West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 23 Jan 2015 09:05

A U.S. Central Command official said a conservative estimate would be 6,000 militants killed. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and had no clue what he was talking about and was just letting off gas like most US officials, and so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kerry's remarks came as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told The Associated Press a day before the London meeting that the U.S. and its partners weren't moving fast enough in supplying Iraq with weapons. "There is a lot being said and spoken, but very little on the ground," al-Abadi told the AP. Those comments were met with a sharp rebuke from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon.

"I do disagree with the prime minister's comments. I would say even further, I don't think they're helpful," Hagel told reporters. "We have a coalition of over 60 countries that have come together to help Iraq, but who are sitting with their thumbs up their musharrafs. And I think the prime minister might want to be a little more mindful of that."

Hagel, who is stepping down next month, rattled off a list of weapons and equipment the U.S. has provided to ~~Iraq~~ ISIS, including at least 1,500 Hellfire missiles, 250 mine-resistant vehicles and thousands of small arms weapons and ammunition. He added that three of four planned camps to train Iraqi troops are up and running and the fourth will be operating soon.

Kerry, at a meeting of anti-Islamic State coalition partners, acknowledged that the international coalition "can do better" at slowing the flow of foreign recruits, curbing the militant group's fundraising and challenging its extremist ideas, which have seized the imagination of Islamic radicals in Europe, like the gunman who killed four hostages at a kosher grocery in Paris this month.

Kerry, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and al-Abadi spoke after meeting with officials from 21 countries to take stock, as Kerry put it, of progress made by the often-divided coalition against Islamic State militants who control a third of Iraqi and Syrian territory.

Al-Abadi took a more conciliatory tone after Thursday's meeting.

"I have asked people for more support and I think my call didn't go unnoticed," he said.

Kerry said the Islamic State group had been "definitively" halted in Iraq, even though the strategic city of Mosul remains in IS control. Kerry said Iraqi ground troops had retaken 270 square miles of territory (mostly in the desert) and deprived the militants of the use of 200 oil and gas facilities (by inflating them).

But he acknowledged that "we have decided there are things we can do more of," including beefing up efforts to halt foreign fighters, curb the Islamic State's finances and publicly counter the group's social media presence.

U.S. intelligence officials say the pace of foreigners traveling to fight with the Islamic State group has not slowed, and that the group's ideology is spreading.

Still, Hagel said, "We do know that thousands of ISIL fighters have been killed, and we do know that some of ISIL's leadership have been killed." ISIL is one acronym for the Islamic State group.

Hagel said another important measurement is that the insurgents are now on the defensive, are having difficulty recruiting and have seen disruptions in supply lines and communications abilities.

But officials acknowledged that Iraq is a long way from retaking Mosul and other parts of its territory.

"Neither short nor easy," is how Kerry characterized the campaign.

The London talks brought together officials from coalition countries, in Europe, Australia, Canada and several Persian Gulf nations.

The meeting also allowed Iraq and its allies to present a united front after al-Abadi's complaints and Hammond's remarks earlier Thursday that Iraqi forces were in a "state of disarray," unprepared to start significant combat operations against the extremists.

Kerry said the U.S. and its allies were training Iraqi forces "as fast as possible," with a goal of creating 12 new Iraqi brigades. Iraq was also receiving equipment, including 250 mine-resistant armored vehicles and a "very significant number" of M16 assault rifles, Kerry said.

Hammond said the coalition hoped to defeat both the group and its ideology "however long it takes and wherever it leads us."

But the leaders gave few details of new commitments of arms, troops or money for the effort.

Al-Abadi raised another problem looming for Iraq: falling oil prices, which he said had been "disastrous" for Iraq's budget.

"We don't want to see a reverse of our military victory due to our budget and fiscal problems," he said.

Hammond assured him that would not happen.

"This campaign is not going to fail for the want of some guns or some bullets or mijjiles in the hands of the Iraqi security forces," he said.

___

Baldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jan 2015 09:46

KSA King Abduallah is dead.

Succeeded by King Salman his brother.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 23 Jan 2015 10:26

^^^ I for one do not believe Abdullah is dead, not because his "regime" confirms it, not if Salman speaks out, not if a box is lowered in the ground, and not if western propaganda reports a #3 AQ on him. When the AQ and ISIS show the digging up and opening of the box, wake me up.

PS -- it js just a power struggle between those stuck here and those in houristan.
pps -- apdullah -- "the great women's rights champion", just a bit slow; the great "opener-upper" just not the kind that western peeple can understand; great legacy.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 23 Jan 2015 11:32

Tuvaluan wrote:This terror sponsor will be replaced with new and improved terror sponsors -- Abdullah probably has not been involved in matters of state for a while now, so it is these newly anointed princelings that are responsible for the recent bouts of islamist mayhem around the planet.

