Saturday, May 28, 2011

Can Saudi Arabia Limit The Arab Spring?

Saudis perched on the Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh. The kingdom is aggressively emphasizing the relative stability of monarchies. Ed Ou for The New York Times

Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Limit Region’s Upheaval -- New York Times

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia is flexing its financial and diplomatic might across the Middle East in a wide-ranging bid to contain the tide of change, shield other monarchies from popular discontent and avert the overthrow of any more leaders struggling to calm turbulent nations.

From Egypt, where the Saudis dispensed $4 billion in aid last week to shore up the ruling military council, to Yemen, where it is trying to ease out the president, to the kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco, which it has invited to join a union of Persian Gulf monarchies, Saudi Arabia is scrambling to forestall more radical change and block Iran’s influence.

Read more ....

My Comment: "Bread and Circuses" will buy some level of stability and calm .... but it is only a short term measure that will have limited impact on what many young people now want in the Middle East.

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