Saudi influence over the Arab Spring

This week’s reading covered the influence that the wealthy conservative nation of Saudi Arabia had over the Arab spring and how they effected the regime changes around the region to benefit their values and political agendas. The Muslim Brotherhood and other factional groups have been fighting for political influence of the entire region. It’s highlighting the support through funding different military groups in an attempt gain more political power over the surrounding nations. The struggle specifically between the Sunni and Shiite powers in the middle east continue and Saudi Arabia has been stirring the pot between the two factions for years now but since 2011 tensions and regime changes have been increasing over the years.

It’s really frustrating to witness the puppetry being done by the Saudi ruling class over some of the surrounding nations, profiting from the struggle in Syria and doing almost nothing to combat the wildfire like spread of ISIS over the war torn nations of Iraq and Syria. This article made me consider the possible reasoning for Saudi Arabia trying to stay out of the fight against ISIS and to some degree it’s not surprising that they aren’t involved considering that some of their law in place are very consistent with the same Sharia law that ISIS operates by.

Saudi Arabia seems to intervene in other countries struggles only when in benefits their political interest but when the Plague of ISIS is committing atrocities next door they stay silent. If the mid-east region is to see true change and progress towards peace the first step is by getting a response coalition that doesn’t just involve putting more US troops back in the front but rather a coalition of troops from the entire region and support from NATO nations.