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PSC 371: Seminar in World Politics & Terrorism

• PBS, House of Saud

• The arabian peninsula was populated by separate warring villages until the twentieth century.
• Abdul Aziz, tribal leader, made pact with Ikhwan to take all Arabian peninsula
• (Muslim brothers), a Wahhabi puritan warrior tribe, were fiercely anti-western
• 1927 Ikhwan turned against Aziz , and were crushed
• Abdul Aziz then 1929 made himself King Ibn Saud, and married princesses of the 50 tribes to integrate the kingdom.
• became defender of the faith, authority based on religion and the Umma.
• 1931 oil discovered during search for water.
• King made faustian pact with foreign companies to extract oil, 1933
• justified as exploiting infidels, like Prophet exploiting Jews & others
• US Cos were luckier than Brits in striking largest reserves.
• ARAMCO (Arab -American) set up to market the oil
• by 1945 oil was a national security priority to US for military projection around world.
• Meeting of Saud with FDR on USS Quincy, successful
• Saudi obtained security assistance + Dahran base
• US obtained perpetual access to oil
• eventually became US hegemony over Gulf region
• Palestine issue: whether to recognize Israel, at expense of Arab land?
• Saud argued for giving Jews German land rather than land from innocent arabs
• FDR & Saud agreed on consultation before any decision, no decision to adversely affect teh arab world
• FDR died a week later, Truman succeeded
• 2 years later, Prince Faisal expected from Gen. Marshall that US would not vote for  recognition at UN -- Faisal felt insulted.
• Saudi 1948 assisted small war against Israel, and never ended that war or recognized Israel
• Saud not a tough king:
• Desert style: palaces in tents
• no falcon personality
• no substantive discussion of policy, only social
• US supplied canned food, chewing gum, brought cheerleaders
• King drinking heavily, despite Wahhabi rules
• Challenge from Nasser in Egypt:
• pan arabism meant he might control all arab oil fields
• Ike treated Saud to state visit to build him up politically
• Dahran agreement: extended lease on airfield in return for tanks, planes, training
• but Saud still playing at King socially, without development
• Sons obtained fatwa from religious leaders sanctioning abdication in favor of Faisal.
• exiled to Athens
• King Faisal
• every innovation he needed, meant conflict with Ulama (religious authorities)
• modernization meant westernization
• girls' schools created uproar among older fathers,
• so allowed opting out locally
• separate curriculum under separate authority, to reduce conflict with islamicists
• vanilla extract banned by ulama becuase of traces of alcohol -- till King made phone call
• but extremist religious scholars allowed asylum in Saudi when expelled from Egypt and Syria
• they instructed youth, a danger in long term
• TV broadcasts sinful and heretical to clerics
• began with broadcasting reading of Koran
• a nephew of Faisal sided with clerics 1965 against TV, to destroy television tower
• prince was killed, and Faisal refused to punish policeman
• 1967 Egypt-Israeli war brewing
• Faisal sided with Egypt, reconciled with Nasser
• Israel launched pre-emptive attack, won in six days, took Jerusalem
• Nasser falsely accused US of helping Israel
• Faisal and other arab leaders humiliated, he never smiled again
• arabs rioted around ARAMCO -- but Faisal protected Americans
• ARAMCO promised to press US to press Israel to get out of West bank
• Arab League pressured Faisal to use oil weapon -- price had not increased in years, cost less than Pepsi per barrel.
• BY 1970s, arabs were beginning to realize the value of their oil
• Nixon administration did not believe Saudi threats
• 1973 Arab Israeli war
• Soviets had armed arab armies
• Nixon decided to supply Israel by airlift to prevent triumph of Soviet arms
• Kissinger worked on a peace plan, though with slow progress
• Embargo
• Faisal felt obliged to boycott oil supplies, ordered ARAMCO to stop pumping
• oil price quadrupled with embargo
• Faisal told Kissinger embargo would remain until Palestinian issue was negotiated
• Kissinger leaked US warning about planning invasion: no great power would allow itself to be strangulated.
• King Faisal replied could return to living in the desert
• Vietnam war ran oil supplies short, war effort at risk
• Faisal allowed covert pumping, embargo ended in 1974
• 1975 King's nephew, brother of killed TV tower protest prince, sneaked in among an entourage and shot King.
• 1975 Khalid became fourth king, less interested in politics, but in hawking in desert
• oil prices had risen
• 4M pop, only 1M literate adult males
• but income $1Bn per week, foreign contractors booming for construction
• 6-7M pop today is expats, of 16M total.
• the Bin Laden family became the principal builders to the House of Saud.
• Wahhabist reaction to modernization

