RIYADH | Sat Mar 5, 2011 8:54am EST

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/05/us-saudi-protests-idUSTRE72419N20110305

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it would ban all protests and marches after minority Shi'ites staged small protests in the oil-producing eastern province.

Security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state television.

The ban follows a series of protests by Saudi Shi'ites in the kingdom's east in the past weeks mainly to demand the release of prisoners they say are long held without trial.

Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority mostly live in the east, which holds much of the oil wealth of the world's top crude exporter and is near Bahrain, scene of protests by majority Shi'ites against their Sunni rulers.

Saudi Shi'ites they complain they struggle to get senior government jobs and other benefits like other citizens.

The government of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament that usually does not tolerate public dissent, denies these charges.

Last week, King Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month medical absence and unveiled $37 billion in benefits for citizens in an apparent bid to insulate the kingdom from protests spreading in several Arab countries.

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now lets see whehter we will hear unconfirmed reports about supposed unarmed protesters being strafed from the air and whether sanctions will be imposed against the autocratic saudi monarchy, lets see if any emerge4ncy meetings will be called in order to authorise millitary intervention by the west, lets see if Obama calls for the saudi monarchy to relinquish power (given that they have been running the country since 1932) and implement "democratic reforms"

I bet you no. What is the motive of these "uprising in the arab world"?

cap28:

^^^^^

now lets see whehter we will hear unconfirmed reports about supposed unarmed protesters being strafed from the air and whether sanctions will be imposed against the autocratic saudi monarchy, lets see if any emerge4ncy meetings will be called in order to authorise millitary intervention by the west, lets see if Obama calls for the saudi monarchy to relinquish power (given that they have been running the country since 1932) and implement "democratic reforms"

ROLMAO!!!..What makes me laugh is when i see those videos of over 3000 Saudi Princes going for a meeting or going for lunch/dinner,

In my opinion Suadi Arabia looks untouchable for now,

They have just increase Everybodies salary by 50% and made all temporary workers permanent!

After doing this they now Ban all protest, I LOVE IT ! LOL,

ie - i can just imagine how the meeting went, kind of something like this -

Saudi Govt: they are rioting/protesting in our fellow states around us, what
should we do

Saudi Policy Advisers: Increase the Peoples wages so they can comsume and be contented/full and make all workers that are temps permanent so they will be fully engaged

Saudi Govt: Ah ha! what a great idea, we shall do this as it would only take 0.005%
of our wealth to impliment this! what a lovely idea!! All of you are now
promoted.

Saudi Govt: And what shall we do next after these crumbs are giving to the people??

Saudi Policy Advisers:BAN all protest!!!

Saudi Govt:[/b]Oh want a great move, as when we Ban Protest all the people will agree and say yes BAN IT! as the dont want anybody messing with their "New Social-Economic Status".

[b]Saudi Govt/Saudi Policy Advisers: Lets us now go and have dinner, we need to Celebrate this policy coup!!!

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USA is a self interested empire- an uprising in Saudi would mean no oil . , they can't stand that.

The Saudi wahabi regime is the most autocratic in The Muslim world and all Terrorism and trouble around the world  are motivated by their scholars rigid interpretation of Quran and Hadith the US would be reluctant to ask or support any reform in Saudi Arabia for some obvious reasons

The army have started 'firing' on protesters - yet still no condemnation from the US/UK.

The Saudi royal family have tried 'bribing' the nation in recent days - but it seems the people are cleverer than the government thought.

Why has president Hillary Clinton not ordered the Royal family to - Leave now?

And the puppet Obama all of a sudden has lost his oratory skills - the same bulllshitt oratory skills the won him the US election.

I look on and laugh - the world will soon awake to the US/UK's bull and smell the coffee.

I expect more massacre's today after Friday prayers - especially after the earthquake that is dominating the headlines at the moment.

If i were an arabian i would be pissed at the amount of money the Saudi family earns from oil, not to mention the rediculous things they spend it on. you can never base a stable country on the exportation of Natural resources, it doesnt employ enough people. thats also something nigeira needs to learn, best case senario for nigeria is to end up like Saudi arabia. or the gulf states,wealthy but currupted by oil.

yeswecan:

USA is a self interested empire- an uprising in Saudi would mean no oil . , they can't stand that.

With regards to Saudi Oil, the whole world has an interest. Saudi Arabia with its reserves, acts as a buffer against decreases in world supply. Although Saudi Arabia produces less barrels per day (8.2) than Russia and the US (10.1 and 9.8 respectively), it has the largest spare capacity, approximately 4m b/d.

An unrest in Saudi Arabia will not only affect the country's ability to increase spare capacity but it will also affect Saudi's daily production. One can only imagine what a situation like that will do to the price of oil when you conside what happened to the price of Brent Crude. The price of Brent Crude increased from $100 per barrel to $115 per barrel ($120 at some point) because production in Libya dropped from 1.4m barrels per day to 600,000 barrels per day. A distruption in Saudai Arabia's production will produce supply shocks that will surely see the price per barrel increase to $200 per barrel.

Such a situation has many negative consequences.
1. A 10% rise in oil price results in 0.2-0.3% reduction in global GDP
2. Fragile economies in the West becoming more fragile. In some countries with high inflation and low growth, there is likely to be stagflation
3. With price of foodstuffs at high record levels due to shortages caused by natural disasters in Russia and Asia, prices will go even higher, pushing more people into hunger.

The only positive outcome will result in Asia (China and India) with high growth and inflation, the higher price of oil will no doubt provide some relief as economic activity will cool off a bit.

So it is in the interest of the ENTIRE world population, and not just US interests, that there is no unrest in Saudi Arabia.