Saudi Arabia & Iran, On the Brink of War?

[Ransom]

Reckon I'm just having trouble seeing this supposed friendship between Saudi Arabia and Trump since he's been President. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been fighting a proxy war with thousands dead in Yemen. The previous Administration arming the Saudis, the previous Realist Administration that is....and yet the assertion here is that Trump is buddy buddy with SA thus risking conflict and even war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Sounds like more winging it stuff to me.

President Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, will leave office in a few weeks with the dubious honor of having sold more weapons than any other American president since World War II. And experts say President-Elect Donald Trump will most likely sell even more.
Most of the arms deals totaling over $200 billion in the period from 2008 to 2015 have ended up in the Middle East, according to a Congressional Research Service report published in December. The report, produced by the non-partisan government agency attached to the Library of Congress, breaks down the weapons sold which included surface-to-air missiles, tanks, and supersonic combat aircraft.






Focusing on arms deals to developing nations, the extensive report found that Saudi Arabia was the top arms importer with deals worth around $94 billion from 2008-2015. Under Obama the overall sales, pending delivery of equipment and specialised training for troops, to Saudi Arabia alone has ballooned to $115 billion.
Saudi Arabia is spearheading a coalition of Arab nations in a bombing campaign closing in on two years against the insurgent Houthi militias in Yemen, who took over the capital Sanaa in September 2014. The United States has sent special operations forces to assist the Arab coalition in a grinding war that has seen over 10000 killed, 2.2 million displaced and nearly half a million children on the brink of famine from the ensuing crisis.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/a...e-world-war-ii

[Peter1469]

I think it would be more accurate to characterize the struggle as between Sunni-Wahhabism and Shiites. Many Sunnis hate the Wahhabists. But there are schisms within Shia Islam, too. Neither is a monolithic belief system.

I think the general Sunni-Shia split is more important that the splits inside the two groups. At least when it comes to open conflict.

[Peter1469]

Obama distanced the US from Saudi Arabia. Trump went there and called for an Arab NATO, led by SA. Anyone who knows the region knows that means Sunni Arabs as it is a counter to Iran- the prominent Shia force in the world and not Arabs. It raises the chances of a regional war, but perhaps that was Trump's intention. Keeps them so busy slaughtering each other that they don't have time to export their hate to the West.

Reckon I'm just having trouble seeing this supposed friendship between Saudi Arabia and Trump since he's been President. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been fighting a proxy war with thousands dead in Yemen. The previous Administration arming the Saudis, the previous Realist Administration that is....and yet the assertion here is that Trump is buddy buddy with SA thus risking conflict and even war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Sounds like more winging it stuff to me.



https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/a...e-world-war-ii

[Ransom]

Obama distanced the US from Saudi Arabia.

By selling them weapons? The distancing having more to do with Obama's deals with Iran that Saudi Arabia strictly opposed, yes Peter?

Trump went there and called for an Arab NATO, led by SA. Anyone who knows the region knows that means Sunni Arabs as it is a counter to Iran- the prominent Shia force in the world and not Arabs. It raises the chances of a regional war, but perhaps that was Trump's intention. Keeps them so busy slaughtering each other that they don't have time to export their hate to the West.

The US calling for SA to take on a broader ME roll for decades now. In dealing with al-Qaeda, Palestinian issues, and relations with Israel. I think allowing Iran nuclear weapons deepens the chances of war, increases the likelihood SA seeks a weapon itself, continues the proxy war in Yemen(begun in 2015 under Obama's Presidency while you Realists sold them weapons), and increases the militarization of the Persian Gulf.

I didn't hear the Realists screaming about Iran being given billions to promote terror and war in Yemen and that those policies increased risk of war. Saudi Arabia is responding to Iranian aggression. Aggression ongoing for decades and well know to all on this forum. Except Tread of course.

[Peter1469]

By selling them weapons? The distancing having more to do with Obama's deals with Iran that Saudi Arabia strictly opposed, yes Peter?

Correct.

The US calling for SA to take on a broader ME roll for decades now. In dealing with al-Qaeda, Palestinian issues, and relations with Israel. I think allowing Iran nuclear weapons deepens the chances of war, increases the likelihood SA seeks a weapon itself, continues the proxy war in Yemen(begun in 2015 under Obama's Presidency while you Realists sold them weapons), and increases the militarization of the Persian Gulf.

The US has been calling for SA to take care of its Whabbi problem for decades. Only since Iraq was conquered in 2003 did Iran begin to gain any real influence in the region. Yes, the US has supported SA in Yemen. Although realists had nothing to do with it. We haven't had real political power in the US since Reagan.

I didn't hear the Realists screaming about Iran being given billions to promote terror and war in Yemen and that those policies increased risk of war. Saudi Arabia is responding to Iranian aggression. Aggression ongoing for decades and well know to all on this forum. Except Tread of course.

I believe they did oppose the Iran deal as made. I certainly did.

I don't have any problem with SA responding to Iranian aggression. All nation states should protect their vital interests.

[Mini Me]

Trump has become very friendly towards Saudi Arabia since he became the president. This despite the fact that he correctly labeled them supporters of terrorism during his campaign. The "crackdown" in Saudi Arabia, which Trump praised, is a laughably transparent attempt by the current rulers to consolidate their own power and crush any potential challenge to their position. It also seems to presage a movement towards war with Iran, which would be absolutely devastating for the region. Furthermore, it would probably send gas prices through the roof here in the west.

Israel would like to see a war between Iran and S.A. And the USA and Israel backs S.A.all the way.There is an alliance between S.A. and Israel. Strange bedfellows, indeed!

The analogy here is when the US backed Saadam Insane against Iran which decimated Iraq, and softened them up for Desert Storm.

[Peter1469]

Israel would like to see a war between Iran and S.A. And the USA and Israel backs S.A.all the way.There is an alliance between S.A. and Israel. Strange bedfellows, indeed!

The analogy here is when the US backed Saadam Insane against Iran which decimated Iraq, and softened them up for Desert Storm.

Israel has often had silent Arab allies. And precisely for the reason you hint at. Iran and its proxies.

[Ethereal]

I think the general Sunni-Shia split is more important that the splits inside the two groups. At least when it comes to open conflict.

Perhaps. But they are both important dynamics.

[Ethereal]

Obama distanced the US from Saudi Arabia. Trump went there and called for an Arab NATO, led by SA. Anyone who knows the region knows that means Sunni Arabs as it is a counter to Iran- the prominent Shia force in the world and not Arabs. It raises the chances of a regional war, but perhaps that was Trump's intention. Keeps them so busy slaughtering each other that they don't have time to export their hate to the West.

I think it would be more intelligent to stop actively supporting Sunni fundamentalists who are pretty much the only ones exporting hatred to the west. Granted, Trump made some progress in that regard by shutting down the CIA program in Syria (officially, at least), but that is a very symbolic measure that does not cut to the heart of the problem.

[Peter1469]

Perhaps. But they are both important dynamics.

They are. When the Sunnis and Shia are not fighting one another, each fight internally. But if either Sunni or Shia start something, both sides' internal groups get along for the duration.