US, Islamists and Arab Gulf states

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US, Islamists and Arab Gulf states


To give Islamists a free ride and consider them the final choice of the people is not a very imaginative thought
By Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 November 27, 2012



The rise of political Islam is the big story of the hour in places like Egypt and the other Arab Spring states. However, the way in which the Obama administration has decided to engage the phenomenal rise of Muslim Brotherhood is raising many questions and few concerns throughout the region, especially among some Arab Gulf States — supposedly the most trusted US allies in the Arab world.


There is a general apprehension towards Washington going the extra mile in empowering the Islamists and treating them as new political allies. The message coming from Washington is that political Islam is the now darling and the choice of the moment. Many are rightly bewildered to see this sudden change in attitude and to see the red-carpet treatment given to Muslim Brotherhood delegations whenever they visit Washington."..............

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists ... -1.1110379

Good post. Personally I think Saudi Arabia and the other gulf states are more vulnerable than it looks. The Saudis have been handing out more cash to their citizens to try and keep them quiet. And other gulf states are run by Sunni's but finding the Shia's outnumber them and want a piece of that power.

Syria is another example of a minority sect trying to keep the dominant religion down.

The message from the Gulf is clear. It is very difficult to trust America that does not stand by its friends in times of need. It is not very reassuring to see America that swaps allies at the speed of light. All this comes at time when the US needs the full cooperation of the Arab Gulf states, much more than the Arab Gulf states need America that is banking on Arab Spring Islamists as its new allies in the region.

I met Dr. Abdulla when I lived in the UAE (He's a Georgetown U. PhD, and a professor at UAEU).
That said, notice the curious conclusion?

The GCC countries fancy themselves moderates (not always true). They're actually royals, who are more concerned with sustaining their monarchies than they are sustaining religious fundamentalism (in fact, the later is typically a threat to them --- ergo Iran 1979). Should the Obama administration embrace fundamentalists in Egypt, I'd imagine that monarchs in places like Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar, and the Emirates - get a little uncomfortable. I suspect they'd all rather see the secular Saddam Hussein back on the throne - than see Shiite democracy in Iraq.

The Economist just had a piece about the difficult transistion Saudi Arabia is having replacing aged royals. I don't think they really trust the younger generation.

Which would be better for US interests?

bailey bud wrote:

The message from the Gulf is clear. It is very difficult to trust America that does not stand by its friends in times of need. It is not very reassuring to see America that swaps allies at the speed of light. All this comes at time when the US needs the full cooperation of the Arab Gulf states, much more than the Arab Gulf states need America that is banking on Arab Spring Islamists as its new allies in the region.

I met Dr. Abdulla when I lived in the UAE (He's a Georgetown U. PhD, and a professor at UAEU).
That said, notice the curious conclusion?

The GCC countries fancy themselves moderates (not always true). They're actually royals, who are more concerned with sustaining their monarchies than they are sustaining religious fundamentalism (in fact, the later is typically a threat to them --- ergo Iran 1979). Should the Obama administration embrace fundamentalists in Egypt, I'd imagine that monarchs in places like Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar, and the Emirates - get a little uncomfortable. I suspect they'd all rather see the secular Saddam Hussein back on the throne - than see Shiite democracy in Iraq.

US policy favors the royals.

Kind of humorous

---

after all --- Iran has elections (granted - corrupt ones). Iran has elections, legislators, and courts ---- the structure of Iran's government actually has more in common with the USA than Saudi).