Prince Bandar: some corruption, but common in 3rd world, amid rapid development

Royal family often seen vacationing in West, leading to muslim resentment

Effect of revolution in Iran, muslim regeneration

Reaction among religious right to influx of westerners and their culture.

1979 Mosque of Mecca invaded by religious right.

Government secured fatwa, recaptured mosque and then beheaded the extremists.

Government then co-opted religious right, poured money into theological education, charities.

Tax-free country.  Muslim tax is compulsory but not enforceable -- Prince Bandar.

Wealth shared with muslims elsewhere.

• Soviet invasion of Afghan
• Unemployed Religious graduates from Saudi were encouraged to enlist in mujahedeen
• Saudis then learned military skills and were radicalized
• Crown Prince Fahd succeeded to throne
• Saudis unprepared for betrayal 1990 by Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
• Saudi TV did not even give the news, Saudi regime trying to decide how to respond.
• Fahd eager to please, not always ruthless enough.
• Bankruptcy of spending money without developing real defence capability.
• Inability of a sovereign state to defend itself.
• OBL offered his services to defend holy soil of Mecca & Medina, repel invaders, without assistance -- but dismissed
• Inviting large numbers of western troops to defend Saudi would offend religion, the very DNA of Saudis.
• Many saudis protested against foreigners coming to defend Saudi soil
• US troops' behavior grated on Saudis
• Money a surprising source of conflict: US expected Saudi to pay for the war
• expenses of war were concocted on back of envelope, may have exceeded fair cost
• Women arrested for driving in public, punished
• US reassured US would withdraw after Gulf war 1991 -- but stayed because Saddam was still on throne.
• OBL announced offensive
• 1985 massive bomb in Riyadh, inspired by OBL
• Saudis stripped OBL of citizenship
• some sympathy for OBL
• 1986 bombing in Dhahran
• Fahd incapacitated by stroke
• Palestinian conflict with Israel heats up with intifada
• arabic language satellite TV spreads, beyond control of Royals, exposure to programs about Royal corruption
• Al Jazeera shows Palestinians suffering from Israeli troop actions -- in contrast to western media showing war from Israeli tanks.
• Crown prince resented US support for Sharon, widening gulf between W. Bush and him.  More willing to challenge than his predecessors.
• President laid out plan for 2 states in Palestine, more balanced approach.
• Agreed to proceed with this and set up peace talks right before 9/11/
• Effect of 9/11 on relations
• many Saudis celebrated the attacks
• 15/19 hijackers were Saudis -- a disaster because framed Saudis as enemies.
• Royals in denial -- saw a Zionist plot
• Saudis allowed US to use air bases for C3
• But saudi citizens were most of those captured in Afghan
• Risk of Saudi being destabilized by its relations with US
• Iraqi war:beat Iraq quickly, enabling US to withdraw troops early
• Attack by saudi AQ in Riyadh, May 13th 2003 -- shock to Saudi royals
• TV comedy show: teacher complains about radical islamist teachers, finds they are in charge of ministry of education.
• 1300 Radical imams were dismissed from positions.
• But new private TV channel is dedicated to their propaganda
• Countering US culture in their view -- Hollywood TV
• Ulama presents book including ultra traditional view of women -- read at largest university.
• Radicals argued women's hostile view doesn't count, they are infected with western views.
• Radicals also calling for death of US troops.
• Saudi medical student blew up US troops in Mosul.
• Since May 2003, 100 westerners killed in Saudi by assassinations.
• US consulate bombed, many Americans have left kingdom.
• Conclusions
• 60 year old oil for security deal is strained.
• The more each side sees of each other, the more tension
• Saud believes oil dependent US cannot afford House of Saud to fall.
• KSA has survived decades desite critics expectations.