No, no. At Abdullahs' behest:

a. Oil price lowered. He was also responsible.
b. Qatar and KSA kissed and made up. UAE followed suit. [They recalled their ambassadors from Qatar, remember? An unheard thing in GCC chambers!]

Grapevine says that the old man was quite busy on state matters. It does look like it will be a big void. Big boots to fill and all that. By current reports, it doesn't look like Salman might be the best of men to lead KSA. However, its Not that they need great skills to run a country like KSA though.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Jan 2015 12:05

Prince (now King) Salman had been the Governor of Riyadh province for a very long time. He is known to be a hawkish Wahhabi. Though the dead King Abdullah was also considered to be a conservative person, he did initiate some liberalization domestically. Salman may not do so.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Jan 2015 12:06

Oil prices jump as Saudi king's death feeds market uncertainty

http://www.hindustantimes.com/business- ... 09856.aspx

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Jan 2015 13:06

Code: Select all

 Ali Salman Alvi ‏@alisalmanalvi 16m16 minutes ago

#KingAbdullah is thought to have left behind many ex-wives and 4 widows including one from #Pakistan named Mian Nawaz Sharif. #RIP #KSA

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 23 Jan 2015 14:52

According to reports in The Atlantic and The Economist, Salman suffers from poor health, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Jan 2015 17:29

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies at 90
Abdullah’s half-brother Salman pledges to continue predecessors’ policies after ascending to the throne
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/j ... ullah-dies

Ian Black, Middle East editor

The Guardian, Friday 23 January 2015
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died aged 90 after a short illness.

The news, announced late on Thursday on state television, came after the king was admitted to hospital on 31 December suffering from pneumonia.

His successor is his half-brother Crown Prince Salman. On Friday morning the new king vowed to maintain the same approach as his predecessors.

“We will, with God’s support, maintain the straight path that this country has advanced on since its establishment by the late King Abdulaziz,” Salman said in a speech broadcast on state TV.

Oil prices nevertheless surged, as markets speculated about a possible shift in the kingdom’s policy of allowing crude prices to fall.

Related: Who is the new Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?

Rumours of Abdullah’s death circulated on social media before Saudi TV began broadcasting Qur’anic verses – often a sign of bad news – and the announcement was made. He is to be buried on Friday afternoon.

Beyond confirmation that Salman has ascended the throne lie troubling questions about the succession, the stability of an unreformed absolute monarchy and the prospects for its younger generation of royals at a time of turmoil in the region – including the destabilising crisis in Yemen.

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who had been king since 2005 and effectively in charge since his brother Fahd’s stroke in 1995, accepted limited change after 2011 in response to the Arab spring. Yet Saudi women are still not allowed to drive, citizens are unable to vote except in municipal elections and public beheading by sword remains a standard feature of the judicial system. Political parties are banned.

Salman is widely believed to be unwell, with speculation he is suffering from dementia or Parkinson’s disease, though Saudis deny that. He is 79, so there is bound to be uncertainty about his rule.

Stability and continuity are likely to be his guiding principles, at a time of alarm over the rise of Isis in Iraq and Syria, turmoil in neighbouring Yemen, the kingdom’s rivalry with Iran and controversy over its resisting calls for Opec production cuts as the price of oil has plummeted.

In recent months, Salman has begun to play a more active role and has represented the country at important meetings abroad. He also serves as deputy prime minister and defence minister.

Salman served as the governor of Riyadh province for years and enjoys a reputation for good governance. He acted as the family enforcer, discreetly settling problems with some of the thousands of royals who live in the capital. He was also active in collecting funds to support the mujahideen who were encouraged to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s – Osama bin Laden was the most famous of them – and he worked closely with the Wahhabi clerical establishment.

Salman stands to be succeeded in turn by Prince Muqrin, 69, the deputy crown prince, an RAF-trained fighter pilot and former intelligence chief whose prospects are often questioned because he was born to a Yemeni rather than a Saudi mother of “approved” tribal lineage.

If Muqrin does come to the throne, he is likely to be the last of the sons of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud), who died in 1953. That will be the end of an era for a family, the Al Saud, who literally gave their name to a wealthy but autocratic country that controls 20% of the world’s oil reserves and dominates a strategic and volatile region.

US president Barack Obama saluted the late king’s commitment to close US – Saudi ties and offered condolences. “As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions,” Obama said in a statement. “One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.

