The West's reliance on Saudi Arabia is ill-judged

Saudi Arabia is protected by its Sunni Muslim Gulf neighbours, and by its political allies within the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. Its oil reserves, wealth,and its ties with the US protect it. Diplomatic trouble over Yemen and Syria are statements of opposition, but the Saudi regime is still not being held to account. It shields itself from global scrutiny by keeping many violations secret.

Oppression of women is supposedly supported by the Qu'ran. Saudi women can't drive, and are even told by some clerics that they mustn't wear seatbelts for fear of showing the outlines of their bodies.

Municipal elections are the only kind that Saudi Arabia allows . His successor Salman has delivered on the late monarch's promise.. Two thirds of the seats in 284 councils are up for grabs with the remaining officials being appointed by the ministry of municipal affairs. The councils have limited power to run things, such as cleaning the streets and looking after public parks.There are about 5,938 men and 978 women competing for the vacant offices, according to the BBC. The count of registered voters is similarly disproportionate – 1,360,000 men versus just 131,000 women – and is only a small fraction of Saudi Arabia's 20-million population. Bureaucratic obstacles, a lack of awareness of the process and gender segregation laws all hinder female participation. Voters and candidates are put off by segregation and restrictions.

Meanwhile, despite its vast wealth, the country apparently failed to welcome refugees fleeing conflicts in the region. Rights to adequate housing, food, water, healthcare and a livelihood are neither protected nor upheld.

Saudi strategy is to derail the nuclear agreement and perpetuate and exacerbate tensions in the region. It does this by pressuring the West, promoting regional instability through waging war in Yemen, sponsoring extremism, and directly provoking Iran.

Saudi military campaign in Yemen and its support for extremists are known. Its provocations against Iran are less publicized but are real nevertheless. A coalition of mostly Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia has launched air-strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Saudi government or its satellites have over the past three years directly targeted Iranian diplomatic facilities in Yemen, Lebanon and Pakistan - killing Iranian diplomats and locals. There have been other provocations, too. Iranian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have endured systematic harassment. Saudi negligence has been blamed for the stampede during the recent hajj, which left hundreds of pilgrims dead. Moreover, for days, Saudi authorities refused to respond to requests from grieving families to access and repatriate the bodies.

Saudi Arabia's government-appointed preachers routinely practice hate against all Shiite Muslims.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are committed to resisting Iranian expansion and responding forcefully to Iran's aggression.

The United States government has largely averted its eyes from all this, at least in public, merely expressing deep concern about atrocities even as it provides weaponry to enable the Saudi assault on Yemen.

That's realpolitik. Saudi Arabia has oil and influence, and the Obama administration needed to side it to win the Iranian nuclear deal.

There's also an underlying hypocrisy in Saudi behavior. This is a country that sentenced a 74-year-oldBritish man to 350 lashes for possessing alcohol but alcohol is plentiful at Riyadh parties attended by government officials. A Saudi prince, Majed Abdulaziz al-Saud, was arrested in Los Angeles in a $37 million mansion he had rented, after allegedly drinking heavily, hiring escorts, using cocaine, terrorizing women and threatening to kill people."I am a prince," he declared, according to The Los Angeles Times. "And I do what I want."