Posted on 03/15/2017 1:11:15 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If the House of Saud falls, what happens to countries like Bahrain (homeport of the US Fifth Fleet), Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, etc.? What will Iran do?
We saw what happened with the fall of the Shah and Qaddafi. Anarchy ensues and the bad guys take over.
Oil. Weapon sales. Those are great reasons. /s
In the real world, those are significant issues. The Saudis can sell their oil anywhere and they can buy arms from anyone. Besides costing the US sales affecting tens of thousands of US jobs and lowering the unit cost for the US military, the sale of arms involves not only transferring the weapons, but also, providing the training to operate them along with ongoing provision of repair parts, advisors, etc. It also gives us a degree of control in how the weapons are used. We have a large US training mission in Saudi Arabia (USMTM) headed by a Major General.
Obama's failed policies in the ME have allowed the Russians back into the region. It took us almost 40 years to displace them. They are not only in Syria, but also, they are selling arms to Egypt.
In the world of real politik, oil and weapons are major players. So what would you propose we do with the Saudis in terms of bilateral relations and our large presence there?
I guess pals is the smart word for strategic alliance.
The only reason we are there is for the oil, which is the only reason the area is strategic.
I don’t care about Kuwait, UAE, or Qatar.
Wrong. Israel is in the region. Some of the most important shipping lanes in the world are in the region along with the Suez canal. Iran, the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism and a soon to be nuclear power, is in the region.
You’re playing small ball.
The world is confronted with a virulent and savage ideology that subjugates the people of many countries and is aggressively expanding into others by brutality and by clever insinuations. They must must be destroyed militarily, politically, and ideologically - just as communism was. That threat calls itself “islam”, an ideology and system of government that has since its inception been at war with all other peoples and nations. It is not only the danger they pose to the world that necessitates their destruction, but the brutality and oppression the exert on their own people.
Small ball? We don't have the resources to do what you want. We are the biggest debtor nation in the world. Our economy has been stagnant for decades along with wages. We are being colonized by the third world. Our immigration policies have brought in 35 million legal permanent immigrants since 1990. Within a decade we will have the highest percentage of foreign born in our history. And by 2043 non-Hispanic whites will be just 50% of the population, down from 89% in 1970. Demography is destiny.
Islam can not be reformed. It would mean rejecting the core writings of its founder, it would mean repudiating Mohammed.
It can only, and must be, abolished.
Those held in its thrall must come out of the cult.
LOL. How do you propose we do that?
Moral, economic, and political pressure and the courage to criticize and refute the ideology are all necessary.
Not going to work.
Moral, economic, and political pressure is how Reagan, Walesa, and Pope John Paul II accomplished the destruction of the Eastern Bloc.
Muslims are not looking to leave their religion. In fact, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism is destroying any semblance of secularism. Turkey is a prime example of a country that is headed in the wrong direction.
IS/AQ et al hate their governments, the governments we prop up - according to them.
There are two factors: our presence, and the prepared soil. We are present because of oil. The prepared soil is islam.
There is no doubt that ISIS and AQ hate many of the governments in the region. They want to be in charge. So what's your point? We should help ISIS and AQ and the Muslim Brotherhood get rid of the current governments?
There are two factors: our presence, and the prepared soil. We are present because of oil. The prepared soil is islam.
That sounds like the same crap that is put out about Israel. The very existence or presence of the state of Israel is what causes the problems. There would be no terrorism if Israel didn't exist.
Oil is not the only reason the region is of strategic importance to us.
I’ve stated my point:
The world is confronted with a virulent and savage ideology that subjugates the people of many countries and is aggressively expanding into others by brutality and by clever insinuations. The ideology must be destroyed militarily, politically, economically, and ideologically - just as communism was. That threat calls itself “islam”, an ideology and system of government that has since its inception been at war with all other peoples and nations. It is not only the danger they pose to the world that necessitates their destruction, but the brutality and oppression the exert on their own people.
> That sounds like the same crap that is put out about Israel. The very existence or presence of the state of Israel is what causes the problems. There would be no terrorism if Israel didn’t exist.
Here you identify the true problem: islam.
Without islam our presence would not be as much of an issue, real or imagined. The ideology of islam prepares the soil, our presence is a foil to exploit. Islam is the problem.
No, we should not help ISIS and AQ and the Muslim Brotherhood, we should defeat them morally, economically, and politically. We should refute the ideology of islam, not continue the false narrative of “radicalized islam”.
Nor should we continue involvement with any of their governments. Take that rhetorical/psychological weapon away from them.
Oil is the reason the area is viewed as strategic. In the larger picture, oil is less strategic than defeating a lethal ideology.
The difference is that the vast majority of the muslims support their religion and are willing to die to preserve it.
It is not only the danger they pose to the world that necessitates their destruction, but the brutality and oppression the exert on their own people.
LOL. The people don't feel oppressed. They are believers.
We should refute the ideology of islam, not continue the false narrative of “radicalized islam”. Nor should we continue involvement with any of their governments. Take that rhetorical/psychological weapon away from them.
You are living in a fantasy world. Taking on 1.5 billion Muslims in a religious war will not be supported by the American people or our allies. It is insanity.
I have lived a total of nine years in predominantly Muslim countries--Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Indonesia.
I am not advocating a religious war. I don’t care if they have no religion. I only care about the destruction of an evil ideology, no less evil than communism and perhaps more so.
Forget the labels. You are declaring war against 1.5 billion people. It is insanity. There is very little support from the American people to do that. As I said, you are living in a fantasy world.
I am not “declaring war on people”, but on an ideology. Did we shrink from defeating communism?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.