Oliver comes up trumps again with a discussion of the House of Saud.
This more than ever reinforces my conviction that energy is a security issue. Energy has been kept peripheral to the mainstream political agenda by the perception that it is (merely?) an ethical matter, (and therefore) a luxury, not as immediately pressing as defence or economic issues. The American oil lobby, with Bush as their figurehead, have been of course happy to encourage this perception. Yet this is all short-termism, capitalism's most persistent vice. In thirty years, the oil will run dry. What then?
Also, I think opposition to the alliance with the Saudis is something else that Paul Wolfowitz has in his favour. My understanding was that Wolfowitz, along with a number of advisers to Bush Jr, have long warned about the dangers and the undesirability of cosying up to the House of Saud. It's the group surrounding Bush Sr who favour a continued alliance with the corrupt dynasty.
btw an entreaty, in the vain hope that someone in the mainstream media is out there capable of acting upon it: someone please employ Oliver as a columnist. Look at these piece: like all of his political writing, it's spectacularly well-informed and researched, eloquentlly and eruditely written, and advocates a unique opinion. All of this while he works full-time in a fucking bookshop!
Posted by mark at June 14, 2004 05:51 PM | TrackBackas much as water perhaps.
Posted by: scott at June 14, 2004 08:36 PMThis issue is exploding into the mainstream right and the smouldering next door in Iraq threatens to engulf Saudi Arabia in fat, oily flames one day.
Two excellent articles on the subject:
First, "The Fall of the House of Saud" by Robert Baer who served for twenty-one years with the CIA, primarily as a field officer in the Middle East
http://bbs.fuckedcompany.com/index.cgi?okay=get_topic&topic_id=1069211&page=0
And more from the ever-reliable War Nerd:
http://www.exile.ru/192/war_nerd.html
Posted by: Tim 50cycles at June 14, 2004 09:50 PM