Article

2007-11-27 Arabia

"Saudi Arabia is a petty little country"

James Taranto, "Best of the Web" @ the Wall Street Journal

"Saudi Arabia's participation in the U.S.-sponsored talks on Middle East peace was seen as a diplomatic coup for the Bush administration but the kingdom has made clear there will be no handshakes with Israeli officials," Reuters reports from Washington . . . .

Now of course handshakes are not always sincere. As Reuters notes, Yasser Arafat shook hands with Yitzhak Rabin in 1993; and in the process he made fools of Rabin, Bill Clinton and the Norwegian Nobel Committee. So in a way Faisal's snub is refreshingly honest. At least he is not making a pretense of amity only to betray it later.

What is more, a refusal to shake someone's hand is a sign of weakness. Contrary to Faisal's protestation, it is a sort of theater--a show that one is unable to rise above one's own grudge to observe ordinary social niceties. The Saudis have no legitimate grievance against Israel (the Palestinian problem notwithstanding); their hostility toward the Jewish state is based in a combination of religious hatred and envy.

Faisal has demonstrated that Saudi Arabia is a petty little country, worthy only of the world's contempt and condescension. It is a clarifying moment in Mideast politics.

Posted by Mike 2007-11-27 16:20|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 Faisal has demonstrated that Saudi Arabia is a petty little country, worthy only of the world's contempt and condescension.

You don't have to convince me!

Posted by JohnQC 2007-11-27 17:38|| 2007-11-27 17:38|| Front Page Top

#2 I dont see how any one can say that Saudi Arabia is a petty little country. It is certainly the richest middle easter country. They have a gigantic amount of the worlds oil and have turned many countries to more extreme forms of Islam. I dont see how anyone could call the petty.

Posted by Evan">Evan 2007-11-27 17:42|| 2007-11-27 17:42|| Front Page Top

#3 'Petty' as in diplomatic conduct with regards to Israel.

Posted by Pappy 2007-11-27 18:29|| 2007-11-27 18:29|| Front Page Top

#4 Yes in that sense they were being petty and I couldn't agree more but I think he made a mistake when he generalized about the entire country. I find country steriotypes to be stupid. You cant say things about the country based on the perfomance in this event.

Posted by Evan">Evan 2007-11-27 19:49|| 2007-11-27 19:49|| Front Page Top

#5 I think they meant "pretty", as in "that's a pretty little country - why don't we take it...at least the oily part?"

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-11-27 20:17|| 2007-11-27 20:17|| Front Page Top

#6 .com said it first, but I've thought it a few times....

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-11-27 20:19|| 2007-11-27 20:19|| Front Page Top

#7 Perhaps Evan can give us some examples of contradicting behavior from some- any- citizens of Saudi Arabia. Some noble, generous, act.
Funding Jihadi-generating mosques all over the planet doesn't count.

Posted by Grunter 2007-11-27 21:30|| 2007-11-27 21:30|| Front Page Top

#8 You really think we should conquer Saudi Arabia. I think that would only serve to heighten anti American feelings that are already strong. Basically if you try to attack one of the fundamentalist Muslim countries they will just be able to say "see the Americans are evil" and they would double there following. They gain energy and momentum when Muslims are killed. Before we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq we were disliked, now we are hated. fundamentalist Muslim has nearly doubled, killing of other branches of Islam. And the idea that we could get oil is ridiculous. That was the reason for invading Iraq and look were that got us. Thousands of lives and a few trillion dollars later were no farther then we started. if we got this much resistance in Iraq I imagine we would get a lot more in Saudi Arabia. They would burn all there oil before they let us get our hands on it. Fighting a form of religion is a lot different then just fighting a country. you cut off
one head and four more can grow in its place.

Posted by Evan">Evan 2007-11-27 21:44|| 2007-11-27 21:44|| Front Page Top

#9 Before we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq we were disliked, now we are hated.

I hate to be the one who has to tell you this but America has always been hated by the MME (Muslim Middle East). Nothing, repeat, NOTHING, short of nuking Mecca and Medina could "serve to heighten anti American feelings that are already strong". Most ironic of all is how the one thing that we are most reluctant to donamely, go in with hobnailed jackboots and stomp Massive Muslim Assis one of the only things that might earn us some respect.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-11-27 22:38|| 2007-11-27 22:38|| Front Page Top

#10 Have you ever been to a Muslim country, Evan dear? Mr. Wife spent a number of years over there, and while he met some charming and interesting people, he developed very strong opinions about the general run of humanity in various parts of the ummah. And before you ask, he spent as much time on the factory floor and restaurant kitchens as he did with the kind of educated elite that like to hang out in expensive international hotels and the name universities.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-11-27 22:49|| 2007-11-27 22:49|| Front Page Top

#11 I believe Evan is a Welsh name. Evan - are you Welsh?

Posted by Glung McGurque2454 2007-11-27 23:34|| 2007-11-27 23:34|| Front Page Top

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