Posted on 06/06/2019 8:16:12 AM PDT by G-Pol
I am troubled by this administration's almost obsessive embrace of Saudi Arabia. I am even more troubled by conservative media's failure to challenge that embrace.
Most conservative media outlets state the following narrative regarding Saudi Arabia:
"Saudi Arabia is no longer our enemy. It has become our ally. Thanks to President Trump's hard resolve to fight radical Islamic terrorism, King Salman has appointed his son, MbS, to institute widespread reforms, prosecute pro-terrorist elements, and consolidate an 'Arab NATO' alliance that is intended to contain terrorism and its sponsors in Iran and Turkey. Those who oppose Saudi Arabia now are useful idiots for the globalist establishment and its Deep State, Iranian, and Muslim Brotherhood allies."
Not only do I find that narrative to be complete nonsense from beginning to end, I believe its creation is part of a Deep State conspiracy to lure President Trump into yet another major war in the Middle East.
I have a theory that is different than most. Many of you will probably not agree with it, but I encourage you to address it in the comments section. I'm up for a debate.
This theory states the following:
1) Saudi Arabia is fundamentally incapable of reforming. The reason the country exists at all is because of the centuries-old alliance between the House of Saud and the Wahhabis, the latter from which both al-Qaeda and ISIS formed.
2) King Salman does not actually intend to reform Saudi Arabia. He knows that any real attempt to do so would mean civil war.
3) The real reason King Salman has unleashed MbS on the region is because he believes that Saudi Arabia's historical hegemony over the Sunni states is in grave danger of collapse. Saudi Arabia is in a far weaker geopolitical position today than it was a decade ago, thanks to its humiliations in Syria and Yemen. It is now in danger of losing its hegemon status to Turkey, which like Saudi Arabia is also ruled by a Sunni Islamist regime. For this reason, Saudi Arabia considers Turkey to be just as big as a threat as Iran, if not more so.
4) King Salman did not begin his anti-Turkey policies in response to Trump's visit to Riyadh in May 2017. Those polices actually began before Trump's election.
5) The failed coup in Turkey in July 2016 was not a false flag; it was genuine. It was sponsored by the Saudis, who hoped that the overthrow of Erdogan would end Turkey's ambitions to challenge Saudi Arabia's hegemony over the Sunnis.
6) After the coup failed, King Salman put his anti-Turkey policies on ice because Obama refused to support them. However, Erdogan didn't think Obama went far enough in addressing King Salman's plot, hence why Erdogan publicly turned against the US immediately following the coup attempt.
7) King Salman unfroze his anti-Turkey policies following the Riyadh conference, because he believed that Trump, unlike Obama, would actually support them. What made him think that? The neocon advisers who convinced Trump to sign a $350 billion arms deal with Riyadh and pledge to help create an "Arab NATO."
8) The blockade of Qatar, MbS' purges (which hardly consisted of real punishment aside from asset confiscation that ended with at least one offending prince, Alwaleed, still being a multi-billionaire), the kidnapping of Saad Hariri, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and the deployment of Saudi troops into Northern Syria all had a common goal: to intimidate or destroy individuals or even entire nations who dared to oppose Saudi hegemony over the Sunnis. The Qatar blockade was aimed at Iran, Turkey, and Qatar. MbS' purges were aimed at pro-Turkish sympathizers. The Hariri kidnapping was aimed at Iran and Lebanon. The Khashoggi killing was aimed at Turkey. The deployment of Saudi troops into Northern Syria was aimed at Turkey.
9) King Salman was very aware that most, if not all of these incidents, had the potential to spark a major war in the region. In fact, he would be happy if war broke out, because that would give him the ultimate excuse to crack down on those who challenge Saudi hegemony over the Sunnis.
10) Although some factions of the Deep State oppose King Salman's policies because of either their personal interests in Turkey or their opposition to Trump, other factions of the Deep State (particularly neocons such as Bolton and Pompeo) not only support King Salman's policies, but actually helped him carry them out and create the false narrative that Saudi Arabia is now one of the good guys. Why do they support these policies? Because they believe that's the key to turning Trump into Bush 3.0, and dragging the US into yet another major war in the Middle East. Except this time, that major war has the potential to spark WWIII.
Now, this theory is just a theory of mine. I could be partially or even entirely wrong. As I said before, I'm up for a debate.
The big question here is: What do the Saudis REALLY want from us in the Trump/MbS era?
They are our most dangerous enemies. They should be eliminated completely. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.
As with China, they can play a ‘long game’ with a timeframe an order of magnitude past our election cycles, but their goal is even more horrendous. China’s is merely economic subjugation, theirs is spiritual.
It would make a good parking lot, and after the radiation cools a good solar field.
With all due respect, if you think China’s goal is just “economic subjugation”, think again. Communism intends to spread atheism around the globe and crush all religion as much as the Islamists (themselves having adopted socialism) intend to do the same with Islam versus other religions and irreligions.
2) To continue to serve as paid mercenaries in defense of the Kingdom.
3) To continue to watch the stock performance of major defense contractors as the Kingdom keeps its promises to buy hardware.
3) To (GOP Senators) keep watching the balances on their Swiss bank accounts, for the sake of brotherhood and friendship.
The MGM Corporation is entirely in agreement with them on #1.
Agreed, but their FIRST and current and primary goal is to ‘merely’ destroy our economy; they can scoop up the low hanging fruit at their leisure.
I mean no one should *EVER* doubt that the Chinese consider themselves the only legitimate superpower, and the rest for us are mere barbarians; communist, emperor, fascist, all politics is just a means to their end of putting us barbarians in our rightful place.
Who is the greater influencer of US Policy in the mid-east. Saudi Arabia? Israel?
It oddly seems that Israel and Saudi Arabia seem to be in total alignment in their aims, and equal in their exploitation of the USA.
What we really need is to quite bothering about problems in the rest of the world until we have dealt with the libtard problem here at home.
Welcome to FR, and what follows your claim is not a quote from any “conservative media outlet”, nor a quote from any source other than yourself. You do not do well to state opinion as fact.
Most conservative media outlets state the following narrative regarding Saudi Arabia …
tl;dr
I think we have a misunderstanding here.
That paragraph is not a quote from a single source. It’s a mere paraphrasing of a common narrative that has been worded in different ways by different sources.
I understand why you may have thought it was a quote from a single source. Yes, I used quotations. I did that because I thought that would make it easier for readers to tell the difference between what I’m saying and what other people are saying.
I apologize if I caused any confusion.
Here’s the NON- tl;dr version:
The basic premise of my post (and I’m inviting debate here) is that Saudi Arabia is a declining power now that it has lost in Syria and Yemen, is lashing out like crazy at allies and enemies alike, and may end up starting a major war because of its escapades.
The neocons are working overtime to help the Saudis and peddle the lie that all of its recent behavior is in the name of reforming and fighting terrorism, because they believe that’s the best way to con Trump into getting into another war in the Middle East.
Debate me on this one, please! :)
Okay.
I just discovered a video by Lee Stranahan that discusses this issue, which I can’t possibly ignore. I’m not gonna post more about it in a separate comment; it deserves a thread of its own. We can continue this conversation there.
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