Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah promises $36 billion in benefits
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Sinnerman108
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Look persian.
Either you improve your linguistic skills. OR if you already good at at, try to look at things without your usual attitude.
Btw, what at all do you have to do with Saudi Arabia ??
Now you plan to steal some thing else ? bringing pictures this time .. and going to take over which building / city ?
fallstuff
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So all the assets belong to the King? Or they belong to the people of Saudi Arabia ?
nightcrawler
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Abii
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look at this pakistani trying to act Arab lmao
I don't even know wtf you're talking about btw
You still haven't answered how the oil belongs to the king.
hembo
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Little Unrest, But Angst Grows In Saudi Arabia
by Kevin Beesley
February 24, 2011 Before returning home to Saudi Arabia after medical treatments Wednesday, King Abdullah ordered a massive increase in the kingdom's development and state welfare payments a move that some observers say was an attempt to stave off the popular unrest that is now sweeping the Arab world.
Even the merest hint of potential unrest in Saudi Arabia, which sits on a fifth of the world's oil reserves and is the third biggest source of oil for the United States, is enough to spark fear in the oil markets and cause nightmares in Washington.
Although there is little sign of any unrest in Saudi Arabia so far, there are growing political and economic frustrations.
After being caught by surprise by the popular revolts in the Middle East, few analysts will rule out the possibility of unrest in Saudi Arabia, but they do say it is unlikely.
NPR correspondent Deborah Amos is in Saudi Arabia and says the reason is simple: "The king is extremely popular, among young people and with reformers, too, unlike [former President Hosni] Mubarak in Egypt, and [former President Zine El Abidine] Ben Ali in Tunisia, who were deeply, deeply hated. They see [the king] as a reformer, and the changes he's introduced in the last two years have been startling."
The reasons behind the unrest that led to successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and protests in Libya, Bahrain and elsewhere, vary from country to country. But there are three fundamental factors that nearly all have in common: economic deprivation, youth unemployment and political frustration.
Saudi Arabia has all those problems, and more. With its massive oil wealth, the kingdom is one of the world's richest countries, but the money is not distributed evenly. There are many wealthy Saudis and an estimated 6,000 royal princes, but the average national income is around $20,000 a year and many Saudis live on the poverty line.
"Inflation has hit Saudis hard," Amos says. "There have been sharp increases in food prices, and you need two salaries to get by."
Most estimates put unemployment in Saudi Arabia at around 10 percent. But like nearly all Arab countries, Saudi Arabia is experiencing a massive "youth bump" in its population about two-thirds of the population is younger than 29 and the unemployment rate for young people is thought to be around 40 percent.
Like the other oil-rich Gulf states, Saudi Arabia has invested billions in education, including sending students to universities in the United States, England and Australia. Now all of these graduates, especially an entire generation of well-educated young women, are looking for ways to use their education and there are limited opportunities for them.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is run as a traditional monarchy, where political parties are banned and dissent is strictly punished. Although there are consultative councils set up to advise the royal family, they are appointed, not elected, and there are few ways for the poor, the young and minorities to get their voices heard. The king also carries the title "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" the holiest sites in Islam at Mecca and Medina a position that makes it difficult for any devout Muslim to criticize him. On top of that, the ruling family also has a centuries-old relationship with a very conservative branch of Sunni Islam, which results in harsh enforcement of rules on public morality.
Robert Powell, Middle East analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit, says young people in Saudi Arabia "are increasingly intertwined thanks to social media like Facebook and Twitter. They are more globally connected and culturally sophisticated and they are increasingly frustrated with Saudi society, especially the law which restrict the mixing of men and women."
Add to these factors a massive generation gap King Abdullah is 87, and his half brother and official successor, Crown Prince Sultan, is 82 and Saudi Arabia would seem ripe for popular unrest. But Powell says there are a number of reasons why that might not happen.
"The first is that Saudi Arabia is unique, a very conservative society that resists change," he says.
Another, he says, is "the country's vast oil wealth. ... They can always 'splash the cash,' and we saw that with [King Abdullah's] move in spending $10 billion to address issues like the shortage of 200,000 new homes to help young Saudis still living with their parents
Thomas Lippman, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations who has written extensively on Saudi Arabia, says he strongly doubts that there will be unrest in the kingdom "because no one questions the legitimacy of the regime, and the king is personally popular." Yes, Saudi Arabia has problems, Lippman says, "but the place is not stagnant as Egypt was. Everyone knows there is going to be change in the next few years" as the older members of the royal family die off.
