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By: Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah, Date: April 23, 2014
Institute for Contemporary Affairs, founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation Vol. 14, No. 11 April 23, 2014 Following the lead of Egypt, Saudi Arabia has decided to join the battle against jihadists in the Middle East, where movements led by al-Qaeda and Iran strive to topple the ruling Arab regimes. The leading regimes realize that these movements have a common goal: to destroy the prevailing political order and replace it with either a Sunni caliphate based on the strictest interpretation ofIslamic law or a state modeled after the Shiite Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabias decisions to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and downgrade diplomatic ties with Qatar to protest its support for the Brotherhood mark an important turning point in the kingdoms approach to international terrorism. To contain negative influences and counter the threat to the regimes stability stemming from the Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia has initiated economic and social reforms. It has also started to take action against the global jihads funding sources, primarily wealthy citizens in the kingdom itself, and has further increased intelligence cooperation with the United States. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are incensed over Qatars support for the Muslim Brotherhood. They are also offended by Qatars giving asylum to Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, an influential Egyptian cleric and staunch critic of both the Egyptian and Saudi regimes. Qatar has given Qaradawi free rein on its influential satellite channel Al Jazeera. Qatar has also granted asylum to a former Israeli Arab Member of Knesset who is wanted in Israel for subversive activities, Azmi Beshara, and appointed him adviser to the ruling emir and directorgeneral of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (known as the Doha Institute). The Egyptians and the Saudis want Qatar to close Besharas Doha Institute for its seditious publications and activities.
The Leading Regimes in the Arab World Mobilize to Counter Extreme Islamic Movements
Following the lead of Egypt and other Arab states, Saudi Arabia has decided to join the battle against jihadists in the Middle East and North Africa, where movements led by al-Qaeda and Iran strive to undermine Arab regimes and topple the ruling elites. Three years after the outbreak of what romantics called the Arab Spring, the leading regimes in the Arab world have mobilized to counter the anarchy sown by extreme Islamic movements. The ruling Arab elites realize that the movements led by al-Qaeda or Iran have a common goal: to destroy the prevailing political order in the Middle East and, where appropriate, replace it with either a Sunni caliphate based on the strictest interpretation of sharia (Islamic law), or a state modeled after the Shiite Islamic Republic of Iran.
They are also offended by Qatars adoption of Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the notorious president of the World Muslim Ulema Association, an influential Egyptian cleric and staunch critic of both the Egyptian and Saudi regimes. Qatar has given Qaradawi asylum and a free rein on its influential satellite channel Al Jazeera. Qatar has also granted asylum to a former Israeli Arab Member of Knesset who is wanted in Israel for subversive activities, Azmi Beshara, and appointed him to the very significant positions of adviser to the ruling emir and director-general of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (also known as the Doha Institute).
Saudi Arabia began to strongly support the Egyptian military in ousting the Brotherhood and assisting the Egyptian regime in its quest for economic stability. After Washington penalized Cairo for its August 2013 armed repression of the Brotherhood by embargoing the delivery of weapon systems, Riyadh offered to finance Cairos purchase of new weapon systems from Russia.5 The Saudis saw the Brotherhood as such a danger that they confronted Qatars open support for the organization. Qatar is a member of the Saudi-headed Gulf Cooperation Council. Following the lead of Egypt along with Abu Dhabi, which has been concerned about the Brotherhoods activity in the UAE, and Bahrain, a close ally of the Saudis, Riyadh decided to withdraw its ambassador from Doha. These three countries see Doha as ignoring their demands to stop interfering in their internal affairs. The Egyptians and the Saudis have, \in addition, closed Al Jazeeras offices in their respective countries and demanded that Qatar put an end to Qaradawis inflammatory sermons, extradite him to Egypt together with Egyptian Islamist fugitives in Doha, and close Besharas Doha Institute for its seditious publications and activities.6 At present, Egypt and the Arab Gulf states (except for Qatar and Oman) have formed a de facto alliance aimed at fighting terrorism by:
1. Waging an open war against the jihadist movement. 2. Containing the political and financial support extended by Qatar by isolating the emirate. Indeed, most Arab states have targeted Qatar for nurturing the jihadist currents in the Arab world and elsewhere. Qatars push to lead the Arab world is now under challenge by those who regard themselves as the rightful leaders. The period of immunity that Qatar enjoyed seems to have ended.
The combination of those two efforts is aimed at eventually overcoming the jihadist subversion against the Arab regimes, and thereby diminish the existential threat now posed by extreme political Islam, while more effectively combating international terrorism. One big question mark remains: will these recent changes in Saudi policy affect its continued financing of the Sunni rebels in Syria? If this financing continues, the Saudis will be very careful about deciding to whom they are sending the funds, and definitely not to the very organizations they have designated as terrorist. * * Notes
1. http://www1.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=1543732#.UxnmVE3NvIU; http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/sauditoday/2014/03/07/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A.html; http://nashwannews.com/news.php?action =view&id=31029; http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east26487092; http://wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocAnews&cid=1290009819857&p=1135099400289&p agename=WAM%2FWamLocAnews%2FW-T-LAN-FullNews 2. Ted Galen Carpenter, Terrorist Sponsors: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, CATO Institute, November 16, 2001. 3. Yoram Schweitzer, Tal First, and Einav Yogev, Anti-Terror Alliances: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United States vs. al-Qaeda and Its Affiliates,INSS Insight, No. 335, May 16, 2012. 4. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/us-saudi-obama-visit-drifting-apart.html 5. See http://jcpa.org/egypts-turn-to-russia
6. http://www.i24news.tv/fr/actu/international/moyen-orient/140314-l-arabie-demande-la-fermeture-d-aljazeera http://www.shorouknews.com/news/view.aspx?cdate=10032014&id=b7ac01a3-9afd-4a04-bdc41061b79fd77b