Connection between Bush and the Saudi Family - Essay Example

The Connection between Bush and the Royal Saudi Family The relationship between the Bush family and the Royal family of Saudi Arabia spans close to forty years, and although both the junior and senior Bush try to minimize the relationship as just business, and to a certain extent that may have been true - it was always about the power, money and oil. The very thing that initially united these two families is also the very thing that provided proof of the nature of their special relationship. You can always trace the money. What is exceptional in this case is the fact that never before had two world leaders, who both in power at the same time, been so enmeshed in each other's lives. (Sirota, Harvey, & Legum, 2004, np) That in and of itself was note worthy enough, but when coupled with the events surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks suddenly everything took on new meaning. It all began in the 1968 when Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard. He is introduced to and got acquainted with Jim Bath, a former Air Force pilot and the future mediator between Bush and the royal families in Saudi. Years later, Salem Bin Laden, older brother Osama bin Laden, would enter into a trust agreement with Jim Bath, whereby Bath acted as the bin Laden family's representative in North America, investing money in various business ventures. And as if by chance, the same Laden in 1978 invested more than 1 Billion dollars in a Texas based Oil Company called Arbusto - not so surprisingly a Bush venture. Thus began the legacy which has spanned nearly forty years to date. During this same time period George H. W. Bush was climbing his way up the political ladder. In 1976 he was named director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As luck would have it for the Bush family, during his tenure as CIA Director, the senior Bush arranged training for the Saudi Royal Family's security force. This act sealed the association between the two families. During this time while still with the CIA, George H. W. Bush "privatized various CIA assets, with Bath considered one of the beneficiaries because of his involvement in the aircraft business." (Saudi, 2003, pp. 1) During 1980 the senior Bush was on the Primary Election ballot for the Presidency. He lost to Ronald Regan, but in a show of party unity Bush became Reagan's Vice-presidential running mate. In 1988 Bush ran for election and won. As early as 1991 there had been links place between the Bush and Saudi Royal Family, but its significance would not be truly felt for another 10 years. During 1991 Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), a Mid-Eastern bank financed in part by Khalid Bin Mahfouz, who is closely tied to both the bin Laden and the Royal Family, was arrested for withdrawing huge sums of money from the bank prior to its being seized by the U. S. Government for money laundering and other fiscal illegalities. Instead of facing jail time, however, he was levied hefty fines which he paid. 1991 also saw the beginning of the first Gulf War. Bush ordered the military attack to expel Saddam Hussein and his forces from Kuwait in order to ensure the oil pipelines remained open. The decision to enter Kuwait was also discussed with the Saudi government and they urged Bush to use U. S. military forces to expel Hussein. Having the U. S. involved in the first Gulf War was in the Saudi's best interest. They didn't have to launch a military attack against a Middle East neighbor, and, further, if Hussein had been left unchecked he could have very well also invaded Saudi Arabia. The first Gulf War was very short lived and in a matter of just a few days Kuwait had been liberated. There was much debate by the American public at this time as to whether the President should have 'kept going' at that point and remove Hussein from power. However, under advice of his military strategists and political advisors, the military was ordered out of the country. Bush senior was not re-elected in 1992 and many people felt it was due to the fact most Americans at that time felt we should have 'fixed' the Hussein problem at that time. After retiring from public service former President Bush went to work for the Carlyle Group which later was found to have ties with the Royal Family. While associated with the Carlyle Group, the senior Bush traveled to Saudi Arabia to strength the bonds and stayed at the bin Laden compound. George W. Bush was President when on September 11, 2001 four planes were hijacked by terrorists. Two slammed into the Twin Towers in New York City; one into the Pentagon in Washington, D. C; and the last crashed in a field in southwestern Pennsylvania when the passengers tried to regain control of the plane. The minutes following the attack were filled with confusion and utter disbelief which was soon replaced with horror and sadness. As the smoke began to clear however, questions began to be raised about the relationship of the Bush and royal family's true relationship. As stated earlier the Bush/Saudi marriage had been in existence for nearly forty years when 9/11 took place. Most of their dealings appeared to be financial in nature involving the two families and a web of close family friends. Between the Bush ventures in oil and energy and the obvious Saudi oil ties, it was a profitable venture for both. The exact amounts of money which exchanging hands may never be fully know, but what has been brought to light is frightening. The charitable contributions made to Bush sponsored organizations, including