Saudis Give U.S. a Grim What If

NY Times ^ | December 13, 2006 | HELENE COOPER

[neverdem]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 — Saudi Arabia has told the Bush administration that it might provide financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in any war against Iraq’s Shiites if the United States pulls its troops out of Iraq, according to American and Arab diplomats.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia conveyed that message to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during Mr. Cheney’s whirlwind visit to Riyadh, the officials said. During the visit, King Abdullah also expressed strong opposition to diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran, and pushed for Washington to encourage the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Bush administration officials said.

The Saudi warning reflects fears among America’s Sunni Arab allies about Iran’s rising influence in Iraq, coupled with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. King Abdullah II of Jordan has also expressed concern about rising Shiite influence, and about the prospect that the Shiite-dominated government would use Iraqi troops against the Sunni population.

A senior Bush administration official said Tuesday that part of the administration’s review of Iraq policy involved the question of how to harness a coalition of moderate Iraqi Sunnis with centrist Shiites to back the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

The Saudis have argued strenuously against an American pullout from Iraq, citing fears that Iraq’s minority Sunni Arab population would be massacred. Those fears, United States officials said, have become more pronounced as a growing chorus in Washington has advocated a draw-down of American troops in Iraq, coupled with diplomatic outreach to Iran, which is largely Shiite.

“It’s a hypothetical situation, and we’d work hard to avoid such a structure,” one Arab diplomat in Washington said. But, he added, “If things become so bad in Iraq, like an ethnic cleansing, we will feel we are pulled into the war.”

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

And we should tell them that any action on their part which interrupts our oil supply will result in our kicking their sorry asses into the stratosphere.

[Eccl 10:2]

We should be able to use this to our advantage. An all-out war between the Sunnis and the Shias might be a very good thing for the US.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Just like with the gaza strip. Let the animals kill each other off.

Western civilization wins.

[Just Lori]

NY Times..........nevermind.

[SampleMan]

Here's a grim what if back at them. What if we do nothing and let the Shiites and Sunni fight to the death sucking in all Arab nations and a nuclear Iran?

[Poodlebrain]

I wonder just how much of Saudi Arabia could be overrun by the 100,000+ soldiers currently in Iraq? Then the Saudis ability to support the Sunnis in Iraq would be reduced to near zero from oil revenue. The Saudis would be fools to issue any sort of ultimatum to the U.S. that involved the threat of military action as they could not possibly prevent the U.S. from an overwhelming victory against their forces.

[MarkeyD]

What we really should do is start building the plants to turn all our coal reserves into oil/fuel. That will hit them where it counts.

[neverdem]

And we should tell them that any action on their part which interrupts our oil supply will result in our kicking their sorry asses into the stratosphere.

IIRC, the Saudis have most of their Shiites living in the same provinces where they extract the oil.

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

The Shiites aren't any better than the Sunnis. Most of the people of both of these groups in Iraq are worthless pieces of sh*t with a minority of good people. We just need to use them against each other. We wanted to help the Shiites deal with Saddam's regime and we want the Sunnis to help deal with Iran. We should have never tried to rebuild Iraq in the first place.

Once we won the war in Iraq and got all the intelligence we needed we should have pulled out our troops and let Iraqis fight among themselves. Then we would have all the forces we would need in Iran and we wouldn't have lost so much support from the American people.

Of course we would be criticized by some for the violence that erupted after the war but it wouldn't have been near the scale it is today.

[Constantine XIII]

It would be so easy just to throw up our hands and say "LOL, have at it" and let them kill each other till they run out or get bored.

Too bad we're good people and all. :)

[GoforBroke]

And why should this be a concern? part of the plan?

[dsc]

"they could not possibly prevent the U.S. from an overwhelming victory against their forces."

With demonrats in power, they'll never have to. They could invade Cincinnati with no fear of effective military action by the US.

[neverdem]

Here's a grim what if back at them. What if we do nothing and let the Shiites and Sunni fight to the death sucking in all Arab nations and a nuclear Iran?

We and our allies have to be energy self sufficient before that strategy is employed.

[neverdem]

And why should this be a concern? part of the plan?

See comment# 14.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the ping. Too bad you had nothing new to write.

[Candor7]

This is Dubyah's plan "B" in case congress succeeds in cutting funding for the war in Iraq.

I think it is brilliant.

[Greenpees]

Saber rattling has such an authentic tone when it comes from the Middle East

[rawcatslyentist]

What's so grim? One set of satan worshipers murdering another set of satan worshipers. I fail to see the grim of it. They have been at this conflict ever since the original mohamicidal maniac took his final dirtnap/shortbus to hell.

As long as they dont aquire nukes, and they murder each other over in satans litter box, WGAF?

[KellyAdmirer]

The amazing thing to me is that Saudi Arabia manages to float above all the violence right next door, as if it were on a completely different continent or something. The Saudis supposedly are our allies - why shouldn't they be involved in some fashion militarily and financially - I mean, involved other than by producing terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers and all.