AT WAR II: A New Day

National Review, Dec 23, 2002

Who is the enemy in the Terror War? Al-Qaeda, obviously, and the Taliban (R.I.P.). Iraq and Iran are charter members of the Axis of Evil. Other radical Arab regimes are either sitting tight or (in the case of Yemen) on their best behavior.

That leaves the recruiting ground and international banker of Islamism, Saudi Arabia. National Review and NRO have been early critics of Saudi bad faith. But recently others have caught on. In October a report commissioned by the Council on Foreign Relations laid it on the line. "For years, individuals and charities based in Saudi Arabia have been the most important source of funds for al Qaeda, and for years Saudi officials have turned a blind eye to this problem." This was a stinker in the wonk world of foreign policy. Then in November came the story that hit the front pages: Princess Haifa al-Faisal, daughter of a former king of Saudi Arabia and wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, had given thousands of dollars over the years to Osama Bassnan, a Saudi citizen living in San Diego, ostensibly as charity to help his sick wife. But at the same time, one of Bassnan's friends, Omar al-Bayoumi, was paying the rent for two of the future 9/11 hijackers.

Saudi spokesmen hit the airwaves to deny that the princess ever intended to subsidize mass murderers. Nor, in all likelihood, did she. But like many guilty nouveaux riches, the Saudi upper classes salve their insecurity over the divergence between their tastes and their creed by spreading their money around. Much of it goes, as per Muslim law, to the poor. But much of it also goes to front groups that in fact preach hatred and foment terror abroad. The Saudi banking system, run according to pre-modern norms, is unpoliceable. In such a system no one knows whose palm is being greased. More important, no one cares.

Washington has been slow to recognize this criminal fecklessness. For years, Saudi Arabia helped fight the common menace of Communism, and the Bush administration has been paying off those old favors: After the Council on Foreign Relations report, a Treasury spokesman said they were "pleased" with Saudi cooperation, and after the scandal of the princess, Colin Powell called Saudi Arabia a "good friend" and a "strategic partner." But Washington must also recognize that alliances break up as conditions change. The Saudi royal family, like any autocracy, is intent on maintaining itself in power. When that requires fighting Communism, it does so; when that means exporting homegrown fanaticism, it does that too.

The world oil market is changing, as Russia revives its industry and other regions, such as western Africa, begin to come on line. America is already moving its post-Gulf War bases from Saudi Arabia to neighboring countries; that process should be completed. Our investment in Saudi Arabia is declining, and should decline further. Meanwhile, the Saudis will change their tune only when we change ours. The Saudis should curb their state-subsidized mullahs, and stop the murderous freeloaders in their midst. If they do, they may retain their peninsula. If not, should it come to that, we know the address of the Hashemites.