"Soon after launching a brutal air and ground assault in Yemen, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia began devoting significant resources to a sophisticated
public relations blitz in Washington, D.C."
The aftermath of Saudi bombings in Yemen. (photo: Sebastiano Tomada/Getty
Images)
Inside Saudi Arabia's Campaign to Charm American Policymakers and
Journalists
By Lee Fang, The Intercept
01 December 15
Soon after launching a brutal air and ground assault in Yemen, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia began devoting significant resources to a sophisticated
public relations blitz in Washington, D.C.
The PR campaign is designed to maintain close ties with the U.S. even as the
Saudi-led military incursion into the poorest Arab nation in the Middle East
has killed nearly 6,000 people, almost half of them civilians.
Elements of the charm offensive include the launch of a pro-Saudi Arabia
media portal operated by high-profile Republican campaign consultants; a
special English-language website devoted to putting a positive spin on the
latest developments in the Yemen war; glitzy dinners with American political
and business elites; and a non-stop push to sway reporters and policymakers.
Saudi Arabia press relation data coverage. (photo: The Intercept)
That has been accompanied by a spending spree on American lobbyists with
ties to the Washington establishment. The Saudi Arabian Embassy, as we've
reported, now retains the brother of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman,
the leader of one of the largest Republican Super PACs in the country, and a
law firm with deep ties to the Obama administration. One of Jeb Bush's top
fundraisers, Ignacio Sanchez, is also lobbying for the Saudi Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. has come under particular strain
in recent years as the government has not only launched the brutal war in
Yemen, but has embarked on a wave of repression. Following the appointment
of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to the Saudi throne in January, the Kingdom
sharply increased the number of people executed - often by beheading and
crucifixion - for daring to protest or criticize the government or for
crimes as minor as adultery or "witchcraft." On November 17, a Saudi court
sentenced Ashraf Fayadh, a famed poet, to death for "apostasy."
There have also been reports that Saudi Arabia continues to be a leading
driver of Sunni terror networks worldwide, including in Syria and Iraq. The
Saudi Arabian government is currently supplying weapons to a Syrian rebel
coalition that includes the Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in the region.
As the New York Times has reported, private donors in Saudi Arabia have also
worked as fundraisers for the Islamic State, or ISIS. And there is a
renewed, bipartisan push by lawmakers to declassify the 28 pages of the 9/11
Commission Report, a censored section that reportedly relates to Saudi state
support for al Qaeda's operation.
The Saudi Arabian embassy, which did not respond to a request for comment,
has been particularly busy wooing Washington in recent months.
In September, the Kingdom helped sponsor opulent galas for Washington's
business elite at the Ritz Carlton and the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. The
events were attended by King Salman, along with the chief executives of
General Electric and Lockheed Martin, the chairman of Marriott
International, and prominent think tank officials.
Kingdom-backed nonprofits have secured positive press through a number of
channels. For instance, on September 21, Hussein Ibish, a senior resident
scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a new think tank
fully funded by the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, penned an opinion column in the New York Times heralding "A
Saudi-American Reset." In the piece, Ibish minimized "two years of perceived
slights and supposed snubs" and insisted that "the new contours of a
revitalized but evolving partnership between the United States and Saudi
Arabia are beginning to take shape."
Ibish also predicted that Saudi Arabia was prepared to "intensify efforts to
influence events in Syria." In reality, the Kingdom ended its airstrikes in
Syria that month as it has channeled military resources into the war in
Yemen instead. The Times identified Ibish as a "contributing opinion writer"
and a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, but offered
no hint about the institute's financial backing.
The Saudi Embassy's effort to shape media coverage is led by Qorvis, a
consulting firm that has worked for the Saudi government since the months
following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Qorvis' recent
disclosures under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that it created
an entire website - operationrenewalofhope.com - to promote the Saudi-led
war in Yemen. It also "researched potential grassroots supporters in select
states" and provided an ongoing effort to reach out to reporters concerning
the Yemen war.
Qorvis' email blasts to the media have been coordinated with Saudi Arabia's
team of contracted lobbyists, including H.P. Goldfield, a lobbyist with the
law firm Hogan Lovells and vice chairman of Albright Stonebridge Group.
In July, the Saudi Embassy announced the launch of Arabia Now, an "online
hub for news related to the Kingdom," according to a press release. Since
then, the site has work to promote Saudi Arabia as a bastion for human
rights and progress, with posts claiming that the Kingdom is the "most
generous country in the world." While Saudi Arabian war ships blocked
humanitarian assistance to Yemen, the Arabia Now news hub claimed that
"Saudi Arabia was the only country that responded to the humanitarian
assistance appeal launched by the U.N. to help Yemen by extending a donation
of $274 million."
Arabia Now purchased promoted tweets in the D.C. area.
Recently filed disclosures show that Targeted Victory, a consulting firm
founded by Zac Moffatt, a GOP strategist who served as digital director for
Mitt Romney's campaign, has helped to manage Arabia Now. Moffatt's firm was
brought on by Qorvis.
Qorvis has contracted other firms to gauge public opinion, including Tuluna
USA, an online survey company, and American Directions Group, a phone survey
company founded by a pollster who previously worked for Bill Clinton.
Qorvis also coordinated the payments of honorarium to prominent political
figures. For instance, Mark Kennedy, a former Republican congressman from
Minnesota, received $2,000 for a speech.
From April through September of this year, Qorvis billed the Saudi
government for nearly $7 million, more than twice the amount charged the
previous reporting cycle.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Saudi officials have regularly appeared on cable
news programs and at Washington, D.C., think tank events to reassure
American audiences that the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen is in U.S.
interests.
In early October, Saudi officials hosted several events for policymakers
around Washington.
Prince Sultan bin Khaled Al Faisal, a former Royal Saudi Naval Forces
commander, spoke at an event in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Asked by The Intercept about reports of Saudi forces bombing a wedding
party, Al Faisal said, "What I'm concerned about is the authenticity of the
record. We have very, very expensive precision bombs. Do you think that we
would use high precision bombs to target weddings or to target schools?"
After his remarks on Capitol Hill, a small crowd of young congressional
staffers lined up next to the podium, waiting to take selfies with the Saudi
prince.
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The aftermath of Saudi bombings in Yemen. (photo: Sebastiano Tomada/Getty
Images)
https://theintercept.com/2015/12/01/inside-saudi-charm-campaign/https://thei
ntercept.com/2015/12/01/inside-saudi-charm-campaign/
Inside Saudi Arabia's Campaign to Charm American Policymakers and
Journalists
By Lee Fang, The Intercept
01 December 15
oon after launching a brutal air and ground assault in Yemen, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia began devoting significant resources to a sophisticated
public relations blitz in Washington, D.C.
The PR campaign is designed to maintain close ties with the U.S. even as the
Saudi-led military incursion into the poorest Arab nation in the Middle East
has killed nearly 6,000 people, almost half of them civilians.
Elements of the charm offensive include the launch of a pro-Saudi Arabia
media portal operated by high-profile Republican campaign consultants; a
special English-language website devoted to putting a positive spin on the
latest developments in the Yemen war; glitzy dinners with American political
and business elites; and a non-stop push to sway reporters and policymakers.
Saudi Arabia press relation data coverage. (photo: The Intercept)
That has been accompanied by a spending spree on American lobbyists with
ties to the Washington establishment. The Saudi Arabian Embassy, as we've
reported, now retains the brother of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman,
the leader of one of the largest Republican Super PACs in the country, and a
law firm with deep ties to the Obama administration. One of Jeb Bush's top
fundraisers, Ignacio Sanchez, is also lobbying for the Saudi Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. has come under particular strain
in recent years as the government has not only launched the brutal war in
Yemen, but has embarked on a wave of repression. Following the appointment
of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to the Saudi throne in January, the Kingdom
sharply increased the number of people executed - often by beheading and
crucifixion - for daring to protest or criticize the government or for
crimes as minor as adultery or "witchcraft." On November 17, a Saudi court
sentenced Ashraf Fayadh, a famed poet, to death for "apostasy."
There have also been reports that Saudi Arabia continues to be a leading
driver of Sunni terror networks worldwide, including in Syria and Iraq. The
Saudi Arabian government is currently supplying weapons to a Syrian rebel
coalition that includes the Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in the region.
