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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – One week after the planned “Day of Rage” didn’t materialize on the streets of Saudi Arabia’s main cities, the police had to deal with a different kind of “demonstration” in the kingdom’s capital.
The youth of the kingdom, draped in green and white flags and clutching poster-sized portraits of their king, poured into the streets Friday in a show of solidarity and support for his rule.
STR / AP
Saudi men gesture as they carry national flags during street celebrations in support of Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the 86-year-old ruler of this deeply conservative oil-rich kingdom had announced a series of measures to boost welfare benefits, create more jobs, build new housing, improve healthcare and establish a new agency to tackle corruption – at a cost of $93 billion.
Many cynics dismissed these initiatives as a cosmetic glossing over of the real problems that exist within Saudi society. With unemployment estimated to be above 10 percent and a burgeoning youth population, the median age is 25, the country faces serious challenges.
But as one senior Saudi official put it on Monday, the reform package “could buy us the time we need before any serious political reforms are implemented.”
Unlike elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia has the economic clout to be able carry out its promise of pouring billions of dollars into public projects, at least for the foreseeable future. With the price of oil at more than $100 per barrel, even a $93 billion series of initiatives is affordable for this oil-rich nation.
FAHAD SHADEED / Reuters
Men pose with a photograph of Saudi's King Abdullah after the King addressed the nation in Riyadh on Friday.
Soft power of the king
But what distinguishes the kingdom from other countries, asides from its impressive oil reserves, and what most so-called “Saudi experts” consistently underestimate and have failed to fathom, is the soft power of the king himself.
“I love my King Abdullah!” shouted 18-year-old Thamer Al Said, when asked why he was out on the streets with his friends. “All the people love him because he is a great man and he loves his people,” he continued, raising a picture of the king high above his head.
His sentiments were echoed by many on Riyadh’s streets Friday. Cars were spray-painted green and white and some owners had even gone as far as to have pictures of the king etched onto their rear windows. Stereos blared patriotic songs lauding the attributes of King Abdullah: “We love you, father of the nation. May Allah Bless you with a long life!”
Mohammed Al Harthy, a computer engineer who has been unemployed for two years had mixed feelings about the decrees. “I know that our government is trying its best to help the people, but life here is very expensive these days and it’s very hard when you don’t have a job after studying all these years. I want to work. I don’t want to have to accept charity from anyone.”
So did he think that regime change was the solution?
“I think everybody here loves the king and you know, we all believe in him. We have a lot of problems, like anywhere else, but we want to find our own solutions. What King Abdullah has done is a great step, but there are lots of things that need to change. We don’t want our king to change, but we want him to make the changes that we need.”
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If he's so beloved, periodic elections would confirm that fact.
Our own USA elections don't prove much when you consider the low percentage of eligible voters that actually vote.
The big chop block in chop chop square awaits those who shout "We hate King Abdullah" Get real people!!! Just because "DUBYA" was in bed with him does not make him beloved.
absolutlly yard...I also think they're use to so little freedom that any 'gift from the potentate' looks like a good deal.
If he is so beloved, why do so many of the major terrorists of the world come from his disaffected youth?
I think you can call them "dysfunctional" youth. Every country has then. In the US we have Gangs. Central and South America have the cartels. Venezuela have the people who actually cast a vote for Chavez...well and those who threatened anyone who didn't vote for him.
Yeah for 95 Billion (free house / utilities / education / healthcare free free free) we would love him too - until the oil runs out! Dont forget these are just a few of the spare bones he throws at them from time to time - the filet mignon he keeps with a few of his close henchmen. Whats the saying - 'give them free fish and ..... ? '
funny how a week after you've been shooting at the people opposed to your regime, the only ones left the next week are the ones supporting it...
I had the amazing good fortune to meet Prince Abdulla back in December 1960 in Damascus, Syria. What was supposed to be about a 45 minuete audience ran to about 2 hours. The meeting took place in his suite in the Princip Hotel (my memory of the name) where I was also staying.
We enjoyed a wide rangingbtalk covering a lot of things from the "ownership" of the USA press by the Zionist interests of Israel to whether or not the USA was otherwise a reliable friend. We also talked about the possibility of establishing an oil cartel (This was about a year before OPEC was announced.
Let me tell you, this king is a modern prince! I think that he's comparable to Emperor Joseph II (ruled 1765-1790)of the Holy Roman Empire in many ways. Like Joseph, he's an enlightened despot.
I'll always remember what he told me (my words as I've forgotten his exact words) "I want you to understand that neither myself or my family have any quarel with the American People but we have manny reservations about your government's policies in general." At the time of our meeting I was 29 years old and he was 36.
so here's the deal, "we" like the Saudi regime so "we" get the press to put up this article. How many youths were demonstrating their support for the King, how much were they paid, article forgot to mention that. I like where they ask the kid if he likes the King, like he's going to go on the record criticizing his "soft" dictator
50 years ago Bob...I grad from High School in 61' and still remember the times...that was a significantly different world and your young butt being in the company of Kings..that had to have been a trip!
@Fly, whether or not the King is beloved has nothing to do with the terrorists that come from there, they are not going after Saudi targets.
The terrorists are a part of a certain religious sect that is not always in line with the teachings of Islam. Much the same as we have a number of the Religious Right that have infiltrated our governments here in the U.S. that are currently waging war on anything that doesn't fit in their narrow, peculiar worldview.
Its to bad Obama does not have the "clout" that's needed to carry out his empty promises!!!
Change you can believe in is on its way!!! GO PALIN 2012!!!
If that's the change I get to look forward to, I think I'll try to extend my residence permit in Germany then.
Yes I too support Sarah Palin as the Republican candidate. But only because I am a devout Obama koo-aid drinker. 4 More Years!! Woot!!
I like a lot of what Governor Palin stands for but having lived in the North for many years and having since relocated to the South I just don't think I could stand to listen to her voice for 4 years. Kinda like listening to how Obama whistles and always saying "let me be perfectly clear" when he speaks. Gets old. Now if Governor Chris Christie was running we'd probably have a landslide like Reagan II.
Congratualtions...another idiot! No one ever went broke under-estimating the intellect of the American people...that was P.T. Barnum 100+ years ago...still true today. Note the comment of the "hope & change" addict above...all I know is Hope is dead and I don't have much Change left!!!
Just keep chanting that Hawk and you will guarantee obama another four years.
Hawk - driving a car into a brick wall at 100mph will bring the type of change Sara P would bring. Luckily we'll never know for sure.
You're nuts Hawk
Hawk,
Sarah "baby' won't even run for president! She likes the 'easy money' she is making off of people like YOU! Besides most of the American Voters want a president with an intelligent mind, not a "dim-wit"! Forget-abou-it! Try to encourage Michelle Bachmann, now there is a bright star you can hang your hat on! I just know you love her equally as well as Sarah Fail'in!
The stone age is on it's way if she were to win.
She won't win, but I wish she would run. ;-)
Sven you shouldn't give the Governor moniker to someone who quit her post to pursue media publicity, REALLY
Hawk!!!! King Abdullah takes care of his people. Queen AbsentMinded doesn't know what that means...
Please Please Please run for president Sarah. It will guarentee four more years of Obama and will be down right funny. Just consider the coverage from the Fox Comedy ... I mean News Channel.
I would shout his praises if he just gave me thousands of dollars too. They should be cheering the U.S. We're the idiots who are making all of them rich.
All villages have their idiots and yours is calling you!
Ghadaffi should have paid attention. King Abdullah has been King for 5 years, not 30 or 41, and has implemented lots of reforms, including buidling a Science and Tech center, a coed, facility, who is slowly working towards more equality for women, and reformed and trained the Justice system, yea its Sharia Law, which is what those people want, but its has preventions to prevent extreme abuses. His budget from the oil riches, includes 25% for education and infastructure. Unlike some despots who lined their pockets and those of their friends, the Saudi's riches go to make their country stronger, more educated, and a higher standard of living, and tribal good ole boy networking is not part of it.
I wish the whole world had our freedoms, and democracy and the opportunity we have here, but that has to be the choice of the people in their regions. King Abdullah has earned his peoples respect and love, by refraining from being a whacko who brutalizes opponents and hijacks airplanes. And investing in his people. And in response they want his kingship. The only way to safeguard against revolution for these types of governments is to cherish and care for your people, build schools, hospitals, and so forth. Whereever there is extreme rich and extreme poor and no in between there will eventually be revolution.
King Abdullah was smart enough to have an in between. and to extend help to the extreme poor, and not be flaunting extreme rich when people are in want and suffering.
Thats what they want, and so be it. Who are we to project what we like onto others. The world is better when it is respectful.
Ghadaffi has been a fool, then and now. And shown the world he does not cherish his people, he kills them, and that its about him and his lust for power. He should have stepped down, 41 years, thats enough of a run, even if it had been a good for the people and world run, which obviously it wasn't. Killing innocent people has been this barbarians style always.
nice post
"preventions"? like what? a penal code, open trials with a jury of your peers, police needing a search warrant to raid your home? sorry, Saudi Arabia doesn't have any of these...
No I don't think the whole world should have our type of independence and freedom. You why? They'll get smart and reject our imperial and egocentric approach dealing with them, then we are pissed and start wars. Afterall we have the big megaphone to frame the issue so we'll just kill them all because they don't want to play by our rules. It's rather ironic than we seem to fight these wars where there is oil. What about Zimbabwe or Congo or some place where there is no OIL. Just wandering!
or Afghanistan.
Why do you compare Libya to Arabia? Arabia has no rebellion. How can you judge what happened in Libya on what has not happened in Arabia?
Palin doesn't have a chance in 2012, and as a conservative, I'm very thankful of that. While I like the woman in general terms, and I like her beliefs, there isn't a chance in the world she could ever defeat Obama. I can't even imagine Palin giving a State of the Union address.
she'd wink and flirt with joe six pack during... you betcha.
I'd let her flirt with me, sh's hot! But I also think she's a little off. I am a Republican and I wouldnt vote for her. But I am a moderate too so I dont agree with most of her stuff. But she's still HOT!
Yeah, and during her campaign they can cue Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' With Disaster." Caribou Barbie ... WTF is the matter with you people?
We don't want our king to change. We want our king to change the things we need. Sounds reasonable. I think this king will do his best to do it.
Don't most people scream for ice cream?
lets get the donald in there he will make the excellent changes that we need
he's too surface...one of many points.....his being ashamed of being bald when the US is waiting for leadership not vanity will get in his way...as his enemy's will find an opening there and use it to manipulate him
You want a man who has gone bankrupt 3 times? That makes a lot of sense.
Verno, no worse than Dubya going bankrupt 4 times before taking public office, and having daddy's friends bail him out each time. The Saudis did it the last 2 times. But alas, no, Trump isn't presidential material.
muslim men love the chief protector of their killigion, the saudi imperial wizard king abdulla. muslim women hate him. men are scared of freedom because their women if given freedom would drop them like a useless rotten apple.
I'm in favor of the 51st state---oilabama
Yep you read it right 93 billion american dollars to prop up this joke of a kingdom well just last week they wanted hm out I think
they are learning from the libs.
Is that US money or their own? Reads as if it is their own money.
We buy a lot of the oil, hence the american dollars.
Millions of people and only one family is smart enough to lead. What a sad statement for that Kingdom of slaves.
Are you kidding me. The Saud family makes up 1/4 of the population.
Have you ever seen how many princes they have?
Jodeman, if what you say is true, then that might explain the pro-king demonstrations. They're relatives. LOL!
Take a close look at the crowds screaming, "I love King Abdullah." You may find a lot of ex-White House and ex-State Department officials. King Abdullah and other wealthy patrons in the oil rich Arabian Peninsula funnel a lot of money to many influential politicians over here. You might even find Jimmy Carter jumping up and down holding a Saudi Arabian flag. Without Saudi money his Carter Center might not have gotten off the ground.
from
2004 - House of Representatives today voted 217-191 on a foreign aid bill and resolved to deny financial assistance to Saudi Arabia. The Bush Administration strongly opposed the amendment to "prohibit any U.S. assistance to Saudi Arabia," saying it would "severely undermine" both counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia and U.S. efforts for peace in the Middle East (the latter is a bit of a stretch).
Democrats, as they backed the measure to cut aid 156-39; in contrast, Republicans opposed it 152-60
June 10, 2006 update: Two years later, same topic and roughly the same result. The House voted 312 to 97 to cut $420,000 in aid to Saudi Arabia, $400,000 for an anti-terrorism program and $20,000 in military training and education, due to Saudi teaching of intolerance and the lack of counterterrorism action by the kingdom. The measure now goes to the Senate.
June 22, 2007 update: This year, the House voted again to ban any aid to Saudi Arabia. In 2005 and 2006, US$2.5 million went to Riyadh to train Saudis in counter-terrorism and border security and to pay for Saudi military officers to attend U.S. military school. The prohibition was attached to a foreign aid funding bill and faces a veto from the White House. The Reuters article notes that "In the past three years, Congress has passed bills to stop the relatively small amount of U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia, only to see the Bush administration circumvent the prohibitions. Now, lawmakers are trying to close loopholes so that no more U.S. aid can be sent to the world's leading petroleum exporter."
I just wanted to comment here that it is Saudi Arabia that paid the Vinnell Corporation, a U.S. company, to help train the Saudi national guard. The U.S. officers get paid excellent salaries with first class tickets (for certain ranks) for them and their families every year to go back to the U.S. for visits. I know this for a fact as I know people who both work for Vinnell and the Saudi National Guard. As for the Saudi officers who attend U.S. military schools, it is the Saudi National Guard that pays their way. And they come to study different anti-terrorism tactics.
What people do no understand is that the Saudi people are proud of their country and religion and they do not in any way, shape, or form condone terrorism. Just because a minority might does not mean all do. No country or people want outside interference, and unless one has lived in a country and gotten to know its people, they will not know how they think.
Saudi Arabia has always been a supporter of the American people. Do not always depend on what you hear in the media. Not everything that is said is true. I have lived among the American people and the people who truly represent the U.S. are the kind, broad-minded, peace-loving people that I know. So you have a few racists, but who doesn't? Don't let your hatred for others make you hated.
Also, Saudi women absolutely love King Abdullah as he wants women to have their rights as well. He has given thousands of scholarships for women to study abroad (the Ministry of Higher Education gives most of those) and their husbands and children as well. He has called for women to drive, but he cannot pass a law without the Shura Council and a religious council approving it. He will not go against his people's wishes. He also receives people at his office on a weekly basis and listens to their problems. He will help whoever is in need. Just watch Saudi television every week and you'll see it.
The Saudis involved in 9/11 were out to embarrass the Saudi royal family and U.S.-Saudi relations. EVERY country has its own "black sheep" that oppose some form of their own government and policies. Remember Timothy McVeigh? Theodore Kaczynski? Don't be so quick to judge people.
People, please understand that the media a lot of times is responsible for problems between countries and people. I know the American people well, just like I know the Saudi people well, and they all have the same problems - albeit differently. I think the world should be more focused on finding a cure for cancer or something like that.
The link did not show in my last post
We love King Abba Dabba Dulla. Really? how much did your beloved King Abba Dabba Dulla pay you to say that?what a CROCK OF CRAP.
