
's legitimate defense needs at
a time of heightened threat to
Saudi and
U.S.
military and economic
interests in the Gulf. They
follow other sales to
Saudi Arabia
approved earlier this year of
armed helicopters, electronic
countermeasures systems, and
Bradley fighting vehicles.
They do not upset the basic
military balance in the
Middle East
.
However,
they come at a time when there
is greater demand placed upon
Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and
at a point of unprecedented
U.S.-Saudi security
cooperation. If we fail to
meet these legitimate needs,
our willingness to support
friends -- who are in need and
who are helping us in the face
of very real threats -- will
come under serious question in
the Gulf and elsewhere around
the world. The administration
has made a detailed case for
these sales during extensive
consultations with the
Congress over a period of 5
weeks prior to the advance
notifications. The
administration will continue
to consult on the overall
situation in the Gulf and on
the arms sales.
The
Saudi-US Relations Information Service
(SUSRIS) provides you information
resources and interactive features
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your understanding of the historic
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Copyright 2004
Statement
by Assistant to the President
for Press Relations Fitzwater
on Arms Sales to