Keep yours friends close, your enemies . . .

WORLD NEWS: "Karzai Seeks Saudi Role in Peace Talks: Afghan Leader Proceeds on Diplomatic Track, Amid Disagreements--From Allies and Taliban--About the Process," by Matthew Rosenberg, Wall Street Journal, 3 February 2010.

Here's the scariest line in a while:

Saudi Arabia is the only foreign country that most Afghans--from Taliban fighters in the south to Tajik politicians from the north to ordinary workers in Kabul--agree that Afghanistan can depend on.

Sigh!

Man, that sounds like asking the guy who's screwing your spouse to serve as your divorce attorney.

And we wonder why Afghanistan remains so massively f--ked up.

I mean, look at how well the Saudis have worked their mediating magic in Lebanon or for the Palestinians. Is it possible for any collection of Muslims to have a worse outside patron than the House of Saud?

I would even have to side with the Iranians on that one.

Comments

[David Emery]

Clearly the Saudis 'make hay' from being the protectors of the Hajj. It's possible that some distinguish this religious responsibility from the political position of the country. It's more likely, though, that it's only the Hajj protectorate that comes to mind for the average Afghani, rather than the (poor) foreign policy of the Saudi government.

[Gilbert Garza]

“But the Taliban side sees its four representatives in the talks—all of whom live in Kabul and are considered "reconciled" Taliban—to be turncoats, or compromised, said Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan who is knowledgeable about the inner workings of the movement.”

“Mr. Anas and others conclude the talks can make no further progress until Mullah Omar or one of his lieutenants joins. There are no signs that will soon happen, Mr. Anas said.”

It may look awkward and foolish but for whatever reason the Afghans feel better if the Saudis are involved. We have to believe that the Afghans and the Taliban must know that others (not the Saudi’s) are the bigger local regional and global economic and SysAdmin/military stakeholders and that it will be these others not the Saudis who will be able to devise appropriate exchanges and concessions toward an acceptable solution, or not. The Saudis may of course give good bad or no counsel at appropriate times. The Saudis have intangibles to contribute to the process and there is the possibility that intangibles might make some difference by adding an affirming confirming opinion to the proceedings and whatever comes of negotiations when and if either or both of these become realities which seems unlikely as stated in the excerpt above.

[Pilgrim]

This may be a test of whether globalization's influence can trump cultural influence. Where is Holbrook?

[Javaid Akhtar]

they did'nt take note of the Saudis before ( handing over OBL)

The Saudi have an over inflated need to protect themselves because Mecca is holy to all Mulims....its quite possible to instigate trouble against the Saudis by taking on the mantle of 'leader of the faithful' away from the Sauds....who have not historically had it long. Pilgrims always a potential fifth column

thats why they use the oil field revenues to continually buttress through oil carrots...their sand castle claims to represent the faithful.

Add in a US security umbrella that can't be held too closely and you get a strange historical anomaly....Saudi Arabia and its bizarre id projected all over the ME and beyond