There have been a few, very limited signs of unrest in Saudi Arabia isolated reports of Saudis demonstrating for better pay, some criticism of the royal family on the Internet, heated political discussions among the country's large Shiite minority. These incidents, and the general sense of uncertainty hanging over the entire Middle East, are already driving the price of oil upward.
That nervousness is unfounded, says Powell, even if there's unrest in Saudi Arabia itself.
"I would not expect oil production to be affected," he says. "Saudi Aramco is a pretty effective company; the majority of the employees are Saudis, and the oil fields are very well guarded." Nonetheless, Powell says: "The markets are very twitchy, and the oil price could skyrocket. Saudi Arabia is not only a major supplier, it has covered loss of supply elsewhere by increasing production, and the markets are based more on sentiment than supply and demand."
Powell says as soon as the political situation stabilizes, the oil price will come down.
But even though the stability of Saudi Arabia is so vital to the United States, there seems to be little the U.S. can do to influence events there. Lippman says the U.S. "should keep our eyes open and our mouths shut. This is not about us." Powell says Washington "can only play the same delicate diplomatic game they've been playing elsewhere," trying to balance a desire for stability "with America's instinctive belief in freedom and democracy."
NPR's Amos says the unrest in the Middle East presents Washington with "one of the toughest foreign policy problems faced by any administration."
The U.S. will be criticized, she says, "either for doing too much or for doing too little." But whatever happens, she says, Saudi reformers have told her it doesn't need a "Made in America" stamp. Whatever we get, they have told her, we need to get this on our own
by Kevin Beesley
February 24, 2011 Before returning home to Saudi Arabia after medical treatments Wednesday, King Abdullah ordered a massive increase in the kingdom's development and state welfare payments a move that some observers say was an attempt to stave off the popular unrest that is now sweeping the Arab world.
Even the merest hint of potential unrest in Saudi Arabia, which sits on a fifth of the world's oil reserves and is the third biggest source of oil for the United States, is enough to spark fear in the oil markets and cause nightmares in Washington.
Although there is little sign of any unrest in Saudi Arabia so far, there are growing political and economic frustrations.
After being caught by surprise by the popular revolts in the Middle East, few analysts will rule out the possibility of unrest in Saudi Arabia, but they do say it is unlikely.
NPR correspondent Deborah Amos is in Saudi Arabia and says the reason is simple: "The king is extremely popular, among young people and with reformers, too, unlike [former President Hosni] Mubarak in Egypt, and [former President Zine El Abidine] Ben Ali in Tunisia, who were deeply, deeply hated. They see [the king] as a reformer, and the changes he's introduced in the last two years have been startling."
The reasons behind the unrest that led to successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and protests in Libya, Bahrain and elsewhere, vary from country to country. But there are three fundamental factors that nearly all have in common: economic deprivation, youth unemployment and political frustration.
Saudi Arabia has all those problems, and more. With its massive oil wealth, the kingdom is one of the world's richest countries, but the money is not distributed evenly. There are many wealthy Saudis and an estimated 6,000 royal princes, but the average national income is around $20,000 a year and many Saudis live on the poverty line.
"Inflation has hit Saudis hard," Amos says. "There have been sharp increases in food prices, and you need two salaries to get by."
Most estimates put unemployment in Saudi Arabia at around 10 percent. But like nearly all Arab countries, Saudi Arabia is experiencing a massive "youth bump" in its population about two-thirds of the population is younger than 29 and the unemployment rate for young people is thought to be around 40 percent.
Like the other oil-rich Gulf states, Saudi Arabia has invested billions in education, including sending students to universities in the United States, England and Australia. Now all of these graduates, especially an entire generation of well-educated young women, are looking for ways to use their education and there are limited opportunities for them.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is run as a traditional monarchy, where political parties are banned and dissent is strictly punished. Although there are consultative councils set up to advise the royal family, they are appointed, not elected, and there are few ways for the poor, the young and minorities to get their voices heard. The king also carries the title "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" the holiest sites in Islam at Mecca and Medina a position that makes it difficult for any devout Muslim to criticize him. On top of that, the ruling family also has a centuries-old relationship with a very conservative branch of Sunni Islam, which results in harsh enforcement of rules on public morality.
Robert Powell, Middle East analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit, says young people in Saudi Arabia "are increasingly intertwined thanks to social media like Facebook and Twitter. They are more globally connected and culturally sophisticated and they are increasingly frustrated with Saudi society, especially the law which restrict the mixing of men and women."
Add to these factors a massive generation gap King Abdullah is 87, and his half brother and official successor, Crown Prince Sultan, is 82 and Saudi Arabia would seem ripe for popular unrest. But Powell says there are a number of reasons why that might not happen.
"The first is that Saudi Arabia is unique, a very conservative society that resists change," he says.
