Intelligence Squared - The West must stay friends with the House of Saud

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The West must stay friends with the House of Saud

23 Mar 2005

The panel debate the motion: The West must stay friends with the House of Saud. Chaired by James Naughtie.

Arguing in favour of the motion are Sir Andrew Green, Robert Lacey and Senator Wyche Fowler.

Andrew Green explains that you don’t have to be a regional expert to understand the strategic, economic, and cultural importance of Saudi Arabia. He explains how Saudi Arabia is a society totally different to our own, under immense stress, and any likely alternative to House of Saud could potentially be far worse.

Robert Lacey begins with the idea that royal families are very good at surviving. He also says that the House of Saud is almost a tribe in its own right, and emphasises the fact that the House of Saud is developing the nature of that society.

Wyche Fowler maintains that reformers in Saudi Arabia are slowly making progress to overcome extremism. He particularly makes the case for the House of Saud's foreign policy in the wider region, which is essential to maintaining the West's goal of ensuring the balance of power in the Middle East, and notes their supportive role in the war on terror.

Arguing against the motion are John R Bradley, Jason Burke and Dr Mark Heller.

John R Bradley states that he does not agree with the premise of the debate: in his view there has not been a friendship between the West and the House of Saud. To support this he puts forward an alternative historical narrative in order to rebut the charge that there is no alternative to the House of Saud.

Jason Burke examines the broader situation in this age of terrorist threat based on Islamic fundamentalism. Burke believes that the House of Saud has used its prodigious profits from oil to support rigorous and conservative strands of Islam. On top of this, he emphasises that that country is horrifically mismanaged and, as an overall consequence, we need to distance ourselves from the regime.

Dr Mark Heller says there is nothing quite as scandalous as the cosy relationship between the West and Saudi Arabia. He suggests that Saudi Arabia is the richest font of anti-western terrorism in the world, pointing to evidence of Wahhabi literature in the US and Germany that spreads hate-rhetoric.

First Vote: 294 For, 189 Against, 223 Don't Know

Final Vote: 328 For, 269 Against, 70 Don't Know

The motion is passed by 59 votes.

James Naughtie

Author and radio broadcaster
Sir Andrew Green

Former British Ambassador to Syria and Saudi Arabia
John R Bradley

Author and journalist
Robert Lacey

Historian and biographer
Jason Burke

Author and journalist
Senator Wyche Fowler

Former Senator from Georgia and former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Dr Mark Heller

Principal Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv University

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The West must stay friends with the House of Saud

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