Can Saudi Arabia prevent a 'day of rage'?

March 10, 2011

Activists plan to press for political and social reforms on Friday. Will the

House of Saud face an uprising like the ones that have rattled the region?

posted on March 10, 2011, at 1:10 PM

Best Opinion: Hamsayeh, VOA News, Economic Collapse

Saudi Arabia's royal family is pulling out all the stops to prevent Friday's

scheduled " day of rage " from exploding. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal

warned that protests are not allowed, and urged reform advocates to embrace " the

principle of dialogue, " not revolt. To be on the safe side, the government has

moved thousands of extra troops to potential hot spots. Will this be enough to

avert an uprising?

No. Brace for chaos: Saudi Arabia, which permits zero dissent, is " the most

tyrannical authoritarian regime in the Arab world, " says Blair at Hamsayeh.

Even King Abdullah's " hastily-crafted $35 billion social aid package " failed to

quiet " the revolutionary whispers " that have sent Saudi stocks plummeting and

oil prices soaring, on fears that chaos will disrupt shipments of Saudi crude.

It looks to many analysts like " the Saudi regime is the next to fall. "

The rage will be limited: Saudi Arabia won't see anything like the outbursts of

anger in neighboring Egypt and Bahrain, says Saud Kabli, a political commentator

for the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, as quoted by VOA News. Leading activists and

businessmen are calling for sweeping political and social reforms, but they lack

a " coherent vision. " There will be supporters " here and there " for the " day of

rage, " but it will be a long time before the movement reaches critical mass.

Plus, any uprising would be crushed: If you're expecting a " full-blown

revolution, " think again, says Snyder at The Economic Collapse. Saudi

Arabia has " a very, very long history of denying even the most basic freedoms to

the people. " If it takes brutality to keep a lid on the unrest, the royal family

won't hesitate. " If you plan on being a revolutionary in Saudi Arabia you had

better put your big boy pants on, because the Saudis play hardball. "

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