Oil and a House Divided

A lot of U.S. oil comes from the Middle East, particularly the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it is important to understand something of these countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. In that regard, the key fact to remember is that Saudi Arabia is a house divided and eventually, a house divided falls.

An excellent article in The Weekly Standard sets out the problem: King Saud and the House of Saud are moderate reformers while Crown Prince Nayef and the House of Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab are 5th century types. Note the name of the latter - it is where the word "Wahhabi" comes from, as in Osama bin Laden. These two families have intermarried for centuries and if you thought court intrigue was the sole province of Elizabethan England or Louis XIV, guess again.

King Saud is 87 years old. Recently he issued a decree that allows women to vote for the first time in local elections without a male "guardian." This is not a very big step by our standards, but it is huge in Saudi Arabia and the Wahhabists are not happy. They recently sponsored a conference that makes it clear that if they come into power, they will drag the country back to the "good old days" where women know their place.

The Saudis have managed this balancing act for a long time, but how much longer they can do so is anybody's guess. In any event, remaining dependent on Saudi oil to the extent that we are is foolish. We need to be looking at energy independence for the U.S. and not put ourselves in jeopardy when it is  both so predictable and so avoidable.

www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/saudi-king-s-reform-step-vs-crown-prince-s-ambitious-wahhabism_615104.html