It would be hard to find a more telling symbol of the contradictory nature of Saudi-American relations than Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudis' new ambassador to the United States. As head of Saudi intelligence from 1977 until Aug. 31, 2001, he personally managed Riyadh's relations with Osama bin Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar of the Taliban. Anyone else who had dealings with even a small fraction of the notorious characters the prince has worked with over the years would never make it past the immigration counter at Dulles Airport, let alone to the most exclusive offices in Washington.
Prince Turki could actually turn out to be a good choice for Saudi Arabia's most important diplomatic post. He is intimately familiar with the essential issues, extremely well connected at home and generally on the right side of Riyadh's internal debate over political reform. But at the very least, his appointment should stimulate serious discussion of the darker aspects of Saudi Arabia's historic relations with the world of Islamic extremists and terrorists. This is an issue that the Bush administration, like its predecessors, has been reluctant to confront. With Prince Turki as the official face of Saudi Arabia in Washington, the charade should at last be over.
Saudi Arabia is an unregenerate absolute monarchy whose kings and princes live lives of limitless luxury but are publicly dedicated to upholding and propagating the teachings of the puritanical and militantly intolerant Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam. It also happens to sit on top of vast petroleum reserves that the modern industrial world seems unable to learn to live without.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/opinion/31sun2.html?oref=login
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