U.S. Still Supports Tyrants

As you probably know by now, there has been a virtual wave of freedom-seeking people demonstrating throughout the Middle East. Tyrants in Tunisia and Egypt have been toppled from power, and Libya is currently trying to overthrow its dictator. Thankfully, the United States has stayed out of the politics of these countries as they strive for freedom, but they did make their support known for the efforts to establish democratic governments.

But those countries, while friendly to the United States, were easy to back away from when the demonstrations started. Egypt and Tunisia have little oil, and most of Libya's oil goes to Europe. But now things get a bit more difficult for the United States. Now the striving for freedom is beginning to hit the Arabian peninsula.

When demonstrations started in Saudi Arabia, they were quickly outlawed and suppressed. That country is ruled by an absolute monarch, King Abdullah (pictured), and its citizens probably have less freedom than any other country in the Middle East. Women have no rights in Saudi Arabia -- they aren't even allowed to drive and cannot leave their home without a male relative. While men are allowed to do more, they have only the rights that the king allows them to have and those can be discontinued at a moments notice (and they don't include the right to demonstrate or talk against the monarchy).

It's pretty much the same in Bahrain, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia. But the demonstrators, even after some were killed, have been unable to be controlled by the army or security police. It has gotten so bad that Saudi Arabia has now sent its own troops into the tiny country. They are afraid that if the monarch there is overthrown then Saudi Arabia could be next.

But if you'll notice, there hasn't been any word from the United States government about Bahrain or the Saudi's sending troops in there. These countries have far too much oil and they sell most of it to the United States. That makes them our bosom buddies, regardless of how harsh or repressive those regimes have been.

The United States is addicted to oil and any country willing to sell us large amounts of oil can get away with murder -- literally. Just consider, it was Saudi citizens that destroyed the Twin Towers on 9/11 (and some of the Saudi royalty still support Osama bin Laden and his cohorts). And when all planes were grounded on 9/11 all over the United States, one plane was allowed to fly -- that carrying members of the Saudi royal family. The Saudi's have a degree of support from the U.S. government that no other country in the Middle East enjoys (except Israel).

And don't expect to hear any criticism of the Saudi government in the future either. The United States may mouth support for freedom and human rights, but that is only for countries that have no oil (or countries whose oil we think we can steal -- like Iraq). As long as the Saudi's support our oil habit they can do whatever they like, including imprisoning or killing their citizens who want freedom and human rights.

The United States can be bought, and Saudi Arabia is paying the price we demanded.