As the New York Times has reported, private donors in Saudi Arabia have also
worked as fundraisers for the Islamic State, or ISIS. And there is a
renewed, bipartisan push by lawmakers to declassify the 28 pages of the 9/11
Commission Report, a censored section that reportedly relates to Saudi state
support for al Qaeda's operation.
The Saudi Arabian embassy, which did not respond to a request for comment,
has been particularly busy wooing Washington in recent months.
In September, the Kingdom helped sponsor opulent galas for Washington's
business elite at the Ritz Carlton and the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. The
events were attended by King Salman, along with the chief executives of
General Electric and Lockheed Martin, the chairman of Marriott
International, and prominent think tank officials.
Kingdom-backed nonprofits have secured positive press through a number of
channels. For instance, on September 21, Hussein Ibish, a senior resident
scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a new think tank
fully funded by the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, penned an opinion column in the New York Times heralding "A
Saudi-American Reset." In the piece, Ibish minimized "two years of perceived
slights and supposed snubs" and insisted that "the new contours of a
revitalized but evolving partnership between the United States and Saudi
Arabia are beginning to take shape."
Ibish also predicted that Saudi Arabia was prepared to "intensify efforts to
influence events in Syria." In reality, the Kingdom ended its airstrikes in
Syria that month as it has channeled military resources into the war in
Yemen instead. The Times identified Ibish as a "contributing opinion writer"
and a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, but offered
no hint about the institute's financial backing.
The Saudi Embassy's effort to shape media coverage is led by Qorvis, a
consulting firm that has worked for the Saudi government since the months
following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Qorvis' recent
disclosures under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that it created
an entire website - operationrenewalofhope.com - to promote the Saudi-led
war in Yemen. It also "researched potential grassroots supporters in select
states" and provided an ongoing effort to reach out to reporters concerning
the Yemen war.
Qorvis' email blasts to the media have been coordinated with Saudi Arabia's
team of contracted lobbyists, including H.P. Goldfield, a lobbyist with the
law firm Hogan Lovells and vice chairman of Albright Stonebridge Group.
In July, the Saudi Embassy announced the launch of Arabia Now, an "online
hub for news related to the Kingdom," according to a press release. Since
then, the site has work to promote Saudi Arabia as a bastion for human
rights and progress, with posts claiming that the Kingdom is the "most
generous country in the world." While Saudi Arabian war ships blocked
humanitarian assistance to Yemen, the Arabia Now news hub claimed that
"Saudi Arabia was the only country that responded to the humanitarian
assistance appeal launched by the U.N. to help Yemen by extending a donation
of $274 million."
Arabia Now purchased promoted tweets in the D.C. area.
Recently filed disclosures show that Targeted Victory, a consulting firm
founded by Zac Moffatt, a GOP strategist who served as digital director for
Mitt Romney's campaign, has helped to manage Arabia Now. Moffatt's firm was
brought on by Qorvis.
Qorvis has contracted other firms to gauge public opinion, including Tuluna
USA, an online survey company, and American Directions Group, a phone survey
company founded by a pollster who previously worked for Bill Clinton.
Qorvis also coordinated the payments of honorarium to prominent political
figures. For instance, Mark Kennedy, a former Republican congressman from
Minnesota, received $2,000 for a speech.
From April through September of this year, Qorvis billed the Saudi
government for nearly $7 million, more than twice the amount charged the
previous reporting cycle.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Saudi officials have regularly appeared on cable
news programs and at Washington, D.C., think tank events to reassure
American audiences that the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen is in U.S.
interests.
In early October, Saudi officials hosted several events for policymakers
around Washington.
Prince Sultan bin Khaled Al Faisal, a former Royal Saudi Naval Forces
commander, spoke at an event in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Asked by The Intercept about reports of Saudi forces bombing a wedding
party, Al Faisal said, "What I'm concerned about is the authenticity of the
record. We have very, very expensive precision bombs. Do you think that we
would use high precision bombs to target weddings or to target schools?"
After his remarks on Capitol Hill, a small crowd of young congressional
staffers lined up next to the podium, waiting to take selfies with the Saudi
prince.
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http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize