Lessons From the Saudis

While the nation debates what to do about the disaster in Iraq, I have been pondering a disaster that hasn't happened -- in Saudi Arabia. There are some lessons in the Saudi story that may help clarify the Bush administration's choices as it nears crunch time in the region.

First, some background: Ten years ago Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States to "expel the infidels from the Arab peninsula." One theme of his Aug. 23, 1996, fatwa was that for all its military power, America was weak. It had fled from terrorist attacks in Beirut and Somalia, and it would flee Saudi Arabia as well. Bin Laden said of his terrorist cadres: "These youths love death even as you love life."

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