WORLD JANUARY 6, 2012
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On December 29, the White House announced that it was sending nearly $30 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, part of a $60 billion package—the largest arms deal in history. President Obama has come a long way since his 2008 declaration that “nothing is more important than us no longer borrowing $700 billion or more from China and sending it to Saudi Arabia.” Apparently it was the borrowing part that really irked him—not the arming of a gender-apartheid, theocratic dictatorship.
The justification for the arms sale is simple. The deal will provide at least 50,000 jobs to Americans—good PR at a time of great economic distress. More importantly, it is intended to counter the very real threat of Iran, a regional menace that has brutally repressed its own people and sponsored terrorism worldwide. But arming one theocratic dictator to stop another is not only bad policy, it is profoundly immoral.
To see why, just consider the reaction of one Saudi dissident to the news. “America has never supported human rights in Saudi Arabia,” a leading female democracy activist told me on condition of anonymity. “America wants stability no matter what the price. But Saudi Arabia has become a police-state. My friends and I are being arrested, especially writers, activists, and reformers. It’s becoming North Korea with less military power. Someone may be reading what I’m writing to you now.”
Indeed, after signing a recent reformist petition, prominent liberal Mohammed Saeed Taib was banned from traveling, even to his daughter’s upcoming wedding. Shortly thereafter, Saudi poet Ali Al Domaini was called in for questioning. One by one, reformers are being intimidated, arrested, and silenced—and these are the lucky ones. Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar and Abdul Hamid Al Fakki were beheaded in recent months for “witchcraft.”
Yet the United States is sending the $60 million dollars without demanding any human rights reforms in return. The late Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson once said, “We Americans are fortunate to have at our service the greatest economy the world has ever known. It can do more than enrich our lives. It can be pressed into service as an instrument of our commitment to individual liberty.” Both Democratic and Republican administrations have missed crucial opportunities to condition U.S. aid and arms on the rights of Saudi women to drive, Christians to pray, and gays to live. The White House could have demanded an end to the industry of Saudi textbooks calling Jews and Christians “apes and pigs.” Instead, it compromised its most cherished ideals and sacrificed liberty in the name of stability. As a result, it will get neither.
The Iranian nuclear program can and must be stopped. But the West must also recognize that a government that enslaves women, beheads witches, bans dissent, arrests journalists, and indoctrinates millions of children with racism is an enemy—no matter how much oil it has.
David Keyes is the executive director of Advancing Human Rights and cofounder of CyberDissidents.org.
8 comments
For Pete's sake, this arms sale is about realpolitik -- morality has nothing to do with it and is out of place in this discussion. We're selling weapons to Saudi Arabia for three very good reasons: 1] Iran; 2] Jobs at home; 3] Iran. Refusing to sell the weapons to Saudi Arabia will not result in the kingdom suddenly discovering liberal democracy. They will simply buy somewhat inferior weapons from western Europe and Arabian women will still be treated like cattle. Not sure how that helps contain Iran, provide jobs at home or liberate Arabian women. Might make a few Americans feel self-righteously good, though. I wonder, however, if that should be the top foreign policy priority for a super-power.
- DC Spence
January 6, 2012 at 9:35am
What DC Spence said. Whatever the White House says about jobs, the justification for selling arms to Saudi Arabia is Iran. To write an article criticizing the US for selling arms to Saudi Arabia and mention Iran only as an afterthought, in the last paragraph, is inexcusable for an article published in a serious opinion magazine. This is the kind of stuff that you would expect to see in the editorial pages of a college newspaper, not TNR.
- wildboy
January 6, 2012 at 9:53am
Bravo! Mubarak that held in check The Muslim Brotherhood, a sworn enemy of the USA was thrown under the bus. Turkey that supports Hitzbollah, that blew up 241 Marines and supports Hamas that distributed candy in the streets when 9/11 horror happen. That Turkey Obama calls "an ally and Friend. Assad was just called "a reformer" by Hilary. Then Obama and his gang are upset when Israel builds in it’s capital reunited after being conquered in a land grab with the help of Britain's John Glubb. One could say it is all innocence of the uneducated about the Middle east. But I know better, 20 years of cheering Wright. Helping Farrakhan with the Million Men March when multitudes cheered anti- Semitic rants. I don't care who will run to defeat Obama. I will vote for him. It is impossible for anyone to be as bad as Obama with 4 more years to go.
- Poupic
January 6, 2012 at 11:01am
Well, obviously, because it's a Theocratic Dictatorship which is friendly with the US. The history of the US clearly demonstrates we're quite fond and support foreign Dictatorships if they're friendly with us. Dictators like the Shah of Iran, for instance. Sheesh, you're not really this clueless.
- AllanL5
January 6, 2012 at 11:59am
I long to live in your world David. The unicorns, do they talk?
- Tristan
January 6, 2012 at 12:59pm
Oil is the basic explanation. Saudis are today our friends, the Iranian are not. Iranian women are free to behave like free women. The Saudi women are more restricted. Why are these theocracies so different? Anyhow. Saudis are more comfortable when somebody else does their fighting. Iran tries to do it on their own. Saudis are the keepers of Mecca. Saudis are Sunnis. Iran are Shia, they have their own places for worship. I really don't know how important is Mecca for the Iranians or for the Shia. For God's sake they should get along. Anyhow 60 billion petrodollars are a small drop into the bucket. Saudi investments in the USA is in the trillions of petrodollars. Nothing to worry about.
- JAIMECHUCH
January 6, 2012 at 9:53pm
Come on! Obama calls Turkey our friend and ally even though journalists are jailed, top army brass jailed. Then Turkey is the biggest commercial partner to Iran and still silence from the Obama White House. Support for Hamas and Hitzbollah that blew up 241 Marines by Turkey makes it still "an ally and friend of the USA according to Hilary and Obama. Why is anyone surprised by pro anything Arab or Islam by Obama?
- Poupic
January 9, 2012 at 1:13pm
It would certainly be a brighter world if Saudi Arabia was a different country from the one it is, and the morbid stand-off between the ruling class and the Wahabi clerics (the latter don't agitate against the former, and in return get lots of money to spread their hate-filled theology across the world) is part of the background to Al Qaeda and the WTC attacks. Nevertheless, in this case, I have to agree with DC Spence above and his 1,2,3.
- ironyroad
January 9, 2012 at 5:07pm