Obama Can't Protect the Saudi Kingdom

○ Senate overwhelmingly rejects Obama veto of Saudi September 11 bill | Reuters |

It’s right here, HRC highlights her failures in the Obama administration and the promises for more of the same. Working with the sponsors of terror, the Wahhabist Islamic regime of Saudi Arabia. With other Gulf States like Qatar and the Emirates as major funder of Bill and Chelsea’s Clinton Foundation.

The first Trump-Clinton presidential debate transcript, annotated

HOLT: Secretary Clinton?

CLINTON: Well, I think there are a number of issues that we should be addressing. I have put forth a plan to defeat ISIS. It does involve going after them online. I think we need to do much more with our tech companies to prevent ISIS and their operatives from being able to use the Internet to radicalize, even direct people in our country and Europe and elsewhere.

But we also have to intensify our air strikes against ISIS and eventually support our Arab and Kurdish partners to be able to actually take out ISIS in Raqqa, end their claim of being a Caliphate.

We’re making progress. Our military is assisting in Iraq. And we’re hoping that within the year we’ll be able to push ISIS out of Iraq and then, you know, really squeeze them in Syria.

But we have to be cognizant of the fact that they’ve had foreign fighters coming to volunteer for them, foreign money, foreign weapons, so we have to make this the top priority.

…
CLINTON: But let’s talk about the question you asked, Lester. The question you asked is, what do we do here in the United States? That’s the most important part of this. How do we prevent attacks? How do we protect our people?

And I think we’ve got to have an intelligence surge, where we are looking for every scrap of information. I was so proud of law enforcement in New York, in Minnesota, in New Jersey. You know, they responded so quickly, so professionally to the attacks that occurred by Rahami. And they brought him down. And we may find out more information because he is still alive, which may prove to be an intelligence benefit.

So we’ve got to do everything we can to vacuum up intelligence from Europe, from the Middle East. That means we’ve got to work more closely with our allies, and that’s something that Donald has been very dismissive of.

We’re working with NATO, the longest military alliance in the history of the world, to really turn our attention to terrorism. We’re working with our friends in the Middle East, many of which, as you know, are Muslim majority nations. Donald has consistently insulted Muslims abroad, Muslims at home, when we need to be cooperating with Muslim nations and with the American Muslim community.

○ Joe Biden Promised to Bring Stability Across Syraq
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In Joe Biden’s Own Words of Truth; Our Arab Allies Funded ISIS!

Vice President Joe Biden stated that US key allies in the Middle East were behind nurturing ISIS …

Read my recent diary …

○ Keeping America Secure, Clinton Is More Hawkish

5 Comments

Marie3 on September 28, 2016 at 4:12 pm

Looks as if a number of Senators have issued signing statement to their veto override votes. And then they whine when the public points out that they try to have it both ways.

on September 29, 2016 at 7:39 pm

Everybody knows that the KSA is a state sponsor of terror, but it is not designated as such by DoS. That is what prevented the families of the victims from suing KSA.

[The victims’ families have] been unable to get American courts to agree to hear the case.

This is in large part because of a 1976 US law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), that gives foreign governments immunity from prosecution in US courts.

There are some exceptions to this immunity, but they’re very narrow, and the lawyers for the 9/11 victims’ families have failed in appeal after appeal to convince the courts that any of the exceptions apply in this case. The JASTA bill would widen these exceptions.

There’s already a terrorism exception in the FSIA, but it only applies to countries that have been officially designated by the US Department of State as “state sponsors of terror.” That list only includes Syria, Iran, and Sudan — not Saudi Arabia.

I am actually impressed that Congress overturned the veto. One wonders whether it would have done so were not a renegade in sight of the White House.

Marie3 on September 30, 2016 at 7:41 am

Congress in major rethink — Bloomberg — Congress May Rewrite Saudi 9/11 Law After Veto Override

…
But Republicans said the White House didn’t make a forceful case, putting themselves in the awkward position of blaming the president for a bill they enacted into law over Obama’s veto.
…

Oui on October 4, 2016 at 7:44 am

The Wilson Center: Vilification of Saudi Arabia serves no good purpose | Al Arabiya News |

The vilification of Saudi Arabia has become a fashionable but highly risky game in Washington, the Wilson Centre said in an article published on their website.

The center, named in honor of former American President Woodrow Wilson and considered one of the top think tanks globally, said the recent decision by congress and the senate houses to override US President Barack Obama was a mistake.

