Why America can't stop the Mideast from funding terrorism

WikiLeaks' "cablegate" shows that we suspect our Middle East allies of not doing enough to stem the flow of money to terrorists. Why aren't they doing more?

Saudi police officers monitor Muslim pilgrims; militants disguised as holy pilgrims reportedly smuggle large amounts of money into the country during Hajj.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Among the latest WikiLeaks revelations: The U.S. is struggling to shut down the financing of terrorist organizations, thanks in part to significant roadblocks in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and other ostensible U.S. allies in the Gulf remain the largest source of money for al Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups, leaked diplomatic cables allege. Why can't the U.S. persuade its allies to stop the flow of money to terrorists? (Watch The Week's Sunday Talk Show Briefing about WikiLeaks' fallout)

We have "ambivalent" allies in the Mideast: Saudi Arabia is the biggest source of terrorism cash, and the problem there is two-fold, says The Guardian in an editorial. First, the cables reveal "a continuing challenge" in getting Saudi officials to view "stopping the flow of these funds as a strategic priority." Second, the Saudis can't control certain security loopholes; money-laundering terrorists routinely enter the country safely disguised as travelers on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

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