'We Know Something Will Happen Again - And Soon' (Saudi Arabia)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-13-2004 | Damien McElroy/David Wastell

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Two days later it was too late for Robert Jacobs, an American adviser to the National Guard. He was shot dead in his home

He was from my town.

[Humidston]

A fatwa issued in the 12th century remains the religious justification used by Osama

This is beyond stupid!!

[Leisler]

Reminds me of the Iran.

The Saudis might not be just like us, but they haven't been our enemy. If a few thousand thugs and Saudi spinelessness cause SArabia to go to the wackjobs, imagine what they could do with the money, let alone the oil. If you think Iraq was shaky, try invading Saudi Arabia to either keep the oil going, or toss the Wackatollas.

Pay now, or pay later, but there will be a bill.

[clintonh8r]

Saudi security is an oxymoron. I think most middle eastern men are cowards.

[Humidston]

It's about time we stand up and tell the truth: Terrorists/Islamofascists are too CHICKEN to fight our warriors so they creep around in the dark - like little COCKROACHES - and kill women and children and shoot men in the back.

They fight like WOMEN! And they do that because they don't have any masculine traits.

IF OUR WARRIORS CONFRONT THEM, THEY WET THEIR PANTIES LIKE BABY GIRLS!

Jihad/fatwa, my butt!

[America's Resolve]

"every day tens and scores of Muslims are killed".

They always seem to get back to this. No matter what the subject of discussion is, this is always tacked onto the end of it.

But truth to tell, there are only 7 million "Palistinians". If Saudi Arabia really felt this strongly about them, they'd find a place for them in the kingdom and share some of that oil wealth with them. Put up or shut up.

When Islam starts to be as concerned about the nonmulsims getting killed in all these hotspots as they are worried about all the mulsims that get killed in these hotspots, then I'll worry about the muslims as well. Till then, not interested.

[oceanview]

to the Saudi National guard? The Saudi National guard is supposedly infiltrated with these AQ guys.

[RightWhale]

The US gets some oil from Saudi. But their main customers are Europe and Japan, China, to now. Let the land of Venus in the horns of the bull be handled by their main customers.

Americans have to stay in Saudi for 18 months to avoid the income tax and collect their bonus. Nice money. Hope it's worth it.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Yeah, that's how I figure they got him. I think this particular group he was consulting for are the ones who are suppose to be protecting members of the Royal Family. His family has not been given specifics yet of what happened as of yesterday.

[Endeavor]

The Saudis are indeed our enemies. The House of Saud used the Wahhabis to gain power and feeds their islamofacism via enormous bribes to this day. They allow the murderous teachings of the Wahhabis throughout the country in islamic schools. Don't be fooled.

[Leisler]

Again, reminds me of the carping on Shah of Iran. I think the House of Saud is weak and the isalmofaschists know it.

Yeah, the 6,000 have made a pact with the devil, but someone is going to run the dump, and I'd rather have the equivalent of the corrupt, oily Shah, then OSama. Furthermore, I betting on human nature, that the average tv watching, Gucci wearing, Chevy driving Saudi schmuck doesn't like being told what to do by the limp-wrist Princes, or the bearded Immans.

[river rat]

How long would Saudi Arabia be habitable, if all "infidels" were evacuated and all Air and Sea commerce were blockaded?

As long as we could do without THEIR oil?

Semper Fi

[Southack]

"But truth to tell, there are only 7 million "Palistinians". If Saudi Arabia really felt this strongly about them, they'd find a place for them in the kingdom and share some of that oil wealth with them. Put up or shut up."

Don't be naive, there isn't enough money to go around Saudi Arabia as it is, that's what's fueling their unrest in the first place (remember where those 15 hijackers came from on 9/11).

Consider, 30 years ago Saudi Arabia had some 7 million citizens and was able to subsidize an average of $30,000 per year, per citizen (their primary source of income).

Now fast forward to today, where modern Saudi Arabia has 19 million citizens and 6 million guest workers.

For those 19 million citizens, Saudi Arabia sells 8 million barrel of oil per day. Even if they can get a record $40 per barrel for an entire year, that's only $320 million per day, $116,800,000,000 per year...which averages out (excluding production and shipping expenses) to a mere $6,147 per year, per Saudi citizen.

So they've gone from $30,000 per year, per citizen down to $6,147 over the last 30 years.

Can you imagine the riots in America if average salaries were 1/5 of 30 years ago?! Well, that's what has happened in Saudi Arabia.

[Southack]

"How long would Saudi Arabia be habitable, if all "infidels" were evacuated and all Air and Sea commerce were blockaded?"

No one has to blockade anything.

For the last 80 years, Saudi Arabia has relied upon underground aquifers for its drinking water. Knowing that these remaining pools of water were rapidly being exhausted by Saudi Arabia's population growth, the Saudi's have been buying large amounts of desalination units to make salt water potable again.

In the meantime, most of their underwater acquifers finally dried up late last year.

Without putting too fine of a point on things, their country is now dependent upon those relatively few machines.

So what you will see if al-qaeda gets agressive about toppling the Saudis is that the terrorists will start targeting those desalination units with a vengeance.

Should most of those units be temporarily decommissioned, the country would survive well only for days, and then things would go to hell in a handbasket.

An attack of this nature during the hottest months, say in June or July when temperatures are routinely soaring past 115 degrees, would amplify the effects of the loss of those desalination plants.

The obvious short-term patch would be water trucked in from foreign desalination plants. A smart enemy would have abushes and road mines prepared for those inevitable convoy attempts. Delaying water for a mere few days could cause the necessary destabilization.

Don't get me wrong, the U.S. can step in and supply water via offshore, shipboard desalination, trucked in water, rapid water pipelines, and a variety of other means...but the timing could become critical.

For instance, how long would the Saud family itself stay in country if they were personally low on water?

Even so, I place the odds of success of such an attack very low...but higher for that asymetric angle than for anything that al-qaeda has tried to date.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Pay now, or pay later, but there will be a bill.

As the man said in the article, he's not surprised, he's seen it coming. The middle east has been bubbling for awhile now, ready to blow its lid. The bill is also coming due on Iran and Syria. In the end it will all come down to Israel and Jerusalem.

Our President is one shrewd man. I thank G-d he's in office.

[McGavin999]

Well that would certainly solve the over population problem. Something like that happens and I would imagine the population would be cut in half in the first couple of days.

Actually, I think the Saudi royal family would be more likely to blow the water system as well as the oil wells if Al Qaeda overthrows them.

[Travis McGee]

The oil is in the east, the people are in the west, and a desert is in between.

Kick their ass, and take their gas, come to it.

[Travis McGee]

Desal water is only one critical node among many in SA.

[Southack]

Aye, but prior to the end of last year, the Saudi's still had enough water left in underground acquifers to survive a temporary hit on easily replaceable desal units. Perhaps they've been clever-enough to have established a strategic water reserve, though (one hopes).

Your truly "critical" nodes are food, water, and air, though. On water, they appear rather vulnerable right now.

Even a "short" disruption in water could prove somewhat destabilizing.