Saudi Arabia

The long day closes


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Curate's Egg

Even though schadenfreude is in bad taste, I can't say I will regret the decline and fall of the state of Al Sauds considering the country's numerous transgressions against common sense. Persecution of religious minorities, refusal to tolerate even a minimal amount of gender equality, horrendous treatment of foreign workers in the country, a general backwardness in all aspects of its life, and institutionalized xenophobia - no, Saudi Arabia gets no empathy from me. This is the only country in the world that brazenly commits itself to absolute monarchy, without even the decency to nominally proclaim that it is a democracy - not even North Korea stoops that low.

And let's not forget that they have not lifted a finger for their enormous wealth - most of which should have belonged to the persecuted Shias in the Eastern Province anyways. Those oil fields would have made this despised and robbed minority the world's richest people by far, if they had the fortune to resist Saudi conquest back in the day.

Blessed be Allah for the impending oil glut, coming from places as far away from Saudi Arabia as possible.

Swap Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia for Shia ones - and nothing - literally nothing! - will change. For women, for persecuted Sunni minority (or majority, it doesn't matter as Syria and Iraq proved), for any other "transgressions against common sense".

I'm not saying the Shias are better than Sunnis at governance. I should have made my point clearer.

Most of Saudi Arabia's oil is buried beneath the Eastern Province, where the Saudi Shias live. A concrete statistical info on the number of Shias in Saudi Arabia is hard to come by, but it is commonly estimated to be around 10 to 15% of the total population of Saudi Arabia. That's 3m - 4.5m or possibly more, since the Shias tend to hide their faith. Eastern Province also has a population of about 3m. From this, we can deduce that the Eastern Province, in effect, is a Shia province.

Now, the oil fields in that region are giving a per capita income of 20k to a country of 30m that has no viable industry, and for the most part relies on its 10m-strong foreign workers community for all the work. Imagine what that wealth could do for a population of 3m. They would really be the richest country on Earth by far and wide.


Love, not money, covers a multitude of sins.

If the rulers truly love their people, then they will convert to democracy, invest in education, promote entrepreneurship. All aimed at making their people self-sufficient, rather than dependent on subsidies.

A transition need not be tricky. The monarchy is still in charge, so while the foundations of democracy are established, they can maintain oversight, then lay down a fixed timeline for the transition.

Realities in reply to edwardong

They could even do something halfway between British-style and absolute monarchy, to ensure that there is not too much change, too fast. But yes, they should maintain oversight while the institutional framework is being set up, gradually (but not glacially) creating a democratic parliamentary constitutional monarchy.


These geriatric royals have clung on power through propagating the extremist ideology to the Ummah worldwide. But ultimately, their fate will rest on the whims of the Zionists in the White House.

Chandra Muzaffar

Comparing Saudi Arabia and Iran, in many ways Iran is a better country. Iran is democratic despite it's problems with the West. All that is needed is for the Iranian government to reform and to change direction in it's dealing with the West. When Saudi oil runs out, the House of Saud will indeed fall like a house of cards. No more money for corruption and bribes. No more friends in the West. It will just be another barren desert.

zt3Ay72APW in reply to Cloudwarrior

Holding an election, under any condition you think of, is much better then having a country where like the middle ages, some guys sons have been ruling for the last century!
if you call Iran undemocratic, then KSA is out of the milky way!

CnKQ7pSia6 in reply to Chandra Muzaffar

Not to say Saudi Arabia is any better than Iran but it is nonsensical to say that Iran is democratic (the link below shows how power in Iran works and who controls what) .The Supreme Leader in Iran is the equivalent of the King of Saudi Arabia - and in many ways even more powerful because the former controls both political and religious spheres. Saying that the Iranian government needs to reform is like saying "all that is needed is for the North Korean leadership to reform".

CnKQ7pSia6 in reply to Thamir

Ah, the classy reply. You have to love it. You first make a sweeping assumption about the race of a poster, then go another step worse and generalize people from a whole region.

All this to defend Saudi Arabia - a country that is barbaric, uncivilized and quite frankly nauseating. A place where you can buy the life of a man with "blood money"! Talk about selling justice and dignity for pennies!

What was that saying again?... People who live in glass houses...

Thamir in reply to CnKQ7pSia6

Obviously your concepts of justice is flawed.

Someone kills your loved one, will you: forgive, execute, or demand blood money and drop punishment?

I doubt you have the strength of character to drop charges like the 13 families in this article.

FYI: The Japanese "mimaikin" and Koreans "hapuigeum" have a similar "blood money" system.


Thou, author of the article and all of this in your report Aaiedk
Forgot grandparents who were enslaved people
Lancet, which is fighting the church underdeveloped science
Forgot sexual scandals of priests who belong to them
Saudi Arabia will remain a strong country
And I love to tell you
Coming we are descendants of Muhammad and grandsons of Tariq bin Ziyad
And the land of Sntehr Qmartkm
The Caliphate will return

Holden McGroin in reply to elmerngus

No offense, but you can't make a toothbrush. Saudi men don't work more than one hour/day, and your women are repressed to the point where they make little economic contribution.

There is zero chance of the caliphate returning. When the oil runs out, your countries will cease operation as unified entities and then go through a painful multi-decade period of internal strife. And, the madrasah system will die, as its financial supports wither.

I haven't even mentioned the effects of global climate-change on arable, livable land in the region. . .

jjupels in reply to elmerngus

You're a primitive from the most barren region of the world.
Civilization will chew you up and spit you with your tribal delusions of a caliphate .... it's just that we're decent enough to pay you for that oil instead of taking it.

Mr Hyde in reply to Holden McGroin

Please be kind to my fellow arabs, they can be ignorant most of the times. The first comment said "MAKE A TOOTHBRUSH" as in manufacture. But then again arabs are known hotheads.

Amazing article, it says what the intellectuals keep coming back to in regards to the Saudi influence in the Gulf region and the Arab world. "Wait and see who dies next and who the new faces are" until the change occurs from within the existing system of rule.

And about the monarchy system, you have to respect them for calling a spade a spade, eh :)

Reluctant Polluter in reply to notouch

I understand, you started to import toothbrushes back in 14th century... amazing! Very progressive thinking, commendable personal hygiene, and knack in international trade.
But you still aren't able to make (i.e. produce) a toothbrush, as you were not back in the 14th century. You need pig bristle for that, does Wahhabi strain of Mohammedanism allow that?
That's lamentable.



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BigBeeHive in reply to davereidyardy



They are a bunch of useless people.




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DullerBill$ in reply to JorgeSolari

Advanced is just ignorance

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mandy jean cole




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Yankee Kid




Thank you,
A Helpless Saudi from the heart of Najd.

Ron Courtney - Austin Texas









Maximiliano Herrera


Oggington Fartworthy








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Endlessness in reply to Thamir



Uh-huh thought so in reply to Thamir




Thamir in reply to Uh-huh thought so

Thanks for the groking!













gooz in reply to Thamir




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