The information stating that Saudi Arabia has not helped Syrian refugees is not accurate.
I'm not sure of the reason for the focus on Saudi Arabia and the Syrian refugees, but the criticism is based on bad information. Part of this might be the very common intentional malicious attacking of Saudi Arabia, part of it might also be due to Saudi Arabia's unusual view of PR and promotion.
One of the early things that struck me about Saudi Arabia is the very different view they have of PR. In Saudi it is very rare for people to engage in self promotion or to publicize charitable deeds. Companies and individuals will not only not seek PR, they will donate funds and not even want their name associated with it.
Sometimes this goes so far as to not even counter slander. I once asked a Saudi man what he would do if someone was spreading lies about him...wouldn't he fight back and set the record straight? He replied "If someone is lying then this is a problem with him, not with me, I would keep doing the things I do and go about my business, I know who I am and what I do."
For about a decade or so I've spoken to senior Saudi leaders and very often mentioned how the perception of Saudi Arabia is inaccurate and have urged them to engage in some basic PR or outreach. The response has usually been along the lines of thinking that PR and marketing are fluffy and not substantial. Saudi is not perfect, as a small government libertarian, the structure is not one I'd choose to duplicate...however we should base our opinions on real facts, sadly we do not have these facts today.
The Saudi Arabia I have seen on my 50 or so trips and many months on the ground is very different than the Saudi Arabia we are told about in the press. Some things are worse than we might see in the media: there are challenges with bureaucracy and some economic policies I think could be improved on....many things are much better than we see in popular media.
One of my great wishes in life would be to find a way that 100,000 Americans could see what I've seen and experience Saudi Arabia as I have. I believe increasing understanding in that way would change the world for the better. Are some aspects of Saudi Arabia odd, broken, frustrating or downright backwards? Sure. These are well known. Everyone knows of the restrictions on women driving, yes this is antiquated and I will eventually change. What is far less known is not only that even some of these areas are improving or misunderstood ....but that there is a whole vast world in Saudi Arabia that is kind, friendly, beautiful, welcoming, fascinating and with many things we could learn from.
The misconceptions about Saudi Arabia are common. For example, it might surprise people to know that Saudi women serve on the Shura Council, similar to parliament, women hold municipal political offices, they work in jobs ranging from scientists to deans of law schools to being the head of a massive multinational conglomerate. The country is modern with all of the newest phones and other technology. There is a strong connection in culture and families and friendships mean a great deal. There is a spirit of cooperation, some of the greatest businesspeople I've seen and a range of very intelligent and educated people (the government has the highest number of PhDs, engineers, scientists and masters degree holders of any government in the world).
I've also seen a lot of changes since I first went to the Kingdom some years back. There has been an increase in personal freedoms and openness and many advancements in trade, construction and business. Saudi has room for improvement, as does any country. The senior leadership is acutely aware of the issues facing the country and they have and will continue to work hard to continually improve.
It's not really our place to judge another country any more than it is their place to judge us.
What is much more productive than judgement is dialogue and understanding. We can only have such understanding if we start from a place of truth, a place with real information, not soundbites, propaganda, slurs or misconceptions but real, accurate information. We can honestly look at the true picture of Saudi Arabia and honestly look at ourselves, including our own faults and areas in need of improvement. Once we have this we can move forward with mutual respect and helping each other as we have many times in the previous decades.