YOUR BELOVED KING IS A LOSER!
are democracies really above board when it comes to a few families running their countries? what about them kennedies and bushes? the aquinos in philipines and some in japan. what about usa's new found buddy india which is in the iron grip of gandhis who have a reputation for being immensely corrupt, with tons of money stashed away in swiss banks while the millions of poors are half starved there? democrazy are not all that it is cracked up to be, is it? i venture say poor countries can't afford democrazy. gadaffi wasn't killing anybody when people were well behaved. if the poeple start throwing rocks and stop the business of the state, what choice do the rulers have? see what happens to you if you tried that right here at home. try throwing rocks at anywhere; you will be in jail, plain and simple. so, what's gadaffi to do?
You could change that headline to "We love King Obama" for those in the U.S. who support his policies and agenda and the article would read pretty much the same and the comments also, although different names to the comments.
I confess I am missing the "logic" of all those opposed to the Saudi royal family. The current regime provides a much needed balance to the Shi'a extremists in Iran, the ongoing cluster-frick of Iraq, and the lawlessness of Hizbolah, Yemen and Oman. What is your point? That you would prefer Saudi Arabia to be ruled by a radical Islamic sect that could somehow "win" an open election? Just like Ahmadinejad "won" the most recent Iranian election?
This is what you want for world peace and economic stability? Really? Fuqtards.
cutecy word fuqtard. something stupid you just made up?the Saudi leaders are losers. any country that enslaves it's people are losers, the Saudis are not exempt genius.if you're so much in love with them then go live over there. they can pay you to yell in the streets and say how much you love their king, like their doing with all the other losers..
you're just unfricken believable
it good to be king
Thank you for showing that the Muslim world does have good and enlightened people.
Good and enlightened people???? Women in Saudi are not even allowed to drive, they must also submit to the wishes of their "guardian". They cannot choose who they marry. Their existence is often compared to slavery. I would not wish this on my child or future generations.
This is just the beginning of the "spring of change" in the Middle East. As shown here, Middle East nations suffer from the most repressive governments of any region in the world with the least political and civil rights and this article should help in determining which nations will be moving toward democracy:
http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2011/02/defining-and-quantifying-freedom-in.html
I believe the actual chant was: "I love my King Abdullah (because I don't want me and my family to end-up in shallow graves in the desert)!"
- Strangely, the part in parenthesis isn't audible...
Actually Medic, if you really knew what the hell was going on instead of coming up with your garbage, you'd KNOW that those people DO love their king.
Free medical, free college, can pretty well work if you want to (but you don't really have to in the end) because they have a country that is rich beyond counting and does not have a huge population to take car of. Almost all labor is shipped in from other nations because Saudi's don't actually like doing real work unless THEY decide to (In other words, they don't NEED to work).
Their military buys equipment and then goes and fires up ammunition because it's fun, NOT because they actually have any military skills, or even need to learn military skills as far as their concerned.
Last time I was there, gas was 6 cents a gallon (that was after prices had gone UP by the way) and that was pretty well just because you had to pay something. Cars when they break down are left by the side of the road, NOT towed for repair. EVERY Bedouin had a pickup bought for them by the Royal family, and even Kobar Towers was built for the Bedouins to live in, but they never wanted to. The streets are lined by trees that that are watered with tanker trucks every single day, using hundreds of thousands of gallons of water (that no one complains about, since there are NO water, electric, or other utility bills)
The people over there aren't like you, making up lies about being buried in the desert. Their "day of rage" that was called for ended up being empty streets because no one has any "rage" at how they are ruled.
Strangely, your part in description of the quote that "isn't audible", IS actually missing to the people over there because it does NOT exist.
The King knows how to buy love.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
RIYADH - Saudi King Abdullah returned home after three months abroad for medical treatment on Wednesday and unveiled a series of benefits for citizens estimated to be worth $35 billion.
The benefits include funding to offset high inflation, to help young unemployed people and to support families to get affordable housing.
http://saudilife.net/news/8171-king-returns-35b-benefits-saturday-holiday