Saudi Arabia: control over Islam’s two holiest cities and a quarter of the Earth’s oil gave the House of Saud vast influence in the Islamic world. The Kingdom’s official religion formed the ideological underpinning of bin Laden’s jihad movement – anti-western, anti-modern, anti-female. Iraq: Conflict & Hope
The Saudis who were not our friends in my view started to remove al Qaeda people from their soil after 9/11. Christopher Hitchens, interview Iraq: Conflict & Hope
A new superpower ... the undisputed King of Crude – Saudi Arabia. Iain Stewart, Planet Oil: The Treasure that Conquered the World II, BBC 2015
There are many things you can’t do in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia – preach about Christianity, attend a movie, drive a car if you’re a woman, renounce your faith. But towering above them all is a prohibition on criticizing the House of Saud, the ruling dynasty, made up of the king, two hundred powerful princes and twenty thousand family members. Terry Hayes, I Am Pilgrim
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia … The world’s champion of democracy and human rights has sidled up closer to it than any other friends. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: Inside Saudi Arabia: Butchery, Slavery and History of Revolt, Youtube 2015
Cutting lots of people’s heads off with swords right in the middle of the street … Executed more than a hundred people in the first six months of 2015. ibid.
Beheading, firing squad or stoned to death. Non-violent drug offences count for a shocking 43% of all executions. ibid.
Accused offenders have their limbs amputated and dissenters are severely lashed. ibid.
‘Saudi Arabia continues its outrageous repression of human rights activists’. ibid. Washington Post article
‘Thousands of people have been arrested and detained in virtual secrecy, while others have been killed in uncertain circumstances. Hundreds more people face summary trials and possible execution’. ibid. Amnesty International report
The King’s personal wealth is $18 billion. ibid.
At least 20% of the population lives in abject poverty. ibid.
The Arabian-American oil company was formed to cash in on the bubbling profits … owned by American companies. ibid.
‘The defense of Saudi Arabia is vital to the defense of the United States.’ ibid. F D Roosevelt
1953: Workers of Aramco went on strike demanding a union. ibid.
On February 26 it was announced that Biden would not penalise Saudi Arabia for its brutal murder of the US-based Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: US Kisses Saudi Crown, Youtube 8.37, 2021
I guess Saudi Arabia has too much oil and buys too many American weapons to lose even an ounce of US political support. ibid.
There is a state that beheads and even crucifies its citizens. Where those who question its authority are lashed and locked up for years. A state where women lack many basic rights, patrolled by religious police. Where children are indoctrinated, but this is not the Islamic State – this is the kingdom of South Arabia. A close ally which buys billions of pounds’ worth of British arms. Frontline: Saudi Arabia Uncovered, PBS 2017
One of the world’s most secretive and oppressive states. ibid.
After tens of protesters were killed and many more were arrested the regime succeeded in putting down the uprising. ibid.
‘He came to the United States and was lauded from coast to coast.’ Frontline: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, critic, PSB America 2020
Frontline takes a hard look at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He was embraced as a reformer. But there was another side. ibid.
At the time, [Jamal] Khashoggi was a regular contributor to the Washington Post. ibid.
Many Saudis knew that the county needed to change both culturally and economically. ibid.
But all the changes did not mean that Saudi Arabia would become more politically open or tolerant. ibid.
Saudi Arabia is in trouble. Terrorists have carried out a wave of attacks – and brutal killings on western targets. Now ordinary Saudis have become victims. As terrorists strike, the ruling royal family is facing demands for urgent changes to this secretive and conservative Islamic kingdom. This World: Simon Reeve: Saudi The Family in Crisis aka House of Saud, BBC 2004
At the beginning of May, tribal leaders from across the vast Kingdom of Saudi Arabia assembled to meet with their royal rulers. It was an emergency session called by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. ibid.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin abdul Aziz is the acting ruler of the kingdom standing in for his brother, the ailing King Fahd. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came into existence only 70 years ago, when Prince Abdullah’s father brought warring desert tribes together into a modern unified state. It is a state run on strict Islamic principles. ibid.
Some members of the ruling royal family are getting increasingly anxious about the need to break their authoritarian grip on power. ibid.
Yet icons of American consumerism are everywhere – although men and women are strictly segregated and all businesses – even Macdonald’s – have to close for prayers. ibid.
And it is often the army of bored young men with nothing to do, who are drawn into militant groups. With all the oil money providing a welfare cushion, it is easy to forget that unemployment here is up to 30 per cent. The Saudi population has boomed and while oil may bring the state cash, it doesn’t supply jobs. In Riyadh the streets are full of bored young men idling the night away, cruising in their cars. ibid.
To many Western eyes, women in Saudi are still oppressed. All women are banned from driving. Mothers and daughters are often still hidden away, even within families. ibid.
The Saudi authorities are cracking down on the radical clerics. But there’s also another crackdown underway. This time against intellectuals and human rights activists. ibid.
The Saudi Purge … is not a local issue, this not a regional issue; this is a global issue. The Corbett Report: The Saudi Purge is a Global Crisis, James Corbett online 2017
An anti-corruption drive that swept up eleven princes, eleven of his cousins and five hundred officials and rich hangers-on. ibid.
Mohammad bin Salman, Crown prince of Saudi Arabia; First Deputy Prime Minister; president Council for Economic & Development Affairs; world’s youngest Defence Minister. ibid.
‘Just when geopolitical practitioners were betting on regime change in Qatar – orchestrated by a desperate House of Saud – regime change ended up happening in Riyadh, orchestrated by Warrior Prince, Destroyer of Yemen and Blockader of Qatar, Mohammad bin Salman’. ibid. Pepe Escobar, House of Saudi Cards: The Inside Story
A wealthy Saudi Arabian prince charged with executing one of history’s most remarkable drug deals … Paris: they [police] found almost a ton of cocaine. Royal Inquest s1e8: Saudi Scandal, 2009
Prince Nayef al-Shaalan: connecting him to the crime were a pair of Colombian drug runners. ibid.
This is a family like no other. The House of Saud has untold wealth and power. Thousands of royal princes live lavish lifestyles and they have unique access to the world’s rulers. But their kingdom was born out of conflict. For decades there have been allegations of financial support for terror … Now a new crown prince is promising a return to so-called moderate Islam. House of Saud: A Family at War I, BBC 2017
For decades King Salman was the House of Saud’s fundraiser-in-chief for those holy causes. ibid.
The 9/11 attacks: 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis. ibid.
November 2017: Planes grounded, borders closed. A five-star hotel turned into a prison in a massive crackdown on corruption. It opened the door on the secret world of huge kickbacks and bribes … A new Saudi ruler has led the crackdown. House of Saud: A Family at War II
The House of Saud ultimately controls one-fifth of all the world’s known oil reserves. ibid.
One British government after another would keep the embarrassing details [UK/Saudi deals] secret for more than forty years. ibid.
The first King of Saudi Arabia had a reputation for giving away his riches. ibid.
Their grip on power is facing its most serious challenge. A restless young population is demanding change. Now a new crown prince is promising to transform the country. House of Saud: A Family at War III
Social media has given Saudis more access than ever before to critical information about their rulers. ibid.
The last country in the world to allow women to drive. ibid.
A mandatory dress code remains in force. ibid.
Women are now allowed to drive. And for the first time men and women have been allowed to listen to music together in public. Inside the Real Saudi Arabia: Why I Had to Leave, BBC 2019
Social media seems to be the place to break the rules but it can have consequences. ibid.