With $Trillions of GCC sovereign funds at stake in the international funds markets, there is no way the “Arab Spring” would be allowed to blossom unmanaged. The under-reported back story today is really about how the powers that be are managing this mortal threat to the global world order. London and Paris are really just puppets at this point to the powers in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha who are able to "show me the money".
IMHO The real interlocutors are probably the Saudi Princes and US rulers (Clintons et al?). The victims are the people of the region and the army of blogging and tweeting supporters, who don’t really know what is going on.
The sweet smell of counter-revolution
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MD08Ak01.html
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Riyadh to talk to Saudi King Abdullah.
. . . But as the Pentagon meets the House of Saud at the current juncture, they can only say one thing:
I love the smell of counter-revolution in the morning.
And it does smell like victory. The US-Saudi counter-revolution is winning, hands down, against the great 2011 Arab revolt.
. .
As Gates and Abdullah discuss the intricacies of "US outreach" (those dictators that can get away with murder) and "regime alteration" (those they want thrown to the dogs), the current juncture spells out Washington/House of Saud in charge on all fronts - wrong side of history and all.
The House of Saud and Qatar are now (subtly) dictating the "transition" in Libya. . . .
The House of Saud is also dictating the transition in Yemen - now that the Barack Obama administration has decided to throw President Ali Abdullah Saleh to the dogs (because he was incompetent enough to not kill enough of his people and thus smash their peaceful revolution).
Saleh is now worthless as "our bastard" in the American war against al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) even as the Yemeni opposition - which does not trust the Saudis - is being co-opted by corrupt, al-Qaeda-friendly General Ali Mohsen. The US Central Intelligence Agency is merrily accepting bids for Saleh's successor.