MISSEDLINK

Arab Spring - Wall Street Journal - Saudi cable - 2011: LINK ¤ DOC119060

_________________________________________

 

• "Saudi Arabia was a Sunni Muslim kingdom, of ethnic Arabs - Iran a Shiite Islamic republic, populated by ethnic Persians !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the Saudi sphere were the Sunni Muslim-led Gulf monarchies - Egypt - Morocco - and the main Palestinian faction, Fatah !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "for decades, the two sides had carried out a complicated game - of moves and countermoves !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "with few exceptions, both preferred to work through proxy politicians - and covertly funded militias !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "Arab Spring:  the protests that begin in Tunisia - have nothing to do with any of this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "they started with a struggling street vendor in that country's heartland - whose cart was cited by a local officer for a municipal violation !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "his frustration, multiplied hundreds of thousands times - boiled over !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "in a month of demonstrations - against Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "to the amazement of the Arab world - Ben Ali fled the country !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "when the military - declined to back him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "spurred on by televised images - and YouTube videos from Tunisia !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "protests break out across much of the rest - of the Arab world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "within weeks, millions are on the streets in Egypt - and Hosni Mubarak was gone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "shown the door in part by his former backer - the US !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "in Riyadh, Saudi officials - watched with alarm !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the Saudi thinking was that they had been "betrayed" - by the US !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "Obama urged Mubarak to step down - in the face of the street demonstrations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "losing Mubarak meant that the Saudis saw themselves as the last Sunni place - left in the region !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the Saudis were further agitated - when the protests creep closer to their own borders !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "in Yemen, on their southern flank - young protesters are suddenly rallying thousands !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "and then tens of thousands - of their fellow citizens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "to demand the ouster of the regime - led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh - and his family !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "meanwhile, across a narrow expanse of water on Saudi Arabia's northeast border - protesters in Bahrain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "rally in the hundreds of thousands - around a central roundabout in Manama !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "most Bahraini demonstrators are Shiites with a long list of grievances - over widespread economic and political discrimination !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "some Sunnis also participate, demanding more say - in the government of the Al-Khalifa family !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "independent observers saw no sign that the protests were anything but homegrown movements - arising from local problems !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "but to the Saudis, the rising disorder on their borders - fitted a wished pattern !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "Saudi Arabian troops had crossed the causeway - leading to Bahrain on March 14 !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "to the Saudi ears, the suspicions were confirmed - when many Bahraini protesters demands greater political and economic participation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "many protesters see these as reasonable responses - to years of empty promises - to give a real share of power !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "but the Saudis had seen calls for reform - as another in a string of disappointments, and outright betrayals !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "one regime after another - appears to be on the ropes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "analysts and democracy advocates see - a more complicated picture !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the ramping up of regional tensions - has another source:  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "fear of democracy - itself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the Saudis had negotiated an arms deal - with the US !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "said they wanted to increase the size of their armed forces - and National Guard !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "Saudi Arabia and Iran viewed - any move toward more democracy at home !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "at least on anyone's terms - but their own !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "as a threat - to their regimes !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saudi Arabia and Yemen - Statment - Saudi cable - 2004: LINK ¤ DOC120763

_________________________________________

 

• "joint statement of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Salih:  !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "the two countries had stressed their keenness - on advancing relations !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "and to embody - the security cooperation agreement !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "on the protection of their security - to confront all destabilizing actions !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "they affirmed that the joint responsibility of the security - of two countries !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "should be shouldered by security bodies in the two countries - with joint efforts !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "and assignment of - joint security arrangements !"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swedish classical Guitarist Celia Linde - Saudi cable - 2015: LINK ¤ DOC129737

_________________________________________

 

• "E-Mail to Raif Badawi, Saudi Foreign Ministry - by Celia Linde:  !!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "I am writing to you today - to express my deep concern over the news !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "that Saudi blogger Raif Badawi - had been seriously injured !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "by the flogging he had received - that the doctors confirmed his serious condition !"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "although I am grateful that the next scheduled flogging of 50 lashes has been postponed - I am alarmed that someone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "whose only "crime" is setting up a website - for peaceful political and social debate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "had been subjected to a form - of torture !"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "I urge you to please do all in your power - to halt these floggings completely !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "and to review his case with a view - to releasing him also - from his ten-year sentence !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "both the floggings and the jail term are in direct and violent opposition - to the principles of justice and jurisprudence held in common throughout the very international community !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "furthermore, the jailing and flogging of Mr. Badawi - both violate Article 32 - of the Arab Charter on Human Rights !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "to which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - is a signatory !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

• "sincerely - Celia Linde !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAIF BADAWI - Wikipedia EN: LINK ¤ BADAWI