Word: saud
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...bickering as yet another milestone in the 30-year Arab tradition of political disarray. The twelfth summit meeting of the 21-member Arab League, held briefly and acrimoniously last week behind the venerable battlements of the Moroccan city of Fez, undermined the prestige of the royal House of Saud, which had striven mightily to bring the conclave to a successful outcome. Yet even as the angry Saudi leaders stalked to their waiting aircraft, it was by no means clear that their efforts to find an alternative to the sputtering Camp David peace process had been dealt a final blow...
Moscow, perhaps by holding out the hope of returning the peace process to the long-suspended Geneva Conference that the Soviets chaired in tandem with the U.S. That appeared to have been the aim of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal, who recently spoke approvingly of a possible Soviet peace role in the future...
...this Reagan administration "triumph." Although American foreign policymakers seem intent on flaunting the country's military power, they appear intent on flouting the principles of power in international relations. It would not seem to behoove those who pride themselves on their realpolitik to prop up the Royal House of Saud. Or to give Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin further incentive to act intransigently. Or, as a matter of principle, to arrange for others to defend American interests, to trust the kindness of undemocratic regimes while exerting pressure on one of America's few genuine friends...
Haig also received a less than enthusiastic response from Saudi leaders. In Riyadh, Haig met for 3½ hours with Crown Prince Fahd, Minister of Defense Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud; he also spent an hour with King Khalid. The Saudis were clearly pleased by the Administration's willingness to sell them the five AWACS, but they politely disagreed with Haig's contention after the talks that a "convergence of views" had occurred. Declared Foreign Minister Saud: "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia regards Israel as the principal cause of instability and insecurity in the region...
...most remain optimistic that the House of Saud will see the need and adapt in time, even encouraging the development of more broadly based political institutions. If there is anything to mourn, it may be the passing of the old Saudi Arabia. Already there is a detectable sense of regret for a lost way of life that can never be recaptured. "If you go to the tribes now," says a Saudi technocrat, "you will find gentlemen Bedouins, like gentlemen farmers, who hire a caretaker for the sheep while they enjoy the luxuries of their new villa." But then he notes...