Saudi King Abdullah warned other Middle Eastern leaders of escalating conflicts around the region. The three countries mentioned happen to be fledgling democracies, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, and Iraq. The U.S. turned its back on two of the three while it continues to struggle in Iraq. In the King’s opening speech he said "It is like a keg of gunpowder waiting for a spark to explode."
What did the Saudi monarch not say? He failed to mention President Bush’s thumbing his advice three times. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister warned it could destabilize the region by generating sectarian violence. After the Hama win in Palestine, that same advisor suggested the U.S. talk with Hamas. This time Bush gave the terrorist group the proverbial middle finger. Last summer the Saudi’s pleaded with the American President to intervene stopping the Israeli bombing of democratic Lebanon. Bush and company sat on their hands for a month before helping to reach a cease fire.
How would King Abdullah assess the U.S.’s role in developing the current powder keg in the Middle East? If I recall correctly, the younger Bush loved keg parties. I’d hoped he’d outgrown this preference…
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