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There
are some moments in history that can be called
knots of opportunity, tying up the past with the
future and opening up new roads. The meeting
between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King
Abdul Aziz aboard the USS Quincy in 1945 was one
such moment, marking and defining a half-century
of Saudi-American relations.  In
the future, the meeting between their successors,
President George W. Bush and Crown Prince
Abdullah, at Bush's Crawford ranch last week, may
be seen as a similarly defining moment, a moment
that underwrites the next half-century of
Saudi-American relations.
Such
a moment cries out for honesty. First, it is no
secret that relations between the two countries
have been strained for several years, with Sept.
11 as a tragic and unfortunate marker. The results
have been dreadful for two such historically
dependent peoples. Seventy percent of Americans
say they distrust Saudi Arabia and the Muslim
world, and suspicion and anger toward American
intentions and policies is running as high or more
in the Arab world.
In
the first instance, this growing disconnect can be
traced back to pre-9/11 Saudi policies, in
particular their acknowledged failure to recognize
and address the rise of extremism. Americans were
rightfully angered as they argued that this
posture of denial had led to the unalterable fact
that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
Although Saudi Arabia and the Arab world shared
America's grief and anger and expressed their
heartfelt sympathy, this could only barely quiet
the outrage and anger.
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This
brutal disconnect was compounded by the
direction that America took after 9/11.
Whereas the world stood strongly by
America and supported it in the decision
to oust the Taleban from Afghanistan,
American policy became increasingly driven
by anger and even rage. While anger was
justified after the appalling terrorist
acts of Sept. 11, anger does not resolve
problems, especially when it turns into
rage. The world expected to be brought
together, but it was torn apart by
widespread opposition to the war in Iraq
and what was seen as a paucity of
understanding and leadership on the part
of America.
Today
both sides have realized their mistakes
and are making real efforts to overcome
their differences and misunderstandings. A
strong injection of constructive energy
and understanding was needed; standing
together, Bush and Abdullah provided it last
week. They chose the road of hope and
healing and their political maturity
allowed them to bridge issues which once
divided them. Their meeting represents a
fresh start in the relationship between
our two countries and peoples. |
..Today
both sides
have realized their
mistakes and are
making real efforts
to overcome their
differences and
misunderstandings.
A strong injection
of constructive
energy and
understanding
was needed;
standing together,
Bush and Abdullah
provided it.. |
America's
new strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia is not
for or against certain people or countries, but
for a purpose: To prevent the spread of hatred and
terror, to resolve dividing issues, and to
emphasize dialogue. An initial sign of this new
strategic alliance is the growing dislike within
the American public and administration for Israeli
policy. As for the Arabs, they are more disliked,
but this reversal of previous patterns signifies
that Saudi Arabia and Israel have an equal
opportunity to prove themselves through their
actions.
Let
us look now at what has been achieved between
America and Saudi Arabia. At the Crawford
meeting each party knew what was expected of
it and the question was no longer how to remove a
contentious issue but to find the best ways to
cooperate to achieve shared goals. For example,
the issue
of terrorism was addressed some time ago
simply by sitting down and strategizing together.
There was no question of disagreements, only of
shared goals and of how to attain them.
Saudi-American cooperation on fighting terrorism
has been a great success and the world has
benefited from this mutual sincerity.
On
the world economy and oil supply, they talked as
two parties with a shared vision, not as two
parties juggling with each other for a better
deal. America has appreciated Saudi Arabia's good
will and the high costs incurred over 20 years by
a strategy of keeping a spare capacity of 2
million barrels to meet oil crises and to
guarantee the stability of the world economy.
Shared international responsibility for world
economic stability was underlined by Prince
Abdullah's call for a meeting between oil
producers and consumers in Riyadh, in order to
better identify problems, worldwide inventories
and future steps.
The
issue of social and democratic reform was another
point of Saudi-American agreement, not contention.
Saudi Arabia is steadily moving toward
participatory government and America expressed
respect for this homegrown change. The Saudi
leadership has understood that it is time to
execute a new fair and stable social contract to
meet the challenges of a world which needs the
best minds and technologies to work together, and
on which sincere relationships with others are
based.
| More
than anything else, a successful
relationship, of course, requires trust
and sincerity, whether between people or
between governments. When Saudi Arabia
voiced opposition to the war in Iraq, it
was a sign of friendship and sincerity.
That is what friends do: They tell each
other the truth and offer their heartfelt
advice. This spirit has been further
evidenced by the joint
Saudi-French-American stand on the
Syrian-Lebanese issue. The three countries
worked with discretion and respect,
achieving an unexpectedly swift and
peaceful resolution, and bringing together
those who have voiced very different
opinions. To honor this spirit and to
continue advancing the Saudi-American
relationship, a joint commission headed by
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud
Al-Faisal and US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has been set up. The
commission's aim is to resolve further
outstanding issues and to monitor and
watch over the constant improvement of the
Saudi-American relationship. |
..we
need more
than commissions
and meetings.
Healing must take
place also between
peoples.. |
But
to do this we need more than commissions and
meetings. Healing must take place also between
peoples. Signs of coming change in visa
restrictions and opportunities for study are very
encouraging. To improve mutual perceptions we need
continuous and open communication between our
peoples, as exemplified by our leaders.
We
should promote exchanges also between our
populations at large. I would like to see Saudi
and American schoolchildren holding hands, or a
Saudi farmer tilling the land with his American
brethren. When this happens we will know that we
have lived up to the historic moment between our
leaders at the Crawford ranch.
Let
us take that very moment as the time and occasion
for welcoming back an America that we have always
loved and admired, as we look forward to another
50 years of close relations between our two
countries.
-
Hassan Yassin is former head of The Saudi
Information Office in Washington D.C.
Reprinted
with permission of Arab News
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