“This hardly seems the moment for America to be acting to discredit the most important Arab and Muslim country enlisted in the US-led coalition of 67-nations fighting to put an end to ISIS,” the article read.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, more commonly known as the JASTA bill, grants an exception to the legal principle of sovereign immunity in cases of terrorism on US soil, clearing the way for lawsuits seeking damages from the Saudi government.

Saudi condemnation

The Saudis lobbied against JASTA, and the Saudi foreign ministry condemned its passage in a statement. “The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States,” said the statement, which was carried on state news agency SPA.

Still, the new law is not expected to have a lasting effect on the two countries’ strategic relationship.

What JASTA will mean for U.S.-Saudi relations | Brookings Institute |

The overwhelming vote in Congress to override President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) bill will haunt U.S.-Saudi relations for years. It is a reflection of the growing weakness of America’s oldest alliance in the Middle East that goes well beyond 9/11.

The biggest loser will be the next president of the United States who will inherit a poisoned partnership, which she will need to help manage the region’s chaos and to fight terror …

SHAKY RELATIONS

Of course, few members of Congress read the reports they ask for. They voted for JASTA because the Kingdom is increasingly unpopular in America. The fact that fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudis is only part of the problem. Some Americans never forgot the 1973 oil embargo that ravaged the American economy, and others are appalled at Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially on women’s rights.

The war in Yemen has further damaged the alliance. The richest Arab states, led by Riyadh, have been bombing and blockading the poorest Arab country for over a year and a half with American weapons, logistics, and intelligence. Millions of Yemenis are starving. The Senate has become increasingly frustrated with arms sales to support the war.

Riyadh has spent millions of dollars on lobbyists and public relations firms to try to improve its image and block JASTA. They failed. The Saudis got a few pandering opinion pieces hailing King Salman and his son Prince Muhammad bin Salman as innovators, but neither Congress nor the public bought it.

Iranian Trusteeship with Israel’s Blessings | OpEd – Asharq Al-Awsat |

VP Joe Biden: Sunni terror supported by our Arab allies

U.S. think-tanks express no worries about the poisened relationship with Russia, one of the few nations capable of a devastating nuclear retaliatory strike.

○ US Spox John Kirby threatens Russia with “more body bags, attacks on Russian cities”

Oui on October 4, 2016 at 8:50 am

I read Egypt’s al-Sisi gave tacit approval to Israel for strike at Islamist cell in Sinai. Well aware of the slow desintegration of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt due to infighting. Israel is cooperating with Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia where there is commonality in interests. Latest gift to US military …

○ Fatih Al-Sham Front’s Second Man Reportedly Killed By US-Coalition Airstrike

Ahmed Salama Mabruk has a very long history of terror activity spread from Pakistan, Sudan, Albania, Chechnya, Egypt and Syria. In stages he was imprisoned by Russia, recaptured by US military and rendered to Egypt under the Clinton years. During the Arab Uprising he was freed from prison as the Muslim Brotherhood gained political power.

Posted earlier @TikunOlam …

○ Sinai Militants Crossed Israeli Border, Fired Missile at IAF Helicopter

Additional info …

Veteran Egyptian jihadist now an al Qaeda leader in Syria

“In July 1998 CIA operatives kidnapped Ahmed Salama Mabruk and another member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) outside a restaurant in Baku, Azerbaijan,” according to Wright. “Mabruk was Zawahiri’s closest political confidant.”

The CIA agents cloned Mabruk’s laptop computer, which contained al Qaeda organizational charts and a roster of [EIJ] members in Europe. The CIA refused to share the contents of Mabruk’s computer with the FBI. Eventually the FBI obtained the intelligence, but not until after a “pointless bureaucratic standoff”.

Marie3 on September 28, 2016 at 4:12 pm

Looks as if a number of Senators have issued signing statement to their veto override votes. And then they whine when the public points out that they try to have it both ways.
on September 29, 2016 at 7:39 pm

Everybody knows that the KSA is a state sponsor of terror, but it is not designated as such by DoS. That is what prevented the families of the victims from suing KSA.

[The victims’ families have] been unable to get American courts to agree to hear the case.

This is in large part because of a 1976 US law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), that gives foreign governments immunity from prosecution in US courts.

There are some exceptions to this immunity, but they’re very narrow, and the lawyers for the 9/11 victims’ families have failed in appeal after appeal to convince the courts that any of the exceptions apply in this case. The JASTA bill would widen these exceptions.

There’s already a terrorism exception in the FSIA, but it only applies to countries that have been officially designated by the US Department of State as “state sponsors of terror.” That list only includes Syria, Iran, and Sudan — not Saudi Arabia.

I am actually impressed that Congress overturned the veto. One wonders whether it would have done so were not a renegade in sight of the White House.
Marie3 on September 30, 2016 at 7:41 am

Congress in major rethink — Bloomberg — Congress May Rewrite Saudi 9/11 Law After Veto Override

…
But Republicans said the White House didn’t make a forceful case, putting themselves in the awkward position of blaming the president for a bill they enacted into law over Obama’s veto.
…
Oui on October 4, 2016 at 7:44 am
The Wilson Center: Vilification of Saudi Arabia serves no good purpose | Al Arabiya News |

The vilification of Saudi Arabia has become a fashionable but highly risky game in Washington, the Wilson Centre said in an article published on their website.

The center, named in honor of former American President Woodrow Wilson and considered one of the top think tanks globally, said the recent decision by congress and the senate houses to override US President Barack Obama was a mistake.

“This hardly seems the moment for America to be acting to discredit the most important Arab and Muslim country enlisted in the US-led coalition of 67-nations fighting to put an end to ISIS,” the article read.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, more commonly known as the JASTA bill, grants an exception to the legal principle of sovereign immunity in cases of terrorism on US soil, clearing the way for lawsuits seeking damages from the Saudi government.

Saudi condemnation

The Saudis lobbied against JASTA, and the Saudi foreign ministry condemned its passage in a statement. “The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States,” said the statement, which was carried on state news agency SPA.

Still, the new law is not expected to have a lasting effect on the two countries’ strategic relationship.

What JASTA will mean for U.S.-Saudi relations | Brookings Institute |

The overwhelming vote in Congress to override President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) bill will haunt U.S.-Saudi relations for years. It is a reflection of the growing weakness of America’s oldest alliance in the Middle East that goes well beyond 9/11.

The biggest loser will be the next president of the United States who will inherit a poisoned partnership, which she will need to help manage the region’s chaos and to fight terror …

SHAKY RELATIONS

Of course, few members of Congress read the reports they ask for. They voted for JASTA because the Kingdom is increasingly unpopular in America. The fact that fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudis is only part of the problem. Some Americans never forgot the 1973 oil embargo that ravaged the American economy, and others are appalled at Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially on women’s rights.

The war in Yemen has further damaged the alliance. The richest Arab states, led by Riyadh, have been bombing and blockading the poorest Arab country for over a year and a half with American weapons, logistics, and intelligence. Millions of Yemenis are starving. The Senate has become increasingly frustrated with arms sales to support the war.

Riyadh has spent millions of dollars on lobbyists and public relations firms to try to improve its image and block JASTA. They failed. The Saudis got a few pandering opinion pieces hailing King Salman and his son Prince Muhammad bin Salman as innovators, but neither Congress nor the public bought it.

Iranian Trusteeship with Israel’s Blessings | OpEd – Asharq Al-Awsat |
U.S. think-tanks express no worries about the poisened relationship with Russia, one of the few nations capable of a devastating nuclear retaliatory strike.

○ US Spox John Kirby threatens Russia with “more body bags, attacks on Russian cities”
- Oui on October 4, 2016 at 8:50 am
  
  I read Egypt’s al-Sisi gave tacit approval to Israel for strike at Islamist cell in Sinai. Well aware of the slow desintegration of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt due to infighting. Israel is cooperating with Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia where there is commonality in interests. Latest gift to US military …
  
  ○ Fatih Al-Sham Front’s Second Man Reportedly Killed By US-Coalition Airstrike
  
  Ahmed Salama Mabruk has a very long history of terror activity spread from Pakistan, Sudan, Albania, Chechnya, Egypt and Syria. In stages he was imprisoned by Russia, recaptured by US military and rendered to Egypt under the Clinton years. During the Arab Uprising he was freed from prison as the Muslim Brotherhood gained political power.
  
  Posted earlier @TikunOlam …
  
  ○ Sinai Militants Crossed Israeli Border, Fired Missile at IAF Helicopter
  
  Additional info …
  
  Veteran Egyptian jihadist now an al Qaeda leader in Syria
  
  “In July 1998 CIA operatives kidnapped Ahmed Salama Mabruk and another member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) outside a restaurant in Baku, Azerbaijan,” according to Wright. “Mabruk was Zawahiri’s closest political confidant.”
  
  The CIA agents cloned Mabruk’s laptop computer, which contained al Qaeda organizational charts and a roster of [EIJ] members in Europe. The CIA refused to share the contents of Mabruk’s computer with the FBI. Eventually the FBI obtained the intelligence, but not until after a “pointless bureaucratic standoff”.

Obama Can’t Protect the Saudi Kingdom

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