Today, against my better judgements, I clicked on a banner ad on Politico -- and boy howdy it lead to some interesting finds! A spashy, expensive, flash banner on Iran and Ras Al Khaimah (an Emirate of the UAE) drew my attention -- mostly due to its "feary-ness". The result was my discovery of this "blog".

Run on the behalf of "Sheikh" Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi for $900,000 USD by California Strategies (a lobbying firm), the webpage RAKforthepeople.com is a very interesting example of the hilarity that can ensue from the kind of royal family spats that only the Gulf Oil States can provide. The website (readable in english or arabic) is a swift-boatish hatchet job on the little Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). The "research" on the site claims that RAK is a breeding ground for Al Qaeda, a proxy of Iran, and all around danger to freedom loving people everywhere. The site suggests that today RAK is actively seeking to help Iran get nuclear weapons, all the while aiding global terrorists everywhere...



The interesting thing -- Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the former RULER of RAK. From his (contested) wikipedia entry:

Khalid served as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1958 until his removal from office by his father in June 2003. He is currently in exile. Khalid has repeatedly stated that his father, Sheikh Saqr, in 2004 reaffirmed in a royal decree that Sheikh Khalid – not his half-brother, Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi – was the true Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of RAK. However, this alleged royal decree has never been officially recognized by the Government or Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates.

INTERESTING. RAK for the people ... or for Khalid? I'll be looking into the ex-Sheikh's claims over the coming days -- but lets leave it at this for now:

Hell hath no fury like a Crown Prince scorned. Or, maybe you would like to witness this in video form:

yeesh!