by Dean Hartwell
There is a nation in the Middle East whose people have recently terrorized the United States. They are a regime and they oppress their people. Women are not allowed to drive, let alone vote.
Is this nation Iraq?
No,
it is Saudi Arabia. And there’s
more. Saudi Arabia is not an enemy of
the U.S. In fact, the Bush
Administration considers them to be allies.
Right after the attacks of September 11th, the world learned that most of the highjackers were Saudi Arabian. But their deaths allowed President Bush an opportunity to ignore the Saudi link to the terror and focus instead upon large groups of people like the Taliban and al-Qaida. In doing so, the U.S. missed a chance to confront the Saudis for their role in the attacks and their hostility towards the United States.
Just over a decade ago, Iraq invaded Kuwait and then stationed many of its troops near their border with Saudi Arabia. Instead of preparing itself for conflict, the Saudis turned to the United States for help. As a result, the U.S. stationed thousands of troops there. Even now, approximately 5,000 troops remain there to protect Saudi Arabia and to enforce the United Nations’ “no-fly zone” against Iraq.
Instead of showing gratitude to the U.S. for fighting a war on behalf of them and their Gulf neighbors, many Saudis complained that the United States had “defiled” Muslim holy sites with their presence. The nation also failed to be of much help when U.S. military installations were bombed in the mid-1990s. If that wasn’t enough, it has provided no discount on oil prices.
The Bush Administration should relieve the U.S. from its “alliance” with this obviously unfriendly nation. Now is the time for the United States to change some of its policies so as not to associate with nations of this ilk.
First, the Bush Administration should bring home the troops from Saudi Arabia. The United States has other bases from which to conduct its enforcement of the “no-fly zone.” Also, Saudi Arabia can take care of its own security needs. These troops, mostly members of the air force, can serve our nation better elsewhere, like maintaining zones of safety near the nation’s biggest terrorist targets.
Second, the Administration should persuade the United States public to consume less oil. One way to do that would be to add to taxes on the sale of gasoline. Another would be to give tax credits to individuals and to businesses that install solar devices. It could also give more money to local governments to develop parts of cities where cars are forbidden. Best of all, the Bush Administration could convince the public that using oil helps keep regimes like the one in Saudi Arabia in power.
Lastly,
the United States should never form alliances with nations whose human rights
records are as atrocious as Saudi Arabia’s.
The U.S. will send the right message to the world that its alliance is
its bond.