50% of Saudis Want Us Dead

[cracked]

Read all about it!

 

And for those of you who think that reducing import taxes or any other thing we do to 'be nice to them' will reduce their hate of us, you should read what Osama wants.

 

Religion is a bitch. They hate us, and it won't change no matter what we do. Compare these guys to the Crusades, and you'll be staggered. Identical themes, rhetoric, and goals.

 

[Jim]

Actually the poll says this:

 

Forty-one percent said they favored strong and close relations with America, while only 39 percent said they had a favorable opinion of the Saudi armed forces, both results that Obaid also termed "surprising."

 

[Greg_W]

Gee, no shock there. We have no true friends we can rely on in that region, or so it seems. Especially, when our supposed allies don't come out to condemn the terror attacks and such against Americans, etc.

[Jim]

Well given our track record of meddling in the middle east and supporting opressive regimes is any of this surprising?

Particularly in Saudia Arabia where there is no hope of democratic reform, continued repression of free speech and opposition, and continued US support with a blind eye.

[Greg_W]

Well given our track record of meddling in the middle east and supporting opressive regimes is any of this surprising?

Particularly in Saudia Arabia where there is no hope of democratic reform, continued repression of free speech and opposition, and continued US support with a blind eye.

 

Long before that, their tribal mentality kicked in. Remember OPEC? They're all brothers of oil.

[Jim]

Dude - our meddling proceeds OPEC by a long shot. It's possible that it the oil producing countries were truely democratic that an oil cabal would be less likely. But given the advantages of banding together to limit supply of a precious commidity it could still occur.

 

The differnce would be that the weath of these countries would likely be put to better use than lining the pockets of a tight network of family and the US would not be seen as aiding and abetting this process. Instead the US has historcially propped up repressive regimes to attain "stability". Good code word that one.

[willstrickland]

The House of Saud will fall within the next 25 years. The unemployment in Saudi Arabia is staggering, especially among young men. If you think the income discrepancy here is bad, look at how the royalty there lives compared to the common man.

 

Take a bunch of poor young men, with no avenue for escape or bettering themselves, and nothing to keep them busy. Then oppress most of their freedoms. Add fundamentalist religion and you get a powderkeg.

[Jim]

Take a bunch of poor young men, with no avenue for escape or bettering themselves, and nothing to keep them busy. Then oppress most of their freedoms. Add fundamentalist religion and you get a powderkeg.

 

Exactly. If the economics their lot were better and they felt like they had some voice in their government they would be much less susceptible to the fundamentalist crap.

[JoshK]

We are certainly the most logical output for their anger. They see us as another ressurection of the "christian crusaders" It's easy to see how they came to this conclusion; christianity has done it's best to conquer and destroy other societies ever since it became large. I (and it seems a lot of other people here) dont like it all that much, so I can certainly see how they would hate it.

 

We need to cut our ties to that government. You don't need enemies when you've got friends like them.