Segacs's World I Know

Posts Tagged ‘saudi arabia’

While much is being made of Nancy Pelosi’s comments on the relative lack of women in Saudi politics (see below), here at home, under very different circumstances, we’re hearing some of the same issues – and criticisms.

Stephane Dion is actively seeking female candidates to run for the federal Libs – he’s even stated that he’s willing to use a quota system to ensure “adequate representation”, and to kick out male candidates to make room for female ones.

Here in Quebec, criticism abounded after last week’s election reduced the number of female MNAs from 39 to 32.

Arguments like this have always annoyed me. As a woman, I believe that I ought to have every right and opportunity to do anything a man can do. And I also believe that, unlike in Saudi Arabia, here in Canada (and Quebec), that’s pretty much true.

Women in Saudi Arabia can’t drive, can’t vote, can’t walk out on the street unaccompanied by a male relative, have to hide behind veils and robes, can’t participate in society as free and equal members. Saudi Arabia’s problems run far deeper than simply ensuring adequate representation among elected officials. (For starters, the elections themselves are a sham… But that’s a whole different rant.)

In contrast, here, women are free, full and equal members of society. If barriers still exist – and I acknowledge that they do – they are no longer legal and we are working hard to deinstitutionalize them.

But politicians who rant about not having enough women candidates are not saying so because they truly believe that women are barred from politics or lack opportunities; they’re doing it for reasons that are – no pun intended – purely cosmetic.

And finally, a refreshing perspective on the subject from Brigitte Pellerin in the Ottawa Citizen:

According to something called the Inter-Parliamentary Union (ipu.org), Rwanda ranks first in the world with 48.8 per cent women representation in the national legislature, whereas Canada is 48th with 20.8 per cent. The United States, where we all know women are routinely persecuted by a political class bent on systemic gender inequality, is 68th with 16.3 per cent. So, is the theory that we’d be better off if we were governed more like Rwanda?

[ . . . ]

And if we’re legislating quotas for perspective, then we should also make the proportion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, etc. representatives match their share of the general population, assuming we even know it. And once we get there, shouldn’t we also worry about religious representation? What about race?

Oooh, dear.

To me equality means not caring whether my elected representative is male or female or black or gay or Methodist or whatever. And democracy means letting people elect whomever they think represents their views. I believe enforcing equal representation of women in politics would be wrong, undemocratic, and possibly even counterproductive. I suspect I am not alone.

Nope, not alone at all. I agree completely. And I encourage you to read the whole thing.

Equality by quota is counter-productive in the long run. It doesn’t eradicate barriers, it merely sets up new ones. Equality really ought to mean equality of opportunity, and that will only happen when we stop electing, hiring people based on their gender or skin colour or language or religion, and start judging them based on ideas, accomplishments, and – what’s that old-fashioned outdated thing again? – oh yeah, merit.

(But that just wouldn’t be, y’know, politically correct).

See if you can spot what crucial fact is missing from this Reuters piece on how the Palestinians are appealing to surrounding Arab states for aid money:

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are expected to speed money to the Palestinian Authority within days to help it pay its employees after Israel halted tax payments, Palestinian officials said.

[ . . . ]

Hamas, which has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, trounced Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s long-dominant Fatah movement in the January 25 parliamentary election.

In a joint statement issued in Islamabad, Islamic allies Pakistan and Saudi Arabia urged the world to accept Hamas’s victory and “avoid premature judgments and hasty conclusions.”

Hamas has urged foreign donors to maintain aid but says it could still find other sources of funding in the Arab world. It has sent a delegation on a tour of Arab countries to urge them to keep the money flowing.

Unemployment in the Palestinian territories runs high, at 22 percent, and half the Palestinian population lives in poverty. In Gaza, many Palestinians live on an average of $2 a day.

Let’s see… we’ve got the requisite reference to Palestinian poverty, to Israel’s withholding of financial transfers, and to the election results and their aftermath. The implication, of course, is that it’s Israel’s fault that the Palestinians are living in poverty.

What’s missing? That’s right: no reference whatsoever to the fact that the billions of dollars of aid that have poured into the Palestinian coffers to-date used to finance terrorism, urge suicide attacks, build explosives and rockets, purchase weapons, and train militias. Oh yeah, and to line the pockets of the Palestinian Authority, and to finance Suha Arafat’s shopping habits. And no mention of the fact that Israel, if it were to release the money, would be contributing financially to attacks on its own citizens.

And the high Palestinian unemployment? No mention of the fact that, prior to 2000, unemployment was much lower because so many Palestinians were working in Israel and crossing the border daily without any problems. Nothing about how the chosen strategy of violence forced Israel to close these borders and therefore cost so many Palestinians their livelihood. No reference to how all the jobs were in Israel because the Palestinians haven’t built any industry, infrastructure or opportunity – in short, necessary ingredients for a sustainable state. Or how, despite claiming to want statehood, it doesn’t seem to have occurred to the Palestinians that a viable state can’t live forever on handouts. It’s so much easier to talk about destroying Israel than to talk about actually building a state, isn’t it?

And it’s more convenient to imply that Israel is to blame for Palestinian poverty than it is to tell the truth, I guess.

The death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and the naming of (former Prince) Abdullah as his successor has thrown the spotlight back on the Saudi regime, if just for a moment. Especially on the close ties that the United States has maintained with this despotic, corrupt, dictatorial regime where women can’t drive or vote and nobody but Muslims can live, pray or exist. Among other things.

Bush and Abdullah may be bosom buddies, and to some people this is fine and dandy because Bin Laden and Al Quaeda are fighting against the Saudi regime.

