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Saudi Arabia is in the throes of a crisis. The economy cannot keep pace with population growth, the welfare state is rapidly deteriorating, and regional and sectarian resentments are rising to the fore. These problems have been exacerbated by an upsurge in radical Islamic activism. Many agree that the Saudi political system must somehow evolve, but a profound cultural schizophrenia prevents the elite from agreeing on the specifics of reform.
The Saudi monarchy functions as the intermediary between two distinct political communities: a Westernized elite that looks to Europe and the United States as models of political development, and a Wahhabi religious establishment that holds up its interpretation of Islam's golden age as a guide. Saudi Arabia's two most powerful princes have taken opposing sides in this debate: Abdullah tilts toward the liberal reformers and seeks a rapprochement with the United States, whereas Nayef sides with the clerics and takes direction from an anti-American religious establishment that shares many goals with al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia lays claim to some of the world's most valuable oil deposits beneath land largely blanketed by barren desert. It is known as the birthplace of Islam, and is the cradle of the Arab people. Petroleum profits have thrust it into the modern age and made it one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East. In 2000, normally good relations with the U.S. grew strained when Crown Prince Abdullah blamed Washington for the collapse of peace talks at an Arab summit in Cairo. Once the base of operations for the U.N. coalition in the 1991 Gulf War, and again quietly for the United States' air campaign over Afghanistan in 2002, Saudi Arabia has publicly proven less cooperative in a possible campaign against Iraq.
Originally posted by WestPoint23
**Official German Press Release***
Germany urges Eritrea to hand over the pilots and equipment in question to the US, this must be done so the world community can get to the bottom of this matter. The support and aid of the EU could be at risk if Eritrea does not comply and cooperate.
Originally posted by Moonlit Shadow
Originally posted by WestPoint23
**Official German Press Release***
Germany urges Eritrea to hand over the pilots and equipment in question to the US, this must be done so the world community can get to the bottom of this matter. The support and aid of the EU could be at risk if Eritrea does not comply and cooperate.
I can assure you and the U.S. I would hand over the pilots if they were in custody but they are acting w/o goverment sanction.I feel they were Ephiopian spys.