Issues Under Fire: Why Saudi Arabia Gets A Royal Pass

Issues Under Fire: Why Saudi Arabia Gets A Royal Pass 

Far be it from this writer to nitpick during a time of mourning, but observing President Obama lead a U.S. delegation of A-List foreign policy headliners to pay respects to Saudi Arabia's dead King Abdullah, somehow looked more like the United States was paying homage to new King Salman and the House of Saud.

While everyone knows the Saudi family has more money than God, sometimes it seems as though they have as much power too. Save for the Israelis, one would be hard pressed to see U.S. leadership heel on command like it does with the Saudis.  

Only five days into the new King's rule and he's already overseen his first beheading. So, so much for addressing any human rights issues on this visit. One has to presume this is all about the One Percent Rule. If you're part of the one percent, you make your own rules. When you live in the House of Saud, holding the title of King, you are above even your own rules. 

Watching President Obama interact with King Salman left this writer with the same impression I'd experienced observing other U.S. presidents in the presence of Saudi Royalty. I always felt as though no U.S. president was considered greater than or even equal to the King. I always felt that's how the Saudis felt too. And as a result, the King quite naturally expects and demands to be treated as such. 

The fact that Saudi Arabia blew off a seat on the U.N. Security Council to protest inaction in Syria, showed the Saudi family could do more on its own than collaborating with the international community. Now that's influence. Even though funding, arming and deploying private armies to meet its own security needs often clash and conflict with U.S. interest and operations in the region, the Saudis do whatever the Saudis deem is in their best interest. Like the Israelis, the Saudis too have the right to defend itself by any means necessary. 

Bottom line: The relationship between the U. S. and the House of Saud is fraught with inconsistency and mystery. Considering 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers from Saudi Arabia, you'd think the United States would have exacted a serious price for their citizen's participation. At the very least, one would have thought the Saudis' status as a reliable ally would have been questioned. But somehow, Saudi Arabia got a royal pass. Now that's power. Podcast Below!