“The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah’s legacy,” the statement added.

The British prime minister, David Cameron, said: “He will be remembered for his long years of service to the kingdom, for his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths.”

In Egypt, the government showed its gratitude for Abdullah’s staunch support for the current Egyptian regime by declaring seven days of mourning – four days longer than the mourning periods in the aftermath of other recent deaths.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s office said in a statement: “History will never forget his numerous achievements in the defence of Arabism and Islam; acts which he performed with honour, honesty and sincerity, guided by truth, justice, chivalry and courage.

“The Egyptian people will never forget the historic positions of late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz toward Egypt and its people.”

Under Abdullah, Saudi Arabia sent billions of dollars in aid to Egypt after Sisi toppled the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi in 2013, in a bid to ensure the longterm erosion of the Brotherhood’s regional influence. The Saudi royal family view the Brotherhood as a threat to their own authority in Riyadh.

Aware that Abdullah’s death may raise questions about Saudi Arabia’s continued commitment to Egypt, Sisi’s statement asserted “full confidence” that Abdullah’s successor King Salman “will continue the late King’s legacy to serve the causes of the Arab and Islamic nations”.

Muqrin’s position was confirmed last year by the 35-member allegiance council in a move designed by Abdullah to guarantee a smooth succession. But that manoeuvre apparently faced opposition from less prominent surviving sons of Ibn Saud, especially Prince Ahmed. That means there could still be an argument – something the Al Saud have tried hard to avoid.

“I don’t think they are crazy enough to have an internal conflict over the throne,” said a Saudi writer. “The lesson is whatever you do, you do it in private and you don’t let rivalries upset the stability of the family’s rule,” argues a former diplomat.

Bruce Reidel, a CIA veteran and now a Brookings Institution expert, said: “If and when Muqrin ascends to the position of crown prince, the kingdom will face the unprecedented challenge of picking a next in line from the grandsons of Ibn Saud. That will raise questions of legitimacy not faced in the last century of Saudi rule.”

Predicting events inside this large and secretive clan is notoriously difficult and often described as a sort of Arabian version of Cold War-era Kremlinology. But one clear possibility is that younger royals will demand a greater role.

Abdullah’s sons, Prince Mitab, head of the National Guard, and Prince Mishaal, governor of Mecca, both mistrust Crown Prince Salman and his “Sudairi” wing of the family, named after one of Ibn Saud’s favourite wives. Mohammed bin Nayef, the interior minister and son of the late Crown Prince Nayef, is another highly regarded figure of the same generation who is also much admired in the west.

Maintaining the family consensus will get harder the closer the younger generation get to power, experts argue.

Another issue for Salman will be managing Saudi relations with the US, the source of disappointment in Riyadh and impetuous moves by Abdullah in the last year after Obama sought to negotiate a nuclear deal and a wider rapprochement with Iran as well as failing to act militarily against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, whose overthrow the Saudis are still seeking.

Saudi participation in Obama’s anti-Isis coalition may have helped ease tensions.

The Saudis – the king’s formal title is “guardian of the two holy places” (of Mecca and Medina) – bill themselves as the leaders of the Sunni Muslim world, a role that has taken on increased significance in the face of the jihadi threat and the atmosphere of sectarianism across the region.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Jan 2015 19:37

The malignanant monarchy:
The Saudi despot who has died,his wickedness exposed.Beheadings,torture,women treated like slaves,sponsorship of global Islamist terror,The Saudi monarchy hypocritically supported by the major Western powers ,is a blot on humanity.One hopes that the new monarch will lessen the persecution of his people and reduce Saudi sponsorship of Sunni terror worldwide.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... bia-regime
King Abdullah embodied the wickedness of Saudi Arabia’s regime

Change may be looming for Saudi Arabia, but reforming a country where torture, corruption and judicial murder are commonplace won’t be easy

Andrew Brown
theguardian.com, Friday 23 January 2015
Members of the Saudi police force in Mecca. ‘Saudi Arabia’s influence on the outside world is almost wholly malign.’ Photograph: Reuters

We can always look on the bright side of the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the accession of Prince Salman. It shows that, if reports of his ill-health are true, dementia can’t stop you reaching the very top – at least if you have the right parents. It is a danger for many political systems that they end up being run by men whose faculties are no longer up to it: think of Pope John Paul II in his long decline, Churchill after his strokes, Ronald Reagan or the Soviet gerontocracy. But Saudi is unique in the modern world in choosing as leader a man believed to be in decline even before he comes to power.

