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- RELATIONS KEY TO WOT
- AT: SAUDIS HELP TERRORISTS
PROLIF NUCLEAR WAR‘Perhaps the opponent will back down if we show him we mean business by demonstrating a willingness to use nuclear weapons’. ‘If I don’t hit them back really hard, I am going to be driven from office, if not killed’. Whether right or wrong, in the stressful atmosphere of a nuclear crisis or war, such words from others, or silently from within, might resonate too readily with a harried leader. Thus, both history and human nature suggest that nuclear deterrence can be expected to fail from time to time, and we are fortunate it has not happened yet. But the threat of nuclear war is not just a matter of a few weapons being used. It could get much worse. Once a conflict reaches the point where nuclear weapons are employed, the stresses felt by the leaderships would rise enormously. These stresses can be expected to further degrade their decision-making. The pressures to force the enemy to stop fighting or to surrender could argue for more forceful and decisive military action, which might be the right thing to do in the circumstances, but maybe not. And the horrors of the carnage already suffered may be seen as justification for visiting the most devastating punishment possible on the enemy.7 Again, history demonstrates how intense conflict can lead the combatants to escalate violence to the maximum possible levels. In the Second World War, early promises not to bomb cities soon gave way to essentially indiscriminate bombing of civilians. The war between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s led to the use of chemical weapons on both sides and exchanges of missiles against each other’s cities. And more recently, violence in the Middle East escalated in a few months from rocks and small arms to heavy weapons on one side, and from police actions to air strikes and armoured attacks on the other. Escalation of violence is also basic human nature. Once the violence starts, retaliatory exchanges of violent acts can escalate to levels unimagined by the participants beforehand.8 Intense and blinding anger is a common response to fear or humiliation or abuse. And such anger can lead us to impose on our opponents whatever levels of violence are readily accessible. In sum, widespread proliferation is likely to lead to an occasional shoot-out with nuclear weapons, and that such shoot-outs will have a substantial probability of escalating to the maximum destruction possible with the weapons at hand. Unless nuclear proliferation is stopped, we are headed toward a world that will mirror the American Wild West of the late 1800s. With most, if not all, nations wearing nuclear ‘six-shooters’ on their hips, the world may even be a more polite place than it is today, but every once in a while we will all gather on a hill to bury the bodies of dead cities or even whole nations. RELATIONS KEY TO WOTUS-SAUDI RELATIONS KEY TO WAR ON TERROR Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, February 2008 “Background Note: Saudi Arabia” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm U.S.-SAUDI ARABIAN RELATIONS Saudi Arabia's unique role in the Arab and Islamic worlds, its possession of the world's largest reserves of oil, and its strategic location make its friendship important to the United States. Diplomatic relations were established in 1933; the U.S. embassy opened in Jeddah in 1944 and moved to Riyadh in 1984. The Jeddah embassy became a U.S. consulate. Meanwhile, a U.S. consulate opened in Dhahran in 1944. The United States and Saudi Arabia share a common concern about regional security, oil exports and imports, and sustainable development. Close consultations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have developed on international, economic, and development issues such as the Middle East peace process and shared interests in the Gulf. The continued availability of reliable sources of oil, particularly from Saudi Arabia, remains important to the prosperity of the United States as well as to Europe and Japan. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading sources of imported oil for the United States, providing more than one million barrels/day of oil to the U.S. The U.S. is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, and Saudi Arabia is the largest U.S. export market in the Middle East. In addition to economic ties, a longstanding security relationship continues to be important in U.S.-Saudi relations. A U.S. military training mission established at Dhahran in 1953 provides training and support in the use of weapons and other security-related services to the Saudi armed forces. The United States has sold Saudi Arabia military aircraft (F-15s, AWACS, and UH-60 Blackhawks), air defense weaponry (Patriot and Hawk missiles), armored vehicles (M1A2 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles), and other equipment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had a long-term role in military and civilian construction activities in the Kingdom. The U.S., as part of the Gulf Security Dialogue with individual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, has announced plans to sell advanced, primarily defensive, military equipment to GCC members, including Saudi Arabia, to support the efforts of these countries to increase their capacity for self-defense. In August 2003, following the U.S.-led war in Iraq in March and April 2003, the United States withdrew its troops stationed in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s relations with the United States were strained after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in which 15 of the suicide bombers were Saudi citizens. In May 2003, a terrorist organization directly affiliated with al-Qaida launched a violent campaign of terror in Saudi Arabia. On May 12, suicide bombers killed 35 people, including nine Americans, in attacks at three housing compounds for Westerners in Riyadh. On November 8, 2003 terrorists attacked another compound housing foreign workers from mainly Arab countries. At least 18 people, including 5 children died in this attack, and more than 100 were injured. On May 1, 2004 terrorists killed two Americans in the Yanbu oil facility in the western part of the country. On May 29, 2004 terrorists killed one American and wounded several others in attacks on an official building and housing compound in al-Khobar in the Eastern Province. On June 6, terrorists shot and killed a BBC journalist. On June 9 and June 12, 2004 terrorists killed Americans Robert Jacobs and Kenneth Scroggs. On June 18, 2004 terrorists kidnapped and beheaded American Paul Johnson. On December 6, 2004 terrorists attacked the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, killing five consulate employees. Terrorists also targeted and killed other foreign