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How To Make a Gulf Monarchy All-American
Originally posted at TomDispatch.
Some things just never seem to end. What came to mind was the way in which, during administration after administration, the Saudis and other foreign powers have poured money into Washington to ensure that their governments and their desires will be supported, that they will be sold arms in a major way, and… well, you know the story. In fact, over the years, you’ve read it at
TomDispatch. Here, for instance, is a paragraph I wrote in an introduction to a piece by Ben Freeman that appeared at
Making The Bloody Saudi Monarchy Look Pretty
Reprinted with permission from TomDispatch
Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia s ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American oil and gas companies feeling the pain. As oil prices plummeted, Republican senators from oil-producing states turned their ire directly on Saudi Arabia. Forget that civil war in Yemen what about fossil-fuel profits here at home?
To address their concerns, Ambassador Bandar Al-Saud agreed to speak with a group of them in a March 18th conference call and found herself instantly in the firing line, as senator after senator berated her for the Kingdom s role in slashing global oil prices. Texas is mad, Senator Ted Cruz bluntly stated. As the ambassador tried to respond, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan retorted, With all due respect, I