WASHINGTON, 6 March 2004 — On a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, a young Saudi friend commented to me that he wished the United States and the rest of the world would just leave Saudi Arabia alone. My reply was a bit curt noting that with one-fourth of the world’s known oil reserves and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and one-fifth of humanity looking toward Saudi Arabia daily, it would be very difficult to Saudi Arabia to be left alone by the rest of the world.
My friend looked at me and replied, “But we’ve never been mean to anybody. Why does everybody want to be mean to us?” That statement really impacted me and was great fodder for me to think about all that Saudi Arabia is doing to “not be mean to anybody.”
Recently, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal spoke in Brussels to the European Union Policy Center. His speech helped define a new path for the domestic and foreign policy of Saudi Arabia. At this speech and throughout his European tour, Prince Saud spoke repeatedly not only about the need for reform and change taking place in Saudi Arabia but also throughout the Arab world.
Prince Saud laid out a clear pathway of the progress that Saudi Arabia is making in the opening of its society and other reforms it is implementing such as increased transparency of policy and constructive dialogue taking place amongst opposing views in his country.The foreign minister noted many steps already taken and the early results of a “comprehensive reform program that includes political, legal, administrative, economic and educational components.” He pointed out the success particularly in the field of education where the role of women is increasing and textbook modernization taking place. This speech was novel in its its comprehensive overview of the vision of where Saudi Arabia is going and how it plans on getting there.
In addition to discussing the specifics of reform, Prince Saud also spoke of better relations with the West and the need to combat injustices and deprivation. He stated, “Islam and Muslims are not the enemy. Injustice and deprivation inflicted upon the Arab and Islamic world are the true breeding ground for terrorism. These are the real enemies.” Another way to that might be said is” Why does everybody want to be mean to us?”
The government of Saudi Arabia has clearly taken steps to initiate change and the foreign minister has responded by saying to the citizens of Saudi Arabia that the needs of the people are known and the government knows how to meet these needs. He asks the people to work together and says “Reform is not a mere slogan or a field for risky experimentation. It is an ongoing process where adaptability and continuity are essential.”
During the course of his speech in Brussels, Prince Saud commented on the Western concern and particularly, the American pressure on Saudi Arabia for instant reform. “We would like to learn from you but we would like you not to impose things on us.” And Prince Saud singled out US Ambassador to the European Union Rockwell Schnabel several times during the speech.
Prince Saud also said, “You cannot dismiss a 1400-year-old culture and civilization” and “This is particularly the case when a largely Western historical experience is projected on to a different setting such as the Islamic world of Saudi Arabia.” He went on to say, “Gradual change may seem slow and less impressive to some. But if reforms are to endure and be effective, they have to respond to the will of the people and maintain the unity of the nation.”
After reading the statements of Prince Saud, a quotation from his father, the late King Faisal, came to mind. Many years ago King Faisal said: “The important thing about a regime is not what it is but how it acts.” Must Saudi utilize only the Western model to successfully reform and manage or are there other ways?
Another Saudi friend often says to his Western colleagues, “We in Saudi Arabia came into the modern world with a lot of baggage, some good, some bad.” When describing the Western form of government and its cultural overtones, it is not easy for people from the Western world to explain to Saudis why we have so many institutionalized nursing homes for our elderly and orphanages for our young. It is difficult to account for the abundance of crime in our democratic states. And it is almost impossible to clarify how a “peaceful people” can allocate almost half a trillion dollars a year for our Department of Defense to “keep the peace.” There are so many good things coming from Saudi Arab and Islamic cultures that it is of the utmost importance, as Prince Saud commented, to be eclectic and sift through the changes carefully so that, as his father said, the government “acts” well to the people. As we say in the West, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
A recent article written by Amir Butler, the executive director of the Australian Muslim Public Affairs Committee, was titled “Leave Revolution in Saudi Arabia to the Saudis.” Butler points out that Americans have lived side-by-side with Saudis for much of the modern existence of the Kingdom, particularly in the Eastern Province working in the oil fields together. And Butler says though most of these Americans wouldn’t necessarily agree with all of the practices and policies of the Kingdom, the relationship has been largely a mutually beneficial one. He states, “However, Saudi Arabia is not America. It was founded on the basis of Islam and Islam has provided the guiding principles for the nation.” In other words, let’s accept what is good from other cultures and let us maintain a good and fruitful relationship without imposing all of our ways and will on another country. And, yes my young Saudi friend, let’s hope that we in America can learn to “never be mean to anybody.”
— Dr. Michael Saba is the author of “The Armageddon Network” and is an international relations consultant.
