Foreign Affairs

* Saudi Arabia has announced that a well-known Shiite cleric has been sentenced to death for, among other crimes, disobeying the ruler, sowing discord and undermining national unity. In Saudi Arabia, most such sentences are carried out by beheading.

It’s their country.

Saudi Arabia has also indicated that prosecutors are asking for the execution to be FOLLOWED by crucifixion.

It’s their country.

Saudi Arabia has precedent for such cases. Crucifixion in this context means the body and head would then be put on public display.

It’s our ally.

* Venezuela has been voted in as one of the United Nations’ five new temporary (two-year terms) members of the Security Council. The others: Malaysia, Angola, New Zealand and Spain.

So much for that recent report by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, which condemned Venezuela for taking political prisoners during a crackdown on anti-government street protests this spring. Nobody’s perfect.

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