Time bomb

The suicide attacks on foreign housing compounds on Monday night have claimed the lives of an estimated 40 people, including seven US citizens and nine suicide bombers. Almost 200 more people were injured in the attacks. The bombings, widely condemned in the Arab and Muslim worlds, have tragically underlined the limitations of US policy.

Washington should take stock of the blasts in Riyadh. It is the clearest evidence yet that the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq has boosted support for militant Islamists and extremists in the Arab and Muslim worlds. The war in Iraq, touted as part of the campaign against terror, has had predictable results. It has dramatically raised the likelihood of terrorist attacks.

Anger and resentment in the Arab and Muslim worlds will only subside with the resolution of the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. And any equitable resolution requires that Washington abandon its double standards and unconditional support of Israel.

Tentative steps toward democratisation in the Arab world should receive Washington's whole-hearted support. The Saudis are themselves making a go at democracy. In an unprecedented move Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah received a petition from the country's Shi'ite minority demanding a greater say in the kingdom's decision-making process. Shi'ites, who make up an estimated 10 per cent of the Saudi population, are geographically concentrated in the oil-rich Eastern Province and have long been politically marginalised. Their grievances have never been publicly aired before, and never have the authorities been so attentive to their needs.

Democracy is making headway in Saudi Arabia. The road to democratisation and political liberalisation in the kingdom is thorny but the kingdom, now more than ever before, needs the understanding and support of the international community.