THIS IS HOW THE STRATEGY SHOULD HAVE GONE

Internal strife and uneasiness in Saudi Arabia is increasing ever so slowly. Al-Saud do not understand it because they have lost touch with the Saudi public. They still think Saudis are as ignorant as they were in the early seventies and that anything they do can still be managed through lies and double talk. Saudis from all walks of life are not happy with the state of affairs of their country. Mismanagement, corruption, inequality, lack of leadership all are driving the society into further turmoil. Al-Saud do not want this to show to the outside world. They want to show that they are in control. Systematic beheadings and imprisonment of sometimes innocent citizens have changed little in Saudi Arabia. The last thing al-Saud want is to let the United States really understand the society they built is weaved with secrecy and hate for anything western. The timing of the two bombs is proving to be good fortune for our National Security apparatus as it is enabling the US to try and understand Saudi Arabia in a post Soviet Union era. In fact, the US is paying particular attention to Saudi Arabia today fearing another Iran as almost everyone puts it in Washington. Al-Saud do not like all this attention because it puts them under a microscope, something they dislike immensely because of their fundamentalist roots and also because their weaknesses would finally show (A new FBI office has been opened in Riyadh since April of 1996).

In order to avoid that microscope, Saudi Arabia is reverting to an old system that reminds us of "drinking coffee with the President". Saudi Arabia buys Washington using business contracts such as Boeing, AT&T and more recently the unnecessary buying of 102 F16-s worth $15 billion. With so much spending, they are accomplishing two goals :Taming Congress and the use of business executives as their lobbyists. Spending that much money has its drawbacks though. Once you spend and you sign the contract, you open yourself again to the same criticism that initially pushed you to silence Washington. Unless Bandar and his uncle King Fahd announce multi-billion Dollar deals every week, the truth will come out and Washington will dictate its foreign policy independently of any contracts that could be awarded to US businesses. THIS IS WHAT BANDAR AND ALL OF THE SUDEIRI SEVEN DO NOT UNDERSTAND AND NEVER WILL. Of course if Bandar's intentions are to fill his pockets with as much money as possible before the demise of the country, then this policy works like a charm.

THIS IS HOW THE STRATEGY IS GOING

Contracts or no contracts, Washington is tired of getting the intentional run around from Riyadh. Washington is very, very serious about understanding what is going on in Saudi Arabia and they won't let Bandar or anyone else stand in the way. The timing of the FBI announcements send a clear message to that effect. The timing of the Congressional Hearings on this issue on February 12, 1997 is also a clear signal to Riyadh that they are not fooled nor impressed with Saudi business overtures. The good cop bad cop scenario is at play here. Bandar has been effective with the DIA, CIA, National Security and the State Department. They are telling Bandar that the FBI is a run away train, a rogue agency that cannot be controlled. In fact, all branches of the US government agree on one thing: the truth from Saudi Arabia. So while Bandar has his meetings and works the telephone, the FBI systematically goes about its work with an across the board, full support from all branches of the US government in Washington. Bandar is hearing double talk for a change. What his friends in Washington are telling him does not match with what the actions of Washington are. He is unable to fathom the lack of control given that he has just announced a big contract to buy US silence. Diplomatic telegrams are flying back and forth between Washington and Riyadh today with the Sudeiris questioning the "bad media" reporting. When Sultan comes to Washington around February 21, he will be met with big smiles, subservient hugs and firm handshakes but once he leaves, he and his brothers will still have to open up the most secret society in the world or the US will find a way to forcefully pry it open because of National Security considerations and interests.