[DOWNLOAD] "Why Saudi Arabia Decided to Speak out on Syrian Unrest (Syria)" by The Weekly Middle East Reporter (Beirut, Lebanon) " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Why Saudi Arabia Decided to Speak out on Syrian Unrest (Syria)
- Author : The Weekly Middle East Reporter (Beirut, Lebanon)
- Release Date : January 27, 2011
- Genre: Reference,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 63 KB
Description
Saudi Arabia has for long been known for its traditional quiet diplomacy in dealing with Arab and Muslim conflicts it deems crucial for its own interests or the interests of the Arab and Muslim worlds. For example, the oil-rich Kingdom, a key player in the region, intervened militarily in neighboring Bahrain in March to help crush a Shiite-led democracy movement in the small Gulf island after the failure of dialogue between the Bahraini government and protesters. Similarly, Saudi Arabia waited for nearly five months before breaking its silence on the violent crackdown on opposition groups seeking a regime change in Syria. It should be noted that Saudi Arabia was the first Arab state to publicly criticize the Syrian government, calling on it to end the violence against the protesters. Significantly, the harsh Saudi criticism of the Syrian crackdown was made by King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz who warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he has to choose between "wisdom or chaos." Abdullah demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his country's ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world's most powerful leaders intervening against another. Kuwait and Bahrain have also recalled their ambassadors from Damascus in protest at the unrest in Syria. It was the sharpest criticism Saudi Arabia has directed against any Arab state since a wave of protests roiled the Middle East and toppled autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.