the Presidential Library, a scholarship fund in the Senior Bush's name, and contributions to Barbra Bush's literacy campaigns exceeded $3.5 million dollars. (Unger,Arabian, 2004, np) The corporate ventures between the two families were even more staggering starting with the first Saudi investment of George W.'s first oil venture Arbusto in 1978, "In 1987, a Swiss bank linked to BCCI and a Saudi investor bailed out Harken Energy, where George W. Bush was a director, with $25 million in financing. At the Carlyle Group, investors from the House of Saud and their allies put at least $80 million into Carlyle funds. While it was owned by Carlyle, BDM and its subsidiary Vinnell received at least $1.188 billion in contracts from the Saudis. Finally, Halliburton inked at least $180 million in deals with the Saudis in November 2000, just after Dick Cheney began collecting a lucrative severance package there." (Unger, 2004, np) When the finally tally was done a minimum of $1.476 billion dollars had been placed in the hands of the Bush family or their closest allies from the Saudi Royal Family and their close ties. These figures revealed the private money exchange. Far more sinister and frightening is how enmeshed the Saudi royalties became with the U.S. Government itself. Over a 10 year period U.S. arms companies made nearly $30 billion dollars selling weapons to the Saudi government. After the election in 2000, Clinton and his staff were preparing for the transition to the new George W. Bush Presidency. During the last month of the Clinton Administration there had been growing signs that an al Qaeda attack was eminent. However, everyone still believed it would be on foreign soil. Richard Clark, Head of the Security Council had even approached Sandy Berger the National Security Advisor regarding the matter. He had felt it necessary to with force go into Afghanistan and roust bin Laden. It was decided though with the transition just days away, instead they should just ensure that the new administration was fully aware of the situation and let them decide what to do as they would be dealing with it. "As a result, in the early days of January 2001, Berger scheduled no fewer than 10 briefings by his staff for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, and her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley." (Unger, Transition, 2004, np) During these briefings it was spelled out in detail what needed to be done to stop bin Laden. The Bush administration after the attack of 9/11 denied every receiving such briefings from the Clinton administration, but all the reports and various presentations show that, in fact, the briefings had taken place. The report had gone on to say the financing for al Qaida had been ongoing through the Saudi government and they had an extensive plan to shut down the financial network of the Saudi's. Lastly, the plan detailed the removal of bin Laden from Afghanistan and removal of the Taliban and the terrorist training camps. The plan as detailed was in effect, exactly what happened after the tragedy of 9/11, and however the Bush Administration denied having received any of such information. It was noted that through her comments and actions Condoleezza Rice never believed there had been a 'real' threat from bin Laden. She was, as we all saw a few months later, lethally wrong. Did Bush know about the impending attack and do nothing because of his Saudi connection Although some would like to theorize that this was the case, Bush's ties to Saudi were purely financial in nature. He was first and foremost a businessman and He developed his relationship with the Saudi government to financially advance himself. It was a strange twist of fate that brought to the forefront the relationship of these two families, and part of the shroud of mystery surrounding it lies, I believe in the fact that George W. Bush was profoundly saddened by the events of 9/11. In many ways his relationship with the Saudi's may have moved him to believe in some small way he was guilty or had aided in the attack. Human nature at times leads one to feel this way. George Bush's only crime, I believe, was that of greed. He used the Saudis and they used him - nothing more than a business venture. Probably one of the furthest reaching impacts of the Bush/Saudi relationship will be the future public perception of the private life and their business ties with foreign powers. That skepticism will always remain. 9/11 was a wake up call to America. Never before had we, in most people's memories, ever been attacked on our own shores. Blame and conjecture have abounded since that day. We are all a little more cynical because of it and will for years to come view those we elect with a sharper eye and tongue. Maybe some good did come out of this after all. Works Cited "The Saudi Connection.". 29 Oct. 2003. CBC News. The Fifth Estate. Conspiracy Theories. Retrieved December 18, 2005, from . Sirota, D., Harvey, C., & Legum, J. (23 Apr. 2004). "Under the Radar. Saudi Arabia. Under the Influence." American Progress Organization Website. Retrieved December 19, 2005, from . Unger, Craig. (2004)"The Arabian Candidate.". Salon.com Website. Retrieved December 18, 2005, from . Unger, Craig. (2004). "Did the Saudis buy a President" Salon Website. Retrieved December 18, 2005, from http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2004/03/12/unger_2/index.html Unger, Craig. (2004). "The Transition." Salon Website. Retrieved December 18, 2005, from http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2004/03/12/unger_2/index.html Read More