hash tag
Books, not bombs
Meanwhile from today's paper Outspoken Saudi princess reveals that she is in prison
You said they were the "forward thinking liberal part of Saudi society" rather than that they kill and arrest members of the forward thinking liberal part of Saudi society. You've bought into the old shit that the only choices in the Middle East are religious fanatics or a less religious but authoritarian and brutal strongman or royal. Of course none of that is a self fulfilling prophecy and no part of their strength comes from just the line you're pushing, what it excuses and what it encourages.I only said they were liberal and forward-thinking compared to their likely replacements..
As seen in Iran and Syria the shah was a bastard but the mullahs are worse only a tiny bunch of weirdos think Assad is a good guy but between him and is Assad all the way.
Osama and his mates came from Suadi and while the house of Saud is quite good at malleting the bastards and anyone they don't like who can be labeled al Queda no yellow card required though probably a mop and bucket.
in the event of a revolution who do you think would win a few million ordinary people or a couple of thousand double hard religious nutters who will kill anyone who stands in their way?
yeah, that was meant to be sarcasm. Unfortunately Iran, Egypt and Syria kind of prove my point religious nutjobs or authoritarian shit heads.
The fact the nations are mostly young and artificial with tribes still being a thing does not help at all.
I mention a self fulfilling prophecy and you bring up Syria? Assad deliberately played up to that false choice by releasing Jihadi prisoners, many of whom had been locked up since the last time he needed them, then said to the west "it is us or them."yeah, that was meant to be sarcasm. Unfortunately Iran, Egypt and Syria kind of prove my point religious nutjobs or authoritarian shit heads.
The fact the nations are mostly young and artificial with tribes still being a thing does not help at all.
The death penalty has been eliminated for those convicted of crimes committed while they were minors, Human Rights Commission president Awwad Alawwad said in a statement, citing a royal decree.
"Instead, the individual will receive a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile detention facility," the statement said.
The decree is expected to spare the lives of at least six men from the minority Shia community who are on death row.
the saudi regime is bonkersAnother extrajuidicial killing, of Abdul Rain in his own home because he spoke out about being kicked off of his land with thousands of others ‘It’s being built on our blood’: the true cost of Saudi Arabia’s $500bn megacity
nefandousNot a word I would use. More along the lines of unpleasant.
sadly, the most likely end outcome of the toppling of the House of Saud would be its' replacement by a regime even more corrupt, brutal and reactionary. Not to mention even more full-on batshit mental.The US should have gone for regime change in Riyadh rather than Baghdad, it would have been a lot easier to sell to people here and in america
sadly, the most likely end outcome of the toppling of the House of Saud would be its' replacement by a regime even more corrupt, brutal and reactionary. Not to mention even more full-on batshit mental.
e2a: This does not and should not be taken as any sort of endorsement of the 100% loathesome House of Saud. All progressives should work to support progressives within KSA as much as possible, insofar as it doesn't put those actual indiividal and brave Saudis in line for a one way trip to chop chop square.
I really don't think I'm in that particular latter class! I am just completely pessimistic about the future of KSA. I fear you probably can get "more corrupt, brutal and reactionary than the Sauds". Whatever can be done to aid progressive forces in the gulf, should be done. As to how to do that - god knows.The old bulwark against something worse: Arabs are not capable of governing themselves crap. You can't get more corrupt, brutal and reactionary than the Sauds. The rhetoric of those in the political and business class who mask their desire for control of hydrocarbons with a shroud of pseudo-liberal orientalist clichés
Thread directed at the Saudi ambassador to the US: