Barry Rubin
Opinion
The Daily Caller
10/26/2011
Earlier this week, The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth interviewed King Abdullah of Jordan. Here’s how King Abdullah responded to Weymouth’s question, “Do you and other leaders in this area believe you cannot rely on the U.S.?”
“I think everybody is wary of dealing with the West. … Looking at how quickly people turned their backs on [Egyptian President Husni] Mubarak, I would say that most people are going to try and go their own way. I think there is going to be less coordination with the West and therefore a chance of more misunderstandings.”
This is devastating. I’m not shocked he thinks that way, but I am shocked that he says so openly. That’s how far things have gone. Jordan is now turning to Saudi Arabia for protection.
For more than 40 years, Jordan has been the most consistent ally of the United States in the Arab world. Yet the king can no longer trust the White House. The Obama administration dumped Mubarak, and it might dump him too.
Because no one in the Middle East trusts the U.S., no one will stick his neck out on behalf of U.S. interests or requests. Moreover, they are going their own way…
The op-ed continues at The Daily Caller.
Related: Ailing Saudi King Names Security Hardliner As Heir
…Nayef is viewed as a hardliner, close to the Wahhabi clerical establishment, and opposed to Abdullah’s attempts to introduce piecemeal reforms in the kingdom such as extending limited voting rights to women.
His ministry oversees various law enforcement agencies, including the often controversial religious police, known formally as officially known as the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice…
Also, U.S. Funding on the Line As UNESCO Mulls Membership for ‘Palestine’
The United Nations’ cultural agency has begun a high-level conference that will decide on an application for membership for “Palestine” – a move that could lead to a legally-mandated severing of U.S. funding…
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