When it comes to Iran, this administration continues to beat the drums of war. Every day we hear about the help they are giving insurgents in Iraq. It is, in fact, one of the excuses being used to start pumping up support for a strategic strike against them.

Yet, according to this NY Times article, documents found in a recent raid show it is Saudi Arabia and Libya that provide the most insurgents.

"American military and diplomatic officials who discussed the flow of fighters from Saudi Arabia were careful to draw a distinction between the Saudi government and the charities and individuals who they said encouraged young Saudi men to fight in Iraq. After United States officials put pressure on Saudi leaders in the summer, the Saudi government took some steps that have begun to curb the flow of fighters, the officials said.

Yet the senior American military officials said they also believed that Saudi citizens provided the majority of financing for Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. “They don’t want to see the Shias come to dominate in Iraq,” one American official said."
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Though the role the Saudis play in the Iraq war and the jihad movement have been discussed for a long time, Washington continues to look the other way when it comes to Saudi behavior. In March the stoning of a rape victim there brought little comment from the White House, while we are told daily how evil repressive governments are in places like Iran. (link...)

Washingtom should be held accountable for its lop-sided approach to repression in other countries, but how can it do that when it has made some countries "our friends" and others evil empires that demand regime change?

We always hear how the Saudis are working hard to improve situations, but nothing ever changes over there. Shria law rules Saudi Arabia. The blue burqua became a huge symbol leading up to the war in Afghanistan. We were told we were going to free people from such restrictions---but did we?

The powerful documentary by Meena Nanji, View from a Grain of Sand, recently exposed "US responsibility for fundamentalism and the myth of women’s liberation.
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The Saudi Empire is powerful and controls most of the oil we need, but shouldn't our government at least be honest about them?

Bush urges us to seperate what the Saudi government does from what some of its citizens do, but when it comes to Iran, they insist it is the government there aiding Al Queda.

This selective eye Washington focuses on the world does nothing to add to our governments credibility.