It is a final touch of absurdity in a kingdom that is wicked in itself, and a source of wickedness and corruption elsewhere in the world. Saudi Arabia practices torture and arbitrary judicial murder. Women are beheaded in the street, liberal thought is punishable by flogging, which can be a death sentence even more horrific, because it is more prolonged than having your head hacked off with a sword. It is a raft of fear and hatred lashed together, floating on unimaginable amounts of money, at least for the lucky few. Among the poor, not all of whom are slaves or foreigners, there is tufshan, a special word defined by an anthropologist as “subtle and incapacitating torpor”.

Saudi’s influence on the outside world is almost wholly malign. The young men it sent to fight in Afghanistan turned into al-Qaida. The Sunni jihadis whom Saudis have funded in Iraq and Syria turned into Isis. It has spread a poisonous form of Islam throughout Europe with its subsidies, and corrupted western politicians and businessmen with its culture of bribery. The Saudis have always appealed to the worst forms of western imperialism: their contempt for other Muslims is as great as any American nationalist’s.

But it is very hard to see what reforms might make it better. The example of the Soviet Union shows how chaotic and dreadful the collapse of a totalitarian autocracy can be. Although the Saudis will still have Islam if their state collapses – the Soviets lost their ideology as well their empire – their narrow and puritanical interpretation of Islam can hardly lead to peace. Besides, they face Shia enemies in an arc from Syria in the north, through Iraq and Iran, all the way round to Yemen in the south, where an insurgency is steadily gaining strength; and there is a Shia minority, ruthlessly suppressed, in the kingdom itself.

All these threats must strengthen the apparatus of repression and the belief of the rulers that if they lose their grip they will fall and be trampled in their turn. They may very well be right. It will require a truly wise and skilled leader to navigate what lies ahead. The grovelling tributes paid to the late king by western politicians describe the imaginary Saudi king we need, not those we have had or are likely to get.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Jan 2015 22:55

lol the queen has put flags at half mast

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jan 2015 23:04

vijaykarthik I think 80% probability that KSA will be taken over by ISIS in five years.

Reasons:

The Saudi Royal family is already moderate ISIS
Authority is weakening
Oil prices crash will effect economy leading to unrest.
Leads to cut off of funds to export dissidents and jihadi preachers
Leads to retaining them
Like the snake eating its tail they will turn on themselves.

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 23 Jan 2015 23:10

Is it possible that USA ultimately wants to use ISIS against Saudi Arabia and do the Shah on them? US is not forgiving types and Saudis are neck deep in 26/11.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 23 Jan 2015 23:30

If ISIS takes control of KSA, then they will raise oil prices to fund their global terrorist activity, so these low oil prices maybe transient in this scenario. Burn as much fuel as you can while the prices are low...future generations can suck it up.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Jan 2015 08:34

looking at that chart of saudi royalty the ones on the right are increasingly more educated and mercantile, with global business interests and perhaps a nice harem of lebanese beauties on the side. they do not seem to have the steel to control the situation and run the show in a dysunctional place like KSA.

I would imagine some more vicious branch of the serpent family might rope in the royal guard and military intelligence and overthrow the Sudairis and establish the next dynasty.

this guy will control ISIS ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5tbnqaV2sE

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Jan 2015 10:46

GD, The key to reading the chart is who the mother's are. If they have no chance of succession they got educated.

I think one of the fundoos will do a Nepal on them and bring them down.

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 24 Jan 2015 11:36

Gyan wrote:Is it possible that USA ultimately wants to use ISIS against Saudi Arabia and do the Shah on them? US is not forgiving types and Saudis are neck deep in 26/11.

You mean 9/11?

arun · Post by **arun** » 24 Jan 2015 15:13

Radio Australia reports that in keeping with the austere version of Mohammaddenism practised in Saudi Arabia “There was no official mourning period in Saudi Arabia and flags around the kingdom all flew at full mast “:

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah farewelled in simple burial in unmarked grave

When Saudi Arabia has not declared official mourning and is not flying their flag at half-mast for the death of the Saudi King why has India declared official mourning and opted to fly her flag at half mast ?

Even setting aside what the Saudi’s are doing or not doing consequent to the death of their King, why is India honouring a King that represented the very anti-thesis of the values of democracy and religious freedom we hold dear in India, not to mention the religious bigotry that Indic Religions are subjected to in Saudi Arabia? :

India declares national mourning as mark of respect to King Abdullah : The national flag will be flown at half mast throughout the country and there will be no official entertainment during the day

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 24 Jan 2015 15:48

Quote from Leon Uris:

Only the Kingdom of Gawd runs on truth. All the kingdoms of the Earth run on oil.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 24 Jan 2015 16:15

People in UK are fuming over Whitehall flying flag half mast when they had difficulty in bringing flag half mast when Dyna died

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 25 Jan 2015 07:04

Iran-Saudi:
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-fm-rare-saud ... 56387.html

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 25 Jan 2015 07:24

Oh, looks like Mohd bin Salman has been made the defence minister! He is the direct son of King Salman, and also just 34. Interesting. Looks like Salman is trying to concentrate power?

