[*]It's not as simple as saying Saudi exported Wahhabism. First you have to understand what Wahhabism is, what Deobandi is, who Syed Qutb was, who Abd al-Salam Farag was, etc. It's a lot more nuanced than what people generally think. You have to know the major players in Afghanistan during the war of the 1980s, including Osama bin Laden, but also Abdullah Azzam, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ahmad Shah Massoud, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdur Rabb Rasul Sayyaf, Burhanuddin Rabbani. Then you have to understand where the Taliban came from, you have to know who the late Sami ul-Haq was, the Panjpiri school of Deobandis, etc. Until you understand all of these intricacies you will stick to the simplistic idea of saying Saudi exported Wahhabism and that created al-Qaida, Taliban, etc. Since Wikipedia is your source I encourage you to read more about these names I have listed for you on Wikipedia so you can increase your knowledge on the issue.
[*]The atrocities which the Americans committed in Iraq pale in comparison to what the Russians did in Afghanistan.
[*]I agree with you that MBS is a disgusting man. Western governments including the US should put pressure on the Saudis to sack him and appoint a new crown prince, and also end the war in Yemen and cease the blockade of Qatar.
[*]The post-Saddam governments have been corrupt and incompetent, but to say they are worse than Saddam's Baathist regime is outrageous. Iraq is now a democracy with regular elections. Of course there are major problems but don't forget how bad Baathism is. Baathism is basically fascism. Saddam was open about his admiration of Hitler and Stalin. Saddam massacred his own people, he persecuted the Kurds and Shiites, he launched the wars on Iran and then Kuwait.
[*]I never said Assad is liberal. I listed him among the list of autocratic Middle Eastern rulers that are "supposedly liberal" and "secular" because they are not "Islamist".
[*]The atrocities which the Americans committed in Iraq pale in comparison to what the Russians did in Afghanistan.
[*]I agree with you that MBS is a disgusting man. Western governments including the US should put pressure on the Saudis to sack him and appoint a new crown prince, and also end the war in Yemen and cease the blockade of Qatar.
[*]The post-Saddam governments have been corrupt and incompetent, but to say they are worse than Saddam's Baathist regime is outrageous. Iraq is now a democracy with regular elections. Of course there are major problems but don't forget how bad Baathism is. Baathism is basically fascism. Saddam was open about his admiration of Hitler and Stalin. Saddam massacred his own people, he persecuted the Kurds and Shiites, he launched the wars on Iran and then Kuwait.
[*]I never said Assad is liberal. I listed him among the list of autocratic Middle Eastern rulers that are "supposedly liberal" and "secular" because they are not "Islamist".
