Sun Jul 22, 2012, 01:15 AM

Euromutt (6,506 posts)

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia...

From an article in The Economist a couple of weeks ago:

Sheikh Nimr has long been a thorn in the side of the ruling family. A warrant for his arrest was first issued in 2009 after he said that if Saudi Shias were not allowed to “live with dignity”, the eastern provinces should secede from the kingdom. Such talk is particularly inflammatory, since most of Saudi Arabia’s oilfields are in the east.

Yet he was not actually arrested. Security forces may have been mindful of the fact that some households in his town, Awamiyeh, were known to have stashes of guns smuggled in from Yemen and Iraq.

Let that sink in for a moment: for three years, the police forces of an autocratic police state were deterred from arresting this turbulent priest because "some households" in a town of 25,000 people had guns. Which also implies that the police didn't have the means and/or the will to locate and seize those smuggled guns either. And let's not forget that it's not as if the Kingdom's police forces are strapped for cash and equipment.

Maybe the idea that an armed citizenry can form a check on a dictatorial regime isn't quite so crazy after all.

6 replies, 835 views

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6 replies	Author	Time	Post
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia... (Original post)	Euromutt	Jul 2012	OP
But the Saudis don't have nuclear weapons. It all hinges on nuclear weapons.	TPaine7	Jul 2012	#1
Nice try but	Gman	Jul 2012	#2
How so? n/t	PavePusher	Jul 2012	#3
Please, do tell	Euromutt	Jul 2012	#4
looks like a plan that worked . . . how is that wishful thinking? can you elaborate?	Tuesday Afternoon	Jul 2012	#5
Ok	permatex	Jul 2012	#6

Response to Euromutt (Original post)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 01:30 AM

TPaine7 (4,286 posts)

1. But the Saudis don't have nuclear weapons. It all hinges on nuclear weapons.

If a dictatorial US president were challenged by rebels in DC he would simply carped bomb the District and nearby areas (in Virginia and Maryland) with nukes.

The Saudis can't do that, so they can't be compared to the US.

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Response to Euromutt (Original post)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 02:49 AM

Gman (21,162 posts)

2. Nice try but

Last edited Sun Jul 22, 2012, 02:50 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Very wishful thinking.

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Response to Gman (Reply #2)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 04:35 AM

PavePusher (15,374 posts)

3. How so? n/t

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Response to Gman (Reply #2)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 06:17 AM

Euromutt (6,506 posts)

4. Please, do tell

This is an assessment from The Economist, which regardless of its point of view on other issues is firmly opposed to private ownership of firearms. If this newspaper acknowledges that the security forces of a police state can be deterred from serving an arrest warrant for three years by the threat of "some households" in a small town having guns, there's probably something to it.

I honestly threw this out for discussion. and unsupported dismissal is not discussion. Please, feel free to argue your point.

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Response to Gman (Reply #2)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 08:11 AM

Tuesday Afternoon (43,835 posts)

5. looks like a plan that worked . . . how is that wishful thinking? can you elaborate?

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Response to Gman (Reply #2)

Sun Jul 22, 2012, 10:24 AM

permatex (1,299 posts)

6. Ok

So prove your statement.
I'd like to hear your reasons why it's very wishful thinking, and I'm not mocking you, I really would like to hear your reasons.

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