Kerry Kisses the Royal Sauid Ring

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 26, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                      

              Pandering to Saudi Arabia, 69-year-old Secretary of John Kerry told conservative Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal that the U.S. opposed intervention by Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Syria’s Bashar al-Assad’s fight to cling to power.  Speaking in Jeddah—the birthplace of Osama bin Laden—Kerry lent support to Saudi efforts to topple al-Assad, stepping into the middle of the most sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites since the Iraq War.  Kerry’s efforts to broker a peace conference stumbled with Arab-League envoy Lakdar Brahimi admitting that it’s unlikely to take place in July.   Meeting with Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Kerry tried to coordinate the Kingdom’s plan to topple al-Assad.  Defying promises made to Russian President Vladimir Putin May 24, Kerry showed no signs of backing down from military support.

             Agreeing to a Syria peace conference with Russia, Putin wanted Kerry to restrain the White House from backing a Saudi-funded insurgency, cobbling together various Wahhabi groups—including radical Palestinians—to topple al-Assad.  Russia and China have practically begged Washington to stay out of Syria, believing that toppling al-Assad would hand Syria over to more extremist groups.  It’s no accident that Saudi backs radical Sunni groups once involved in Sept. 11.  Asking the U.S. to get back in bed with al-Qaeda, currently fighting along side various Saudi-backed rebel groups, is complete insanity for U.S. foreign policy.  Not only has the White House damaged relations with Russia and China, they have joined forces with the radical forces behind Sept. 11.  When Putin said “nyet” to extraditing 29-year-old former CIA employee Edward Snowden June 25, conservatives went wild on Capitol Hill.

             Ripping Putin for starting up the Cold War, Putin said Russia would not intervene in Snowden’s extradition, signaling a new low-point in U.S.-Russian relations.  Proving that linkage still applies to U.S. foreign policy, Putin punted on Snowden to make a point that the U.S. can’t ignore Russia’s views on Syria without damaging diplomatic relations.  When Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) accused Putin of starting up the Cold War, he’s completing ignoring how the U.S. position on Syria hurt U.S.-Russian relations.  It’s no big deal for Russia to extradite Snowden.  But is a real big deal for the U.S. to join a Saudi-funded Wahhabi war against al-Assad’s Alawite Shiite government.  With Iran backing its Shiite brothers, it’s no accident that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed to defend Syria’s sovereignty.  If Putin ordered the Red Army into Syria, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would back down.

             If President Barack Obama had not acquiesced on Syria to conservatives on Capitol Hill, Snowden would have been delivered to U.S. on a silver platter.  Pointing fingers at Putin doesn’t help U.S.-Russian relations.  Kerry’s June 25 press conference with Saud al-Faisal exposed complete hypocrisy to the Saudi and U.S. position against Syria.  Al-Faisal wants Kerry to sell the Syrian conflict as a genocide against Syria’s Sunni population.  Al-Assad can also make the case that the Wahhabi war against his regime is also a genocide against his Alawite Shiite minority.  Qatar’s new emir Sheikh Tamin has turned over weapons transfers to Syrian rebels to Riyadh.  Price Saud said Saudi Arabia “cannot be silent” about Iran and Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria, yet it’s Saudi money that funds various terrorist groups that have refocused efforts on toppling Bashar al-Assad.

             It’s no accident that 15-of-the-19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian.  Conservative Wahhabi groups in Sauid Arabia fund the madrasses responsible for recruiting, indoctrinating and converting school-aged children into Islamic suicide bombers.  “The most dangerous development is the foreign participation, represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,” said Saudi, completing ignoring the strong financial and military backing of the Syrian civil war by Saudi Arabia.  “There is no logic that allows Russia to publicly arm the Syrian regime and the foreign forces that support it,” said Saudi, pointing finger at Russia and Iran, without looking at the strong Saudi role in funding insurgent groups battling the al-Assad regime.  Cheap Saudi petro-dollars have once again influenced U.S. foreign policy. 

              As Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have pointed out,      Syria is a U.N.-approved sovereign state currently under siege from Saudi-backed insurgency.  While Russia has its Tartus naval base on the Syrian coast, the Russians are more concerned with unleashing more terrorism in the region.  When President Barack Obama chose to arm Syrian rebels June 14, he opened up a can of worms for U.S. foreign policy.  Knowing his campaign promises and how difficult it is to end foreign wars, Obama should have stuck to his guns and rejected calls from Capitol Hill Republicans to start another Mideast war.  Obama knew that arming Syrian rebels would start a proxy war with Iran, knowing Hezbollah was defending al-Assad’s forces.  Instead of antagonizing Russia and China and risking a new Mideast war, Obama should have rejected Saudi-backed cries from Capitol Hill to start a new war.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.