Bob Woodward, an accomplished journalist with great experience, a good reputation and plenty of public confidence, recently published a book titled “Plan of Attack”. The book has caused a stir in the US, straightaway climbing the bestseller lists and becoming the talk of all radio and television stations. This investigative reporter revealed new information about Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries and the escalation that culminated in the war on Saddam’s regime a year ago. We cannot say of Woodward that he is an ignorant, biased or pretentious because his long history as a complete journalist forces us to respect him, despite what he has said about us.
Some of the statements that ignited arguments in the US include: That the Saudi ambassador, Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, knew of the plan for war even before Foreign Secretary Colin Powell; that the ambassador enjoys an unusual relationship with the president; and that the US had given Saudi Arabia privileges that are rarely given to a foreign country and in return the Kingdom did not refrain from interfering in the presidential election. The author says that Bush was promised oil prices would be lowered during the election year to help him to win.
To confirm this, television stations and newspapers ran those famous photos taken of Bandar sitting on the armrest of a couch, towering over Bush, at the president’s country house in Texas giving the impression that he was his personal friend. Naturally everyone puts their own interpretation on the information presented. Disgruntled Arabs say that this is evidence of Riyadh’s cooperation with the odious America. Disgruntled Americans say their president is involved in a love affair with the “Wahhabi terrorist” Saudis.
I do not believe that the facts should be denied, if they are indeed facts — nor should we deny the existence of a special relationship, if one indeed exists. I consider these comments to be weighty testimony to the effect that Saudi Arabia is a country of great importance not only for its oil — there are seven other countries in the world that are just as important in this aspect — nor its political cooperation. Most of the countries in the region have become even more cooperative and many compete over the building of more US military bases.
The Kingdom is actually a country with a mixture of characteristics — among them the existence of competent men such as Ambassador Bandar whom even his enemies describe as smart and talented in his work and able to achieve exceptional results. An American newspaper even exaggeratedly called him “Washington’s fifth estate”.
The reality is that “Plan of Attack” and the ammunition it created for critics merely reiterates that these are the standards of states in the political scales. It is an invective from a journalist such as Woodward and one for which we should thank him. For in contrast some Arab politicians may get a souvenir picture taken in the White House, then they’ll go out to the journalists on the lawn puffed up by a meeting of ten minutes while Bandar breakfasts with the president and never utters a word about it.
It is a good book and testimony by a competent journalist.
