I think Pat’s article is about a quarter of the whole story, and he misses a number of points.
The change in oil pricing over the past six years has changed the perspective of the Saudis, and challenged their long-term survival.
The leadership today? Heavily focused on issues which weren’t apparent back in the 2010 era. Financially, they need oil prices back at $80 to $100 a barrel, today? It’s resting at $55 to $65.
The reality of corruption, money-laundering, and sponsorship of ISIS by private Saudis? It threatens the very core of Saudi stability. The Iranians? By the US getting this nation back up and giving them an open window to the world economy? It’s invented a massive problem for the Saudis in the long-run.
The Saudis need Yemen’s little war to conclude, but no one can say for sure how the end would be achieved, or recognized.
The relationship with the Russians? Growing day by day. Some are shocked that some relationship now exists with the Israeli government and business interests.
If ISIS now shows up to start a civil war within Saudi Arabia? They don’t have the manpower to put it down and would have to approach Trump (with money) and get US assistance. Trump might say no, and then the Russians enter to say they’d do the dirty-work for the right sum of money.
All of this is just begging for a massive market correction in 2018.
War is very ugly business. The civilian population is a valid target in war as the farmer, the baker, the mechanics etc. are an integral part of the war machine. Without the civilian population that supports the war machine the war machine would grind to a halt due to lack of supplies.
I do not know if the war between Saudi and Yemen is justifiable by the Saudis. . I do know that war must be brutal in he extreme to win.
Buchanan is correct in his analysis of post World War I. Our actions set in motion World War II.
If you are not willing to kill your enemy and all that stand with him, surrender, for you have already lost.
>The Saudis say it was an Iranian missile, fired with the aid of Hezbollah, and an “act of war” against the kingdom. The Houthis admit to firing the missile, but all three deny Iran and Hezbollah had any role.
Well, they’re lying, it came from Iran. Yemen’s a Sunni vs Shia proxy war between KSA and Iran. We’d do best to let those 2 sides deal with it on their own.
I’m a little confused. Is Pat saying it’s better to have open warfare than to use starvation as a tool/weapon to get the enemy to submit?
I ask because I’m thinking if we ever have a civil war again in America most of the left will flock TO the cities whereas most the freedom loving right will flock away from them if they are at all prepared. The fastest and most direct way to end the conflict will be to cut all supply routes into the cities to starve them into surrendering. Would bombing or other open warfare be more preferable according to Mr. Buchanan? It seems to me far less damage and loss of life would happen from the starvation method when given two bad choices.
If they don’t like starving they can always ask for terms.
If what he said is true about starvation four months after Germany laid down her arms, then I’m going to put Britain in with France, whose insistence on the draconian Versailles Treaty guaranteed WWII, as a country who deserved what they got from Nazi Germany.
Yemen is a failed state and a major security threat to Saudi Arabia and the region because it is a source of endemic human trafficking, smuggling, terrorism, and maritime piracy. If a blockade is prohibited, just what security measures does Pat recommend to Saudi Arabia, the US, and our other regional allies? Kinetic measures like dropping bombs would cause more civilian casualties and suffering than a blockade does. Moreover, when the source of the problem is a hostile and obdurate civilian populace, they can legitimately be targeted as they are the adversarial center of gravity. And it is worth noting that, like Muslim government, conflicts among Muslims tend to have brutal rules that harken back to the savagery of ancient times. My guess is that most Muslims in the region think that the Yemenis deserve far worse than a blockade.
BS.... The Saudis are NOW taking on responibilitys.......they are being squeezed
I don’t think it’s that sudden. Buchanan’s been manifesting that risible, detestable, insufferable thing -— conscience -— for awhile now.
May God bless this good man.
If the Houthis have no rice, let them eat Myrrh
Oh yes, I forgot. Pat is a 1930’s isolationist antiwar Republican
He wrote in a book that you can read at his website that we should not have entered into WW2 against the Germans.....
His thinking was we would use the Germans against the Russians. He forgot about (did not care) about the many other free countries that the nazi’s overran.
I'm not sure I care. Yemen is/was/remains a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda high level leadership. Yemen shielded OBL for years prior to 9-11.
In October, 2000 the USS Cole was attacked while it was being refueled in Yemen's Aden harbor and 39 of America's best died at the hands of terrorists that operated with impunity within Yemen's borders.
The Yemeni Government did their best to block our Intelligence folks from investigating that horrific terrorist attack and had our folks escorted out of country.
The laundry list of terrorist groups within Yemen's borders that are active is pretty long, so pardon me if I don't give a DAMN about the people of Yemen who should've cleaned up their own back yard long, long ago.
Pat is back up to his old Jew hating tricks, I see. Like most of his stuff it sounds far better in German.
L