Another, he says, is "the country's vast oil wealth. ... They can always 'splash the cash,' and we saw that with [King Abdullah's] move in spending $10 billion to address issues like the shortage of 200,000 new homes to help young Saudis still living with their parents
Thomas Lippman, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations who has written extensively on Saudi Arabia, says he strongly doubts that there will be unrest in the kingdom "because no one questions the legitimacy of the regime, and the king is personally popular." Yes, Saudi Arabia has problems, Lippman says, "but the place is not stagnant as Egypt was. Everyone knows there is going to be change in the next few years" as the older members of the royal family die off.
There have been a few, very limited signs of unrest in Saudi Arabia isolated reports of Saudis demonstrating for better pay, some criticism of the royal family on the Internet, heated political discussions among the country's large Shiite minority. These incidents, and the general sense of uncertainty hanging over the entire Middle East, are already driving the price of oil upward.
That nervousness is unfounded, says Powell, even if there's unrest in Saudi Arabia itself.
"I would not expect oil production to be affected," he says. "Saudi Aramco is a pretty effective company; the majority of the employees are Saudis, and the oil fields are very well guarded." Nonetheless, Powell says: "The markets are very twitchy, and the oil price could skyrocket. Saudi Arabia is not only a major supplier, it has covered loss of supply elsewhere by increasing production, and the markets are based more on sentiment than supply and demand."
Powell says as soon as the political situation stabilizes, the oil price will come down.
But even though the stability of Saudi Arabia is so vital to the United States, there seems to be little the U.S. can do to influence events there. Lippman says the U.S. "should keep our eyes open and our mouths shut. This is not about us." Powell says Washington "can only play the same delicate diplomatic game they've been playing elsewhere," trying to balance a desire for stability "with America's instinctive belief in freedom and democracy."
NPR's Amos says the unrest in the Middle East presents Washington with "one of the toughest foreign policy problems faced by any administration."
The U.S. will be criticized, she says, "either for doing too much or for doing too little." But whatever happens, she says, Saudi reformers have told her it doesn't need a "Made in America" stamp. Whatever we get, they have told her, we need to get this on our own
hembo
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Saudi Shi'ites stage another protest in oil province
Saudi Shi'ites held a small demonstration in the oil-producing Eastern province, close to Gulf neighbour Bahrain, days after authorities freed Shi'ite prisoners following a similar protestReuters , Saturday 26 Feb 2011
Dozens of Shi'ites gathered on Thursday night in Qatif, the main Shi'ite town in the Eastern province, to demand the release of fellow prisoners held for long periods without trial, resident Shi'ite sources said on Saturday.
There was no official confirmation of the demonstration which was also reported by Shi'ite website Rasid.com. It said protesters had carried pictures of prisoners whose release they demand.
Last week, Saudi authorities released three prisoners after Shi'ites in Qatif's neighbouring town Awwamiya staged a small protest, according to resident Shi'ites.
Analysts say top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia would be worried if protests in Bahrain, where majority Shi'ites have been demonstrating against the Saudi-allied Sunni government, spread to its Shi'ite minority who mostly live in the Eastern province, the source of Saudi oil wealth.
Saudi Arabia applies an austere Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and minority Shi'ites say that, while their situation has improved under reforms launched by King Abdullah, they still face restrictions in getting senior government jobs. The government denies these charges.
Shi'iites stand to benefit like other citizens from $37 billion in government benefits King Abdullah unveiled on Wednesday upon his return after spending three months abroad for medical treatment.
Awwamiya was the scene of protests for weeks in 2009 after police launched a search for Shi'ite preacher Nimr al-Nimr, who suggested in a sermon that Shi'ites could one day seek their own separate state.
The secessionist threat, which analysts say was unprecedented since the 1979 Iranian revolution provoked anti-government protests, followed clashes between the Sunni religious police and Shi'ite pilgrims near the tomb of Prophet Mohammad in the Muslim holy city of Medina.
Since then Saudi Shi'ites say the situation has calmed down but they are still waiting for promised reforms to be carried out.
Officials say Shi'ites make up 10 percent of the Saudi population, although diplomats put it closer to 15 percent.
Saudi Shi'ites held a small demonstration in the oil-producing Eastern province, close to Gulf neighbour Bahrain, days after authorities freed Shi'ite prisoners following a similar protestReuters , Saturday 26 Feb 2011
Dozens of Shi'ites gathered on Thursday night in Qatif, the main Shi'ite town in the Eastern province, to demand the release of fellow prisoners held for long periods without trial, resident Shi'ite sources said on Saturday.
