A Deafening Silence

With recent events across North Africa and the Middle east, Western Governments were quick to comment on "the rights of democracy" and "the call of the people for freedom" in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in particular. Cameron's recent speech stated that "the UK would no longer support authoritarian Arab regimes in pursuit of regional stability." which was ill thought out to say the least, especially when there were rumblings of protest in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Surely someone within the UK Government could see the approaching trap?

If Cameron expressed an opinion such as this, then this would apply to all States within the Middle East? If the people of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain decided they wanted freedom and change, then the ruling families must allow peaceful protests to take place? After all, according to Amnesty International it is a breach of International Law NOT to allow peaceful protests?

Apparently not.

There has been a deafening silence from both the US and UK Governments with Hillary Clinton insisting that there should be "talks" and the violence and unrest should stop. This blogger has yet to hear Obama make any kind of statement directly associated with these protests in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. So why?

This change of tack is not coincidental. The US Administration knows that it is obligated to keep it's nose out of Saudi affairs. In 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt made Saudi Arabia eligible for Lend-Lease assistance by declaring the defense of Saudi Arabia of vital interest to the U.S. In 1945, King Abdel Aziz and President Roosevelt cemented the tacit oil-for-security relationship when they met aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal.

Unfortunately for the people of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the US is in no rush to oust the ruling families. This may be conjecture, but there's no rush by the US to implement a no-fly zone unilaterally unlike Iraq, because the US Administration, unlike the UK Government can see the impending trap.

The message from Cameron and Obama, has always been to denounce the violence and support democracy and freedom. That is why we are in Afghanistan, and Iraq isn't it?

Listen closely in the near future to whether we hear that message extend to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. I'll wager we don't!