(01-22-2015 09:54 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Just a guess...but...the Saudi royal family just lost its largest sharetaker of the oil profits. Lots of extra cash is getting ready to be divided around.... Not to mention what his immediate family is getting ready to share. I doubt much will change from his death.

I pray you are correct.

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:22 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  This is perhaps the worst news imaginable coming out of the region.

It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

And digging for oil wherever we can find it.

Keystone Pipeline...........Canada>Middle Eastern dependence ! And a lot Safer for America too

Hell, revisit ANWR while you're at it.

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:22 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  This is perhaps the worst news imaginable coming out of the region.

It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

Bingo

(01-23-2015 08:05 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  What I can't fathom in this day and age..... a Royal family taking the lion's share of the pie. For what? A birth right. This stuff has been changing since the Magna Carte. That the US is in bed with a Royal family and propping them up militarily. I can see why the underlings would look at us with a stank eye. It's corrupt. These people don't deserve billions because they came out of a chosen uterus. The whole Saudi Royal Family idea seems like something out of the stone ages. It's a backwards society.

It cannot last, and when that house of cards falls, it will be messy.

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:22 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  This is perhaps the worst news imaginable coming out of the region.

It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:22 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  This is perhaps the worst news imaginable coming out of the region.

It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

I disagree. Overthrowing them or supporting rebels liberates the terrorists. This has been proven time and time again.

(01-23-2015 12:16 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

I disagree. Overthrowing them or supporting rebels liberates the terrorists. This has been proven time and time again.

No

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:28 PM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:22 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  This is perhaps the worst news imaginable coming out of the region.

It's definitely not good. The main issue Obama needs to worry about first and foremost is the new king's interest in maintaining a semi-strong relationship with the U.S. After that, then we should worry about how civil wars to the north and south could destabilize SA as well.

If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

Probably justa quibble, but our worst policies are forcibly overturning them without realizing that a new tyrant of some form will take their place. Supporting dictators is tied for second place with every other available option.

(01-23-2015 12:17 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:16 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-22-2015 08:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  If we were smart we would already be planning for the inevitable collapse of the Saudi monarch.

No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

I disagree. Overthrowing them or supporting rebels liberates the terrorists. This has been proven time and time again.

No

Ok, name one country in that region that has overthrown a dictator with our support and been replaced with a democracy that has improved US interests. I named 4 that did the opposite.

(01-23-2015 12:40 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:17 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:16 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

I disagree. Overthrowing them or supporting rebels liberates the terrorists. This has been proven time and time again.

No

Ok, name one country in that region that has overthrown a dictator with our support and been replaced with a democracy that has improved US interests. I named 4 that did the opposite.

Tunisia

(01-23-2015 12:40 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:17 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:16 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 12:08 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 09:11 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  No, we need to pray and support a peaceful transition. If we learned anything from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, don't mess with stability even if it comes from a dictator.

That's proven to be false. It is temporary safety that results in an even messier event when the dictator inevitably loses power.

Supporting dictators is one of our worst policies in the region.

I disagree. Overthrowing them or supporting rebels liberates the terrorists. This has been proven time and time again.

No

Ok, name one country in that region that has overthrown a dictator with our support and been replaced with a democracy that has improved US interests. I named 4 that did the opposite.

The more repressive a regime the more terrorists spawn out of that country.

The two are connected.

You support dictators and this is what you get. You support them for decades and you get exactly what we have today, which is the normalizing of the situation. You created the extreme elements and now those have to be played out.

(01-23-2015 12:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  The more repressive a regime the more terrorists spawn out of that country.

The two are connected.

You support dictators and this is what you get. You support them for decades and you get exactly what we have today, which is the normalizing of the situation. You created the extreme elements and now those have to be played out.

I agree that supporting dictators maintains peace at some ongoing cost (i.e. the post-Sinai payments going to Egypt), but is unsustainable and harmful in the long run. However, the alternative may be countries like Iran that have supported terrorism as a way of extending force in the region.

I think we have swung too far to one side in thinking that these terror groups are grass roots. ISIS may be self funding now, but they never would've gone international if it weren't for outside funding and agitation. Hezbollah is a foreign proxy of Iran. To that end, countries like Syria will always exist in one of two forms - what appears in terms of the nation-state model as lawless chaos, or a situation where one faction (tribe or sect) has gained power and operates as a tyranny to keep the peace and maintain stability in the country. In the first instance, I think the growth of an ISIS or some form of it is inevitable and regional players like Qatar and Iran will fund and arm competing factions. That will spill over to other countries in the region. If nothing else, they will compete to agitate the Israeli-Palestinian situation for the worse.

(01-23-2015 08:05 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  What I can't fathom in this day and age..... a Royal family taking the lion's share of the pie. For what? A birth right. This stuff has been changing since the Magna Carte. That the US is in bed with a Royal family and propping them up militarily. I can see why the underlings would look at us with a stank eye. It's corrupt. These people don't deserve billions because they came out of a chosen uterus. The whole Saudi Royal Family idea seems like something out of the stone ages. It's a backwards society.

Quick, list for me the democratic governments in the Middle East that also produce oil. Whoops - I guess we don't align with any of them for anything..............oh yeah - we need their oil.

The report today is that the new King has pledged to continue the same policies as his predecessor. Good news.

Also that the 79 year King has dementia!! Sounds like a great fit and skill set for a leader of a Monarchy!

(01-23-2015 02:16 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  Also that the 79 year King has dementia!! Sounds like a great fit and skill set for a leader of a Monarchy!

I think I've heard that as well, though I've been confused over which one that was.

I will remember the King Abdullah for making the outstanding decision to change the Saudi weekend from Thurs-Fri to Fri-Sat, which I appreciated very much.

I mean, he's 79... I don't expect him to be "ruling" for much more than 5 years. He'll likely be dead in 10, and we'll have another 70+ year old rich Saudi in charge.