There was no official confirmation of the demonstration which was also reported by Shi'ite website Rasid.com. It said protesters had carried pictures of prisoners whose release they demand.
Last week, Saudi authorities released three prisoners after Shi'ites in Qatif's neighbouring town Awwamiya staged a small protest, according to resident Shi'ites.
Analysts say top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia would be worried if protests in Bahrain, where majority Shi'ites have been demonstrating against the Saudi-allied Sunni government, spread to its Shi'ite minority who mostly live in the Eastern province, the source of Saudi oil wealth.
Saudi Arabia applies an austere Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and minority Shi'ites say that, while their situation has improved under reforms launched by King Abdullah, they still face restrictions in getting senior government jobs. The government denies these charges.
Shi'iites stand to benefit like other citizens from $37 billion in government benefits King Abdullah unveiled on Wednesday upon his return after spending three months abroad for medical treatment.
Awwamiya was the scene of protests for weeks in 2009 after police launched a search for Shi'ite preacher Nimr al-Nimr, who suggested in a sermon that Shi'ites could one day seek their own separate state.
The secessionist threat, which analysts say was unprecedented since the 1979 Iranian revolution provoked anti-government protests, followed clashes between the Sunni religious police and Shi'ite pilgrims near the tomb of Prophet Mohammad in the Muslim holy city of Medina.
Since then Saudi Shi'ites say the situation has calmed down but they are still waiting for promised reforms to be carried out.
Officials say Shi'ites make up 10 percent of the Saudi population, although diplomats put it closer to 15 percent.
Sinnerman108
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Just the fact that you are asking this question, means you have no idea what you are talking about.
Sinnerman108
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Last time you were calling me a Wahabi, now you want to call me Pakistani .... make up your mind.
Anyway, since your memory is short, I am referring to when Persians tried to take over the Haram ,, with photos of Khomeni .....
have you forgotten that grand theft your kind tried to pull ?
as for your sarcasm ... it goes like this .
As a Pakistani I am thankful for the favors Arabs have done for us.
I am thankful they are our hosts,
and thus i offer them loyalty.
Unlike persians ... ummm wait ... you must have gone looking up what this word "Loyalty" is ... ?
ever stopped to wonder why there are so few Pakisanis in Iran in spite of geographical proximity...
and vice versa ?
Don't make me say things, I don't want to say ... for the sake of my country, and for the sake of my religion.
Cheetah786
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Oil and other wealth robbed from Arabia by house of saud worth 100s of billions getting credit for spending less then 1% of that on local population priceless.
pak-marine
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There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
We have paid a heavy price with innocent pakistani blood in the last few years , hope that helps you figure out what your saudi brethern have done to this country , the joke in your avatar sounded much like you ...
Myth_buster_1
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Saudi King is a corrupt shameless b@stard who serves his western masters.
Cheetah786
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you Being Pakistani is your nationality being wahabi is by your choice since pakistan isnt a Religion its a country.
Oh did u no the creator of Pakistan was a shia ouch that got to hurt and he created a secular county where all will be free to practice what ever respected religion they wanna practice most mullahs were against her creation you no the ones that are trying to destroy her.
But you are ok with House of saud taken over Whole of Arabia with the help of British and allowing western militaries to establish basses there to protect them form local population of Arabia.
forgive me but which grand theft you talk of and at the same time forget the billions of dollars stolen by house of saud from Arabia.
what?
why do not you ask the victims of terrorism in Pakistan or Afghanistan how much they thank the Arabs. word of advise do not be standing near any of them as they might wanna thank you personally with whatever weapon they have in there hands.
Happy for you but one has to wonder why local population wants them out
.
So you offer loyality to the people who finnace terroist in pakistan
Who isnt familiar with House of sauds unconditonal loyality to west and israel oh and lets not forgt the ottoman empire betrayed by who else but your best host house of saud lets ask Iraqies wait we cant there country was attacked from land provided by house of saud
Might have something to do with not many economic opportunities offerd by both countries but one also wonder why house of saud invest by the billions in western economies.
When iranian economy was booming there were 1000s of pakistanies working in iran ans there are also quite a few iraninans in pakistan.
The demage done to pakistan by you and people like you is more then enough favour we pakistanies can handle.
Abii
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1) there is nothing Persian about the Iranian leadership. We call them Persian speaking arabs in Iran.
2) I ask you simple questions, you completely ignore them. What do you think that says?
3) Pakistan is in trouble because of the people you're slaving yourself to
4) There is NOTHING Islamic about the Wahabis, AKA your masters
5) You're an ultra religious nut case
Myth_buster_1
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Leadership is not going the change any Muslim nation. Its only Muslims who can bring any change and they have to start from themself.
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