nationalities during this time. Saudi security services have waged an active counterterrorism campaign that has largely neutralized this terrorist organization, though sproradic instances of terrorism still occur. In May 2006, terrorists attempted to attack the important ARAMCO oil-processing facility near Abqaiq. In February 2007, four French nationals were killed in western Saudi Arabia in a suspected terrorist attack. Saudi Arabia is an important partner in the campaign against terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and financial arenas. Counterterrorism cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States increased significantly after the May 12, 2003 bombings in Riyadh and continues today. In February 2005, the Saudi government sponsored the first ever Counter-Terrorism International Conference in Riyadh. AT: SAUDIS HELP TERRORISTSSAUDI ARABIA IS A KEY ALLY IN THE WAR ON TERROR. MULTIPLE SUCCESSES PROVE Dr. Anthony Cordesman, Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman holds the Arleigh Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is Co-Director of the Center's Middle East Program. He is also a military analyst for ABC and a Professor of National Security Studies at Georgetown 2005 http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/articles/2005/ioi/050411b-terrorism-saudi-cordesman.html “Saudi Arabia and the Struggle Against Terrorism” The last few weeks have confirmed the fact that Saudi counter terrorism forces are becoming steadily more effective, that many of the leaders of Al Qa’ida in Saudi Arabia have been captured, and that Al Qa’ida in Arabia has not emerged as a major threat to the Kingdom's stability. In just the last week, Saudi security forces have killed three major Al Qa’ida leaders -- Kareem Altohami al-Mojati, a Moroccan, and Saud Homood Obaid al-Otaibi and Abdul-Rahman Mohammed Yazji, both Saudis. At this point in time, the Saudi government has killed or captured 25 out of the 26 leaders of Al Qa’ida that the government identified after Al Qa’ida launched its major offensive in Saudi Arabia in May 2003. The threat isn't over. The Saudi victory in Al-Rass did not come quickly or easily.Signs of the fierce gunbattle were evident in Al-Jawazat District of Al-Rass town, northwest of Riyadh, on Friday. (Arab News photo by Khaled Al-Awadh) It took a three-day battle and Saudi special forces, police, and security units took serious casualties in killing al-Mojati and al-Otaibi. The Al Qa’ida cell also demonstrated how seriously its members were committed to the struggle. Only six were captured after twelve other militants were killed in a series of firefights. The police raid that killed Yazji was less intense, but still involved significant fighting and damage to the two story building in the industrial area of Riyadh where he was hiding. It both cases, the Al Qa’ida cells had explosives and in Al-Rass, some reports indicate that they had machine guns. There is no reliable count of how many active Al Qa’ida members are still in Saudi Arabia, or how many it has in reserve in countries like Yemen. There is no way to know how many new recruits and leaders it can develop inside the Kingdom, or how many Saudi young men will return from Islamic extremist causes in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and India. There almost certainly will be more Al Qa’ida attacks, probably extending over a period of years. On December 31,Ministry of Interior building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Televised image) 2004, Al Qa’ida issued a statement claiming that their targets in the December 29 bombings were the Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef, and his son, Prince Mohammad bin Nayef. Bin Laden's statements also indicate that attempts are going to be made to raise the ante by striking more often at major government leaders and offices, and at Saudi oil facilities. The fact remains, however, that Saudi counter terrorism capabilities are getting steadily better, Saudi intelligence and force effectiveness is increasing, and the number of experienced and capable cadres is thinning. Moreover, the charges by some outside commentators that the Royal family is divided and cannot cooperate have been proved wrong in the process. "Jointness" is as imperfect between the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the Saudi Ministry of Interior, and the Saudi National Guard as it is between elements of the US government. At the same time, "traditionalists" and "reformers" in the three agencies have all cooperated and developed specialized functions that allow them to support each other, rather than operating as rivals or in isolation. What is equally important is that both the royal family and the Saudi government have shown they have "depth" in dealing with these issues. The sons of the ruling princes traditionally stay in the background in Saudi Arabia, but the sons of Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan (the Minister of Defense), and Prince Nayef have all proven to be highly competent in meeting Saudi Arabia's new security challenges. Moreover, the generation of officers under them has also proved to be capable of adapting to new security challenges, and has shown growing initiative and independence of action. Every element of the Saudi counter terrorism forces still needs improvement, and some improvement will take years even with the outside international support that Saudi Arabia is quietly receiving. The progress since May 2003, however, is still very impressive. Prince Nayef, in his opening speech at the counter terrorism conference, in Riyadh, summed up the Saudi counter terrorism experience: In the last two years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed 22 criminal incidents – including explosions, attacks, and kidnapping – causing the death of 90 citizens and foreign nationals and injuring 507 people. Thirty-nine security troops were martyred and 213 among them were injured, whereas 92 terrorists of this miscreant minority were killed and 17 of them wounded. Material losses in property and damage to facilities have exceeded 1 billion dollars. It is thanks to Allah’s grace and their alertness that the security forces have been able to foil a total of 52 terrorist operations in preemptive strikes that have thwarted the occurrence of any further loss in life or property. Saudi Arabia still has much to do in dealing with international cooperation, improving its controls over the flow of money in and out of the Kingdom, and working with the other countries’ counter terrorism forces, as does every other country in the world. Saudi Arabia, however, did host 60 countries and international organizations in a conference Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 9.54 Mb. Share with your friends:
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