Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

We know how much you value the nonprofit, independent journalism of Common Dreams. The only thing that keeps us going is support from readers like you. As some have been forced to cut back on giving, your contribution becomes even more important. So please, join the small group of generous readers who donate, keeping Common Dreams free for millions of people each year. Help fill the gap created by those who have been forced to cancel their monthly recurring donations. Without your help, we won’t survive.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to support our work—that time is now.

Our mission is simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.

But without the support of our readers, this model does not work and we simply won’t survive. It’s that simple.
We must meet our Mid-Year Campaign goal but we need you now.

Please, support independent journalism today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Join the small group of generous readers who donate, keeping Common Dreams free for millions of people each year. Without your help, we won’t survive.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

President Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who died on Thursday, in this file photo. (Photo: AP/Gerald Herbert)

Saudi Arabia’s Tyrant King Misremembered as Man of Peace

Murtaza Hussain

 by The Intercept

After nearly 20 years as de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah ibn-Abdulaziz al-Saud died last night at the age of 90. Abdullah, who took power after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995, ruled as absolute monarch of a country which protected American interests but also sowed strife and extremism throughout the Middle East and the world.

In a statement last night Senator John McCain eulogized Abdullah as “a vocal advocate for peace, speaking out against violence in the Middle East”. John Kerry described the late monarch as “a brave partner in fighting violent extremism” and “a proponent of peace”. Not to be outdone, Vice President Joe Biden released a statement mourning Abdullah and announced that he would be personally leading a presidential delegation to offer condolences on his passing.

It’s not often that the unelected leader of a country which publicly flogs dissidents and beheads people for sorcery wins such glowing praise from American officials. Even more perplexing, perhaps, have been the fawning obituaries in the mainstream press which have faithfully echoed this characterization of Abdullah as a benign and well-intentioned man of peace.

Tiptoeing around his brutal dictatorship, The Washington Post characterized Abdullah as a “wily king” while The New York Times inexplicably referred to him as “a force of moderation”, while also suggesting that evidence of his moderation included having had: “hundreds of militants arrested and some beheaded” (emphasis added).

While granting that Abdullah might be considered a relative moderate within the brazenly anachronistic House of Saud, the fact remains that he presided for two decades over a regime which engaged in wanton human rights abuses, instrumentalized religious chauvinism, and played a hugely counterrevolutionary role in regional politics.

Above all, he was not a leader who shied away from both calling for and engineering more conflict in the Middle East.

Read the full article at The Intercept.

© 2021 The Intercept
Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain is a journalist and political commentator now working for First Look Media. His work focuses on human rights, foreign policy and cultural affairs. Murtaza’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Salon and elsewhere.

Comments

"I'm sure this will be all over the corporate media, right?"
That’s what one longtime Common Dreams reader said yesterday after the newsroom reported on new research showing how corporate price gouging surged to a nearly 70-year high in 2021. While major broadcasters, newspapers, and other outlets continue to carry water for their corporate advertisers when they report on issues like inflation, economic inequality, and the climate emergency, our independence empowers us to provide you stories and perspectives that powerful interests don’t want you to have. But this independence is only possible because of support from readers like you. You make the difference. If our support dries up, so will we. Our crucial Mid-Year Campaign is now underway and we are in emergency mode to make sure we raise the necessary funds so that every day we can bring you the stories that corporate, for-profit outlets ignore and neglect. Please, if you can, support Common Dreams today.

 

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Latest News

See all
Abortion rights activists hoist their signs outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2022.

80+ US Prosecutors Vow Not to Be Part of Criminalizing Abortion Care

"Criminalizing and prosecuting individuals who seek or provide abortion care makes a mockery of justice," says a joint statement signed by 84 elected attorneys. "Prosecutors should not be part of that."

Kenny Stancil ·

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, speaks during a hearing on September 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. Powell yesterday said the U.S. economy has a long way to go before fully recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and will need further support. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

Progressives Rebuke Dem Leadership as Clyburn Dismisses Death of Roe as 'Anticlimactic'

"The gap between the Democratic leadership, and younger progressives on the question of 'How Bad Is It?' is just enormous."

Julia Conley ·

John Fetterman

In 10 Key US Senate Races, Here's How Top Candidates Responded to Roe Ruling

While Republicans unanimously welcomed the Supreme Court's rollback of half a century of reproductive rights, one Democrat said "it's just wrong that my granddaughter will have fewer freedoms than my grandmother did."

Brett Wilkins ·

Bernie Sanders

Sanders Says End Filibuster to Combat 'Outrageous' Supreme Court Assault on Abortion Rights

"If Republicans can end the filibuster to install right-wing judges to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats can and must end the filibuster, codify Roe v. Wade, and make abortion legal and safe," said the Vermont senator.

Jake Johnson ·

Shayla, who has made the five-hour drive from Texas to Louisiana twice, sits in the waiting room of the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, Louisiana on April 19, 2022.

Patients in Trigger-Ban States Immediately Denied Abortion Care in Post-Roe US

Some people scheduled to receive abortions were turned away within minutes of the right-wing Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.

Kenny Stancil ·

Most Popular

 
  1. Citing 'Deluge of New Evidence,' House Jan. 6 Committee Delays Hearings
  2. 'Unconscionable': House Committee Adds $37 Billion to Biden's $813 Billion Military Budget
  3. The Right-Wing Supreme Court Readies to Help Destroy the Planet
  4. Why Do Tens of Millions in US Support an Economic System That Doesn't Benefit Them?
  5. Study Shows Excess Corporate Profits in the US Have Become 'Widespread'
  6. Demanding Prosecution, Legal Experts Say This Is the 'Smoking Gun' to Nail Trump
  7. 'He Must Resign': Staff Texts Over Fake Elector Slates Implicate Ron Johnson
  8. Supreme Court Ruling Turns Separation of Church and State Into 'Constitutional Violation,' Warns Sotomayor
  9. As Right-Wing Majority Shows Its Face, Confidence in Supreme Court Hits All-Time Low
  10. 'Poverty Is Violence!' Thousands of Demonstrators in DC Demand Economic Justice
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.