Arezki Daoud

image

How Saudi Arabia Inhibits Democracy and Progress in the Arab World

[By Arezki Daoud | daoud@north-africa.com | 508-981-6937 | Twitter: @northafrica] President Obama’s Middle East and North Africa speech of May 19, 2011 was promising and encouraging yet incomplete. Setting aside the mine field of the never ending and unsolvable Arab-Israeli conflict, the speech will likely be a source of more strength for pro-democracy activists in some Arab nations as it confirmes America’s siding with the right side of history in countries like Tunisia and Egypt. But while the President managed to clearly define some of the key issues that led to the Arab revolt and provided some directions as what he expects the outcome to be, he has avoided focusing on the actions of a highly disruptive nation, a partner of the US, that has long been source of repression and insecurity worldwide. For those of you who wonder who this partner is, consider this basic quiz: What do the following statements have in common?
Author info
image Arezki Daoud Arezki Daoud is a leading analyst on North African affairs. He has been editor of The North Africa Journal since 1996. The publication reaches over 50,000 decision makers worldwide. Having lived and worked in North Africa, Mr. Daoud's analytical expertise on the region spans from the energy and industrial sectors to security and political affairs. Arezki is familiar with the speech circuit and briefing the business and government communities on the countries of the Maghreb region and is widely quoted in the press.
Powered by Vivvo CMS v4.0