Local Editor
While the establishment media and some elected officials are sounding the alarm about supposed Russian interference in the US election, experts say a more dangerous foreign meddler is being ignored - American "ally" Saudi Arabia.
A recent report from German intelligence indicates Saudi Arabia is funding the growth of the fundamentalist Salafist form of Islam.
Along with fellow Muslim states Kuwait and Qatar, Saudi Arabia is accused of being behind a "long-running strategy to exert influence" through supposed ‘Islamic charitable networks.’
Philip Haney, author of "See Something, Say Nothing" and a former Department of Homeland Security analyst who tracked radicalism, said the report is no surprise.
Haney said Western leaders are slowly beginning to understand Saudi Arabia is a potential threat to democratic values because of conflicts in Syria and Yemen. However, Haney noted that the media is not acting as a proper watchdog in calling out Saudi interference.
"For several decades, the mainstream media has been hesitant to honestly address many of the threats we face here in the West," Haney said.
"Specifically, the evidence of Saudi influence isn’t really hard to find, but the media has abrogated its founding purpose, which is to investigate and report the truth, no matter what part of the political spectrum it may be in."
"If America [and the West] intends to remain allied with Saudi Arabia, we need to redefine our relationship by re-emphasizing our own national interests, while refusing to compromise our values - gained at a great cost - and also by becoming more energy independent. Then, and only then we may actually be able to develop a healthy, reliable alliance with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
