The Saudis Are a Regional Menace

The American Conservative ^ | November 15, 2017 | Daniel Larison

[Zhang Fei]

I am afraid all a low level war would do would be to tighten the patriotic ties between the people and the Mullahs protecting the motherland against the foreign empire. Unlike the artificial entity of Iraq, Iran is an ancient nation commanding a real loyalty from its people.

Frankly, it's not our problem what they think, given that the Iranians are attempting to unify the Middle East under their rule, first via satrapies and perhaps directly later on. We can't have the Middle East's oil under Iranian control, any more than we could have Europe under German or Russian control. We bombed and incinerated millions of Germans during WWII. Did we worry that this would make them more loyal to Adolf? Who cares? If they want to avoid being bombed, they should exterminate the mullahs and end Iran's expansive policies.

[T-Bone Texan]

It is my understanding that the Wahabbis are allowed to control the religious aspect of Saudi life, and in exchange the Wahabbis agree to not attack the Saudi regime for their Western decadence, similar to the Wahabbi relationship to Qatar and UAE.

Conventional wisdom said that the Saudis were afraid of he Wahabbis because the Wahabbis were in a position to possibly destabilize their regime.

Please correct me; This is not an area of expertise for me.

[ClearCase_guy]

I’m no expert either, but my understanding is basically in line with yours.

I think what has changed recently is that US fracking endangers the finances of Saudi Arabia. The rulers have been constrained by fear of Wahabbi challenges, but when their money became endangered, the rulers decided to reverse the equation and have moved strongly to remove the Wahabbi hardliners and reduce their political power.

If this is true, and if the Wahabis are out-maneuvered, Saudi Arabia may try to become a more modern, more civilized, more well-rounded country. They know they need to be more than just an oil producer. So, things have to change.

[Psalm 144]

Finally some honesty about our Saudi “friends”.

[WatchungEagle]

Saudi Arabia is no danger of being taken over by Iran unless the Saudi leaders do something really crazy that causes their society to collapse internally. The recent military adventurism is exactly the sort of the thing most likely to destabilize SA.