Posted on 04/28/2022 3:47:36 AM PDT by EBH
The response of the Gulf Arab states to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been somewhat revealing of the depth of fissures between the United States and its Gulf allies. The “stress test” United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, hinted at on March 3, was on full display in the pushback by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE—against pressure from Washington to condemn the invasion and side with Ukraine.
China may be one country closely examining the dynamics of the interactions between the two sides over Ukraine and the strategic implications that will likely result from them.
For the Chinese Communist Party, the moderately independent position the US’s Arab Gulf allies devised to respond to the bloodiest conflict in Europe, perhaps since World War II, is a culmination of nudging more US allies away from its orbit. China’s ultimate goal is to push more US partners towards establishing strategic neutrality and doesn’t expect them to defy Washington’s interests outright.
After all, the Ukraine crisis affects the Gulf region, despite not imposing a direct threat to its security. The volatility of energy markets, the enormous side effects the Gulf economies were exposed to due to multilateral sanctions on Russia, and their vulnerability to the ramifications of the intensified great power competition—in terms of having to pick sides and unwillingness to observe US interests—all represent systemic pressures Gulf leaders have to grapple with.
(Excerpt) Read more at atlanticcouncil.org ...
Studio22 | Episode ten | Khaled Al-Faraj imitates the American president
This will let you know what the gov’t of Saudi Arabia thinks of Biteme.
China, India, and Southeast Asia are important customers for Middle East hydrocarbons.
The United States is not. Europe would be, but only for a short time to replace Russian hydrocarbons until they stop using hydrocarbons.
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“Russia’s war in Ukraine is making Saudi Arabia and the UAE rethink how they deal with US pressure over China”
given the dismal performance to date of the russkie military against a much smaller neighbor, maybe SA and UAE should rethink their rethinking ...
“given the dismal performance to date of the russkie military against a much smaller neighbor, maybe SA and UAE should rethink their rethinking ...”
No one in the Middle East is threatened militarily by either the US or Russia. Also, we have comparatively little leverage there as we, or at least our Western allies, are dependent on ME oil. Now, more than ever before. What they are doing is what they’ve always done and figuring out how to profit from the misfortune of others. They’ll balance the money they can make by buying goods at fire sale prices. They will add up the damage any sanctions will do and subtract it from the profit. My guess is the US will impose very little in the way of sanctions because the ME sells the allies oil and they can probably stop that long enough to do serious damage or at least long enough to get any sanctions lifted. We have to ask whether this is a game we should play in or ignore. I’d say ignore.
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