But this is a deal with the devil – always has been, always will be (as long as it continues). It’s time for Bush to recognize that sometimes the guy fighting the bad guys isn’t a good guy: he’s another kind of bad guy. And the enemy of my enemy, in this case, is not my friend.

Somehow, I doubt that we’ll hear any such speeches from Western leaders at King Fahd’s funeral, though.

Let’s play which photo of the week is weirder.

This one?

U.S. President George W. Bush walks arm in arm with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at Bush's ranch in Texas. Source: Reuters.

Or this one?

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem on the first trip ever by a Kremlin leader to Israel. Source: AP.

Shall we put it to a vote?

Saudi government funding terrorist groups? Someone explain to me why this is news to so many people?

Another violent day in Iraq, as a suicide car bomber blew himself up outside an army recruitment centre, killing at least 35 and wounded another 150:

Visiting the scene of the blast, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi vowed his people would prevail in the face of mounting violence before the June 30 political handover from the United States.

“This is an escalation that we have been expecting,” Allawi said. “The government of Iraq is determined to confront the enemies.”

By the day, the world is losing confidence that this will happen. And as June 30th gets closer, things are only likely to get worse instead of better.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is refusing to negotiate with Al Qua’eda for the release of kidnapped American engineer Paul Marshal Johnson:

Al Qaeda has given the government until Friday to release jailed militants or it will execute engineer Paul Marshal Johnson, who was kidnapped last week. Saudi official sources have said the kingdom would not give in to al Qaeda’s demands.

[ . . . ]

De facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah, showing no sign of compromise, has said the kingdom would deploy more forces and strike soon against Saudi-born Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.

Washington said it would use every appropriate resource to gain Johnson’s release but would make no concessions to his captors.

For terrorism to succeed, governments must negotiate with it. The Saudi government knows better – not because it is a bastion of democracy or enlightenment, but because it knows that giving into even a small demand would only ensure more attacks. Contrast this reaction to how the Canadian government dealt with the kidnapping of our citizens, notably Fadi Fadel.

Well, I guess I won’t be travelling to Saudi Arabia anytime soon (via Damian):

Visas will not be issued for the following groups of people:

• An Israeli passport holder or a passport that has an Israeli arrival/departure stamp.
• Those who don’t abide by the Saudi traditions concerning appearance and behaviors. Those under the influence of alcohol will not be permitted into the Kingdom.
• There are certain regulations for pilgrims and you should contact the consulate for more information.
• Jewish People

Oh well, there go my travel plans. Damn.

I guess I’ll just have to settle for going to Israel instead. (Countdown: 4 1/2 months – woohoo!)

Update (Friday Feb 27): Damian notes that the restrictions listed above – as well as the others regarding women – have disappeared from the Saudi tourism site since yesterday. I notice that they still appear in Google’s cache, though I wonder how long that will last too.

Al Qua’eda, or whatever offshoot of it that is responsible for the Riyadh suicide attacks, is a highly-organized terrorist network full of evil murderers. I’m sure they’ve been called every name in the book, and they more than deserve all of them. But one thing they are not is stupid.

So then why would they attack within Saudi Arabia, risking the anger of the Saudis?

“Saudi Arabia is committed to…striking with an iron fist all who are tampering with the country’s security,” [Prince Saud al-Faisal] told a news conference in Riyadh.

“Whoever did this will regret it because they have unified this country’s determination to extract this cancer (terrorism) and ensure that it doesn’t return.”

Why, with their hatred of the West and of the United States in particular, would they do anything that would align the terrorist-supporting Saudi regime further with their “strange bedfellow” ally, the United States? Why would they risk a backlash from the Arab world? I mean, they had to know, didn’t they?

Among the reactions to the Riyadh bombings, predictably, the only ones with any teeth are coming from the countries who have proven willing to back up their talk with action. Canada’s reaction is ringing especially hollow:

“I want to express my outrage at what happened in Saudi Arabia,” Chretien said.

He said some of the Canadians apparently were injured, but none died in the attacks in Riyadh.

Of the terrorists, Chretien said: “I think they will never win in using these tactics.”

He said there was no evidence Canadians were specifically targeted, saying the attacks were “against Westerners in general.”

Added Foreign Minister Bill Graham: “It is important we root out terrorism.”

And how exactly do you intend to do that, Mr. Graham? By sending peacekeepers armed with toy guns from Toys ‘R Us? By asking the UN to “pretty please” do something?

Deals with the devil go from the absurd to the ridiculous. In a statement to the press, Ari Fleischer, speaking on behalf of the White House, praised Saudi Arabia as a “good partner in the war on terrorism”. This despite the fact that it’s common knowledge that the Saudis support and finance Palestinian terrorism, and anyone without blinders knows that they did in the case of September 11th as well.

They say that war makes for strange bedfellows, and this time is no exception. But as the US tries to line up Arab support for possible war against Iraq, I can’t help but think of Tevye’s line in Fiddler on the Roof: “If I bend that far, I break”. See, the problem with Mideast politics is that the Arab nations have no concept of loyalty or alliances. They’re willing to switch sides at the drop of a hat (or a coin). It takes a panel of experts just to figure out who’s against whom and who’s supporting whom. Whereas Israel has been a stable and consistent ally to the United States, unwavering in its support.

In their zeal to outst Saddam, the Americans are forgetting who their friends are, and are making deals with the devil that will almost certainly come back to haunt them. The vision is as shortsighted as they come, and can only lead to disaster.