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Saudi Arabia - Outsider Views

What are the Saudis Doing....

: In the name of Islam?

The Saudis detained a Saudi Blogger, Roshdi Algadir , for publishing poems to his blog. They apparently beat him up and then forced him to agree to sign an agreement never to publish anything on his blog. As the new HAAJ season begins, I think the Saudis must be held to account for not allowing the Freedom of Speech. But, allowing Freedom of Speech will undercut the very legitimacy that the Saudi Kings and Princes claim to have I suppose.

The Custodian of the two Holy Places (as the King of Saudi Arabia styles himself) must embrace true reform. Now that the price of oil is below $ 60/Barrel, maybe the Saudis will start to reevaluate their options. What I continue to be scared about is that this temporary lull in the increase of the price of oil will force us to take our eye off the ball. We have to stop our addiction and stop it now.

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November 12th 2008 @ 04:01

Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: Saudi Arabia

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Yemen, AIG, Nigeria....what a day!!!

: The Sky Seems to be Falling.....

Every day seems to be more exciting than the next. Earlier today, the U.S Embassy in Yemen was attacked. Al Jazeera right now is reporting that 16 people have died. At least, visa applicants had not lined up yet. Otherwise the the death toll would have been higher. On the business side, AIG was thrown a lifeline by the Federal Reserve. AIG was given a $ 85 BIllion Loan in exchange for a 79.9% stake in the business. This lifeline will allow AIG to continue to operate. There is also a claim by the Nigerian Delta Rebels of a oil pipeline being blown up in Nigeria.

The embassy attack is bothersome on several fronts. It shows that the fatalists within the Islamist movement seem to be as vibrant as ever. Yemen, of course, is not the safest country in the world. It has been a hotbead of insurrection for a very long time. The Yemeni Government has a lot of work to do. U.S. Embassies are fortified institutions. It will be quite tough to penetrate the compound itself. But, the brazen attack takes quite bit of planning which is worrisome.

As for AIG, I was not too surprised. AIG was simply too big, too vital and too central a player in the financial markets. The collapse would have been catasrophic. But, there s a silver lining in all of this. The eventual dismantling of AIG will present new opportunities. New businesses will emerge. The restructing, though, will be a painful process that will test the patience and endurance of all.

As I have written before, may one live in interesting times. The only thing needed right now is patience. May it be so!!!!

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September 17th 2008 @ 12:51

Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: Inter-Faith Relationships, Islam, The Shittes, Saudi Arabia, The Presidential Election

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Jordan's King Abdullah's Trip to Iraq

: A Hopeful Face for the Middle East.....

King Abdullah has gone to Iraq. This is important because he's the first Arab leader to have gone since the war. Al Jazeera is reporting that he got a nice gift: cheaper oil. Jordan has hosted quite a bit of Iraqi refugees. But, it has also benefited greatly. From the reports I have seen, they are enjoying quite a property boom. So, His Majesty will do what he has to do to maintain the economic and political stability of a country that is 70% Palestinian.

I have found him to be quite interesting and vibrant. I have periodically visited the Jordanian Monarchy Website. It seems that the people seem to genuinely hold the King in high esteem. But, Jordan is one of those countries that does practice "managed democracy", just like countries like Morocco. Al Jazeera was fined in Morocco not too long ago. So, this notion of Al Jazeera somehow being anti-american (the line that the Bush Adminstration tried to sell to the rest of us) is just nonesense. King Abdullah has his eye on the ball. with a very attractive family. IIn my view, Queen Raina, King Abdullah and Queen Noor (King Hussein's Wife) have worked dilligently to overcome the misconceptions that has been perpetuated by that lowlife Bin Laden and his followers. I call Bin Laden a lowlife simply because I have no other way to refer to him. I can't refer to him as an animal, because even animals have an honor code.

This is Queen Raina at the Clinton Global Initiative commenting on why and the need to bridge that cultural divide: