Understanding the Power-Contest Between Aristocracies
At
the core of global power stands the conflict between the Sauds and
their Sunni clergy, versus the Iranians and their Shiite clergy.
the core of global power stands the conflict between the Sauds and
their Sunni clergy, versus the Iranians and their Shiite clergy.
One
can’t understand U.S.-Russian relations, nor much else of what is
happening in the world, without knowing the relevant historical
background; and the origins and nature of the Sunni war against Shiia
are arguably the most essential part of that. Just how the United States
came to back the Sunnis, and how Russia came to back the Shiites, in
this war, will be discussed in subsequent articles.
can’t understand U.S.-Russian relations, nor much else of what is
happening in the world, without knowing the relevant historical
background; and the origins and nature of the Sunni war against Shiia
are arguably the most essential part of that. Just how the United States
came to back the Sunnis, and how Russia came to back the Shiites, in
this war, will be discussed in subsequent articles.
This
great intra-Islamic conflict, little understood outside the Middle
East, came into clearer-than-ever focus on 2 August 2013 when Sami Kleib
at al-Monitor headlined “Saudi Arabia Tries to Cut a Deal With Russia Regarding Syria”,
and he reported about Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud’s trip to
Moscow, as the Director of Saudi Intelligence. It was an extraordinary
private meeting, because the Sauds and the Russians have been enemies
ever since the Sauds allied themselves with the Americans against the
atheistic Soviet Union in 1945. Kleib wrote that:
great intra-Islamic conflict, little understood outside the Middle
East, came into clearer-than-ever focus on 2 August 2013 when Sami Kleib
at al-Monitor headlined “Saudi Arabia Tries to Cut a Deal With Russia Regarding Syria”,
and he reported about Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud’s trip to
Moscow, as the Director of Saudi Intelligence. It was an extraordinary
private meeting, because the Sauds and the Russians have been enemies
ever since the Sauds allied themselves with the Americans against the
atheistic Soviet Union in 1945. Kleib wrote that:
Like
all Saudi Arabian leaders, Bandar wants to deal a blow to Hezbollah
and weaken Iran. And they will do anything to accomplish that, including
hitting President Assad’s regime.
all Saudi Arabian leaders, Bandar wants to deal a blow to Hezbollah
and weaken Iran. And they will do anything to accomplish that, including
hitting President Assad’s regime.
But why did Saudi Arabia change its mind and decide to send Prince Bandar to a country that “supports the genocide in Syria”?
