Its payment for military bases, get real people.
A few years ago (don’t know the situation now) the Saudis complained that we were holding Christian religious services in our consulate in Jeddah.
SO WE STOPPED THE SERVICES!
Christians then had to meet at the British consulate.
I thought consulates were considered to be sovereign territory.
But I guess there is no limit to how far the State Dept.will go to placate the Saudis...
Not any more.
Our foot print there is less than a speck of advisors.
The Saudis as well as the Pakis have been double dealing us for a good long time. The Wahabbi brand of Islam (and their petrodollars) is the engine driving islamofacism. The foreign policy establishment, Bush included need to get real.
Sure, like we need to give them money for ANYTHING, especially we already protect their Mohammadan butts from a Shia invasion. Perhaps they can protect themselves with all the oil money, and the billions of dollars of millitary equipment we GIVE them.
Yet, they turn around and promote Wahabbi fundamentalist Islam which is the largest (but not the only) and most well funded legs of Islamic terrorism.
It might be worth it if we were serious about putting an end to the Iranian (shia) rise to regional power- the next Persian empire- which WILL put an end to the Wahabbi's, and pretty much all other opposition south of the Euphrates, and becoming a very serious, and perhaps unstoppable regional power.
say goodbye to all Western influence in the ME and perhaps Europe as well. It's a very real possiblity, one which Putin, (and some other greedy Europeon governments as well) are involved in.
What are the names of the bases and their staff levels?
Thanks for keeping up with this.
What bases? We pulled out years ago.
Those bases are their to protect the Saudis from their neighbors. THEY should be paying US.