The Saudis Gear Up to Raise Oil Prices

I wonder if anyone remembers the humiliating trips that George W Bush made to Saudi Arabia several times as oil prices rose to their highest ever some months ago? How many trips did he make with his cap in hand begging the Saudis to help reduce oil prices - was it two or three? Whatever it was, it was a terrible humiliation for the Saudis to treat the President of the very country that saved their backsides from Saddam several times in such a shoddy way. And you have the Saudis gear up to do this yet again.

The Gulf News website has a piece here: http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/01/23/10278009.html sternly warning Barack Obama that Saudi - US ties are at risk over the USA's inactivity in the Gaza conflict. This comes a day after Obama appointed a special envoy who is renowned for finally making peace between the British and the Catholic Irish after some seven and a half centuries of fighting. Surely the Saudis don't expect miracles like NBC does two days after Obama got into the White House?

My feeling is that the new Saudi tone has only one implication - low oil prices are hurting the Saudis as they are other oil producing countries. The Saudis are hurting more than others because they produce so much more oil. This whole threat to Obama is the same, essentially, as their behavior with Bush. They want to use Gaza as an excuse to push oil prices up in order to pay fir their new Rolls Royces. Barack Obama would do well to see through the obnoxious Saudi behavior and concentrate even harder on alternative energy to make sure that this country could wave the Saudis a good-bye the next time they try this kind of stunt. I hope to write an article about this on a website that I do write occasionally for and I shall post a link here when I do.