The Saudi Alarm Bells.

A series of attacks by Wahhabi militants in Saudi Arabia has finally sprung the monarchy from a state of denial to the offensive. But an all-out war on the militants could cause a split within the Wahhabi religious establishment, which has long been a source of legitimacy for the House of Saud (see who's who in the FAP survey of this week's Diplomat).

The militants have lately made their objective quite clear: the overthrow of the royal regime. If the war splits the Wahhabi establishment and the kingdom appears to be on the brink of being dismembered, the US may be compelled to take the Eastern Province and thus secure oil supplies to a starving market.

Now the Wahhabi militants are only trying to kill the "infidels" or "Crusaders), and not the Muslims. In so doing, they are seeking to widen their base of support within the Wahhabi religious establishment. It will be extremely difficult for the royal regime to justify the killing of fellow Wahhabis - in an all-out war - for the sake of protecting "infidels" or "Crusaders". Like the type of "enemies" the US is facing in Iraq, the Saudi royal regime is up against some really evil, cynical forces.