So now we have the King of Saudi Arabia joining in the advice to the Syrian government, obviously as part of a multi national stand up comedy routine. And obviously nothing to do with him being a fairly important Sunni Moslem whilst the government of Syria are Alawites and thus closely related to Shia Islam. The Saudi King says: “Syria should think wisely before it’s too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms, either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss.”

Compare and contrast this statement with what Amnesty International has to say in their 2011 report about the Saudi government, headed by that same King: “Over 100 suspects in security-related offences were detained in 2010. The legal status and conditions of imprisonment of thousands of security detainees arrested in previous years, including prisoners of conscience, remained shrouded in secrecy. At least two detainees died in custody, possibly as a result of torture, and new information came to light about methods of torture and other ill-treatment used against security detainees. Cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, particularly flogging, continued to be imposed and carried out. Women and girls remained subject to discrimination and violence, with some cases receiving wide media attention. Both Christians and Muslims were arrested for expressing their religious beliefs. Saudi Arabian forces involved in a conflict in northern Yemen carried out attacks that appeared to be indiscriminate or disproportionate and to have caused civilian deaths and injuries in violation of international humanitarian law. Foreign migrant workers were exploited and abused by their employers. The authorities violated the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers. At least 27 prisoners were executed, markedly fewer than in the two preceding years.”