Source:
Financial TimesSaudi Arabia’s unequivocal support for Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian president, has shown signs of moderating as the kingdom seeks to appear neutral and closer to the public mood in Egypt, according to Saudi analysts.
“Saudi Arabia has recently begun to keep its distance from the situation in Egypt,’’ said a Saudi observer close to the government. “They realised the revolution is genuinely popular, with an Egyptian agenda. It was not incited by radical elements. It is not about foreign policy, US flag burning, or Palestine. It is about Egypt and they do not want to be seen as against the people.”
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But (Saudi analysts) also pointed to the more balanced coverage by the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television station of the turmoil in Egypt as another sign that rulers in the kingdom are starting to come to terms with the loss of a close ally. Some observers noted that at the start of the revolt the network had briefly tilted toward the Egyptian government, in line with King Abdullah’s strong support for Mr Mubarak.
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But Saudi observers also noted that the new Middle East now in the making could be radically different, with power struggles that may no longer take the form of pro-western Arab states versus Iran.
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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95d0ee5c-3541-11e0-aa6c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1DaK0t2qr
History unfolding.
And the entrenched Washington establishment can only stand by, stunned, as one of the most autocratic regimes in the world is transformed, God willing, toward a government of, for and by the people.