The U.S. drone base based in Saudi Arabia was used to kill Anwar al-Awlaki and his son.
Washington Post Keeps Administration’s Secret About Drone Base in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia
Washington’s Problem in the Middle East: Policy, Not Personality
For decades U.S. presidents have shown a willingness to hold hands with just about anyone for the price of oil.
Widespread Muslim Scepticism of U.S. as Democracy Advocate
Despite continuous assurances that the United States favours democratic rule during the 18-month-old “Arab Spring”, majorities or pluralities in six predominantly Muslim countries see Washington as an obstacle to their democratic aspirations, according to a new survey released here Tuesday.
Mid-East Tweeters Probe the Tenderest of Saudi Sore Spots
So desperate were Saudi officials to make an example of Hamza Kashgari that they pressured Malaysia into arresting and extraditing him while he was traveling there.
Does the Saudi Arms Deal Jeopardize Israel?
Israel has long been stronger militarily than its adversaries. This was actually true as early as Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. Since 1967, the United States has helped its ally maintain this edge. Today, thanks to a single significant arms sale, that may no longer be the case. Last December, the United States finalized a roughly $30 billion sale (part of a much larger package) of 84 F-15SA Strike Eagles to Saudi Arabia, along with upgrades to the Kingdom’s 70 existing Strike Eagles to bring them up to a comparable standard.
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia: Real Muslims Don’t Tweet
Even though one of his country’s princes is a major investor, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has issued a fatwa against Twitter.
The Gulf Cooperative Council and the Arab Spring
The Saudis in particular, and the other Gulf States in general, are fearful of two main threats, real or perceived. The first threat is Iran, which challenges their long-held religious and ethnic tenets. The second threat is the Arab Awakening, which challenges them ideologically and politically. The two threats seem to be connected now, and they will only be more so in the future. The Gulf State strategy seems to be based on the assumption that the stability of all Gulf regimes can only be disturbed by outside forces.
How Questioning the Saudi Regime’s Legitimacy Got Me Suspended by the National Press Club
A substantial part of that re-invention is the capacity to ask tough questions of powerful officials.
U.S. Sends a Message to Iran With Arms Sales to Gulf States
In 2010, the U.S. made its largest single arms sale ever: $60 billion worth to Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Tries to Prop up Iran Assassination Case With Misinformation
As Gareth Porter writes, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer implicated in the Iran had nothing to do with the 2007 Mahdi Army attack on U.S. troops in Karbala, Iraq.