We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Power and Vulnerability: Saudi Kingdom and its Troubles

Click here to access article by Salman Rafi Sheikh from New Eastern Outlook.

After reading this article, I was impressed with its arguments which seem to make a lot of sense, but I was also dismayed by the lack of any supporting documentation. Thus, one must rely on the author's credibility and reputation. I found little of this on the internet. Then I read another recent article of his entitled "The Iran deal and the Western Geo-Politics" which did not depend so much on evidence, and again I found some very sound analysis. I also considered the fact that internet evidence that would support arguments in this more recent article would be very hard to find given the widespread censorship that pervades Saudi Arabian society. Thus, I decided to post this article for your consideration.

His main thesis is this:
The present crisis in Yemen is, in a very sinister way, related to this very (internal) vulnerability and fragility of the Kingdom. It has created an ‘enemy’ out of thin air to consolidate its position internally; and, at the same time, this invasion has exposed how vulnerable it is internally too. Despite all the ‘power’ it has amassed over the years, the reality is that the Kingdom cannot find a way for resolving internal crisis without creating an external crisis. Therefore, the crisis in Yemen is, for Saudia, not merely a fight for the establishment of uncontested hegemony in the region; it is equally for sustaining internal hegemony. The gist of the matter is that we may not be able to arrive at a sound understanding of this crisis and the Saudi invasion without first understanding the challenges the ruling family is facing internally.