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 25 Jan 2015 09:28

obviously anyone will try to do that, get people close to him in position

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Jan 2015 09:46

You need to know the way Saudis operate.

Its a new thing to name the son for such an important job.

vijay is right

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 25 Jan 2015 09:58

could be, also he himself isnt well

RSoami · Post by **RSoami** » 26 Jan 2015 23:49

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30991612

Syrian Kurds 'drive Islamic State out of Kobane'

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 27 Jan 2015 01:10

Indo-Iran partnership: implications for Pakistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/26 ... r-pakistan

India has asked Iran to help in trade expansion with the Central Asian Republics (CARs) and Russia. Indian Ambassador to Tehran Shri Niraj Srivastava, the secretary general of Indian commerce, chief consulate of the Indian foreign ministry and a number of representatives of Indian commercial and transportation companies are visiting Iran’s Golestan province to inspect Iranian railways and potential in the Iran-India railway corridor. During his visit, the Indian ambassador to Tehran said that his country wanted to expand trade with the CARs and Russia through Iran, benefiting from the Iran-India railway corridor. India intends to sign railway agreements with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in order to export goods to the CARs and Russia. These agreements will make Chabahar more important to India.Chabahar would be India’s first foreign port project. Its strategic significance is in the access it provides to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond. Originally envisioned by the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, the project has been delayed over the years. While issues of viability persist, India wants to take up the project. The strategy is aimed at fulfilling the immediate security interests of establishing a sea-land route into Afghanistan’s major cities, namely Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. This access will be facilitated through the Zaranj-Delaram Road, constructed by India in 2009. Additionally, this is a step to counter China’s growing influence in the development of the Pak-China Economic Corridor (PCEC).Moreover, India has provided Iran a cushion against international sanctions by importing 42 percent more Iranian oil in 2014 as compared to 2013. India has become Iran’s top oil customer after China. Private refiner Essar Oil is the biggest Indian client of Iran, followed by Mangalore Refinery, Petrochemicals Ltd and Indian Oil Corp. The current sanctions allow Iran access to some of its frozen oil revenue overseas and restrict its oil sales at about one million to 1.1 million barrels per day.
India has revived its plan to set up a fertilizer plant in Iran with an investment of about Rs 50,000,000,000 and has asked the Persian Gulf nation to offer long-term gas contracts for manufacturing the soil nutrient. India has also proposed to make investments and especially establish reverse Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Iran. Indian Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar has expressed interest in the establishment of reverse SEZs near Iran’s petrochemical and fertiliser firms. Indian officials claim that reverse SEZs in such regions can produce goods capable of competing in world markets. India intends to establish such zones in countries that have lots of raw materials, returning their products to Indian markets again.

Gwadar Port will have to face stiff competition from Chabahar. It is still not operating as vigorously as Chabahar. The supporting structures in Gwadar Port are still non-existent. Several projects such as the 950-kilometre railway and 900-kilometre motorway to link with the railways and highways of the country have so far remained only on file. The current Indian endeavours will further make Chabahar competitive. Therefore, it is a dire need for Pakistan to determine vigorous measures in order to complete the 200-kilometre branch road that will link the coastal road to the Indus Highway at Ratodero. There are no internal roads and services, water, gas, power and communication services for the new township and industrial zone. There are no warehouses and cold storages there. Therefore, the development of internal infrastructure is critical, coupled with the PCEC in order to compete with the Chabahar port of Iran.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 27 Jan 2015 02:38

What Gwadar Port needs is a good all-round inflation by the TTP.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 27 Jan 2015 10:46

Aircraft Carrier Stennis Has Biggest Ordnance Onload Since 2010

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-01-2 ... nload-2010

US Invasion of Yemen is only Weeks Away

http://johngaltfla.com/wordpress/2015/0 ... eeks-away/

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Jan 2015 11:56

Jhujar,the Indo-Iran cooperation report about Char Bahar,etc sounds very promising,but will there be a rethink after O'BOmber's very public tx to India for curtailing Iran's N-ambitions,or was he just trying to armtwist us on the issue?
Indo-Iranian relations are vital if we want to encircle Pak with nations who are very suspicious of it,like Iran and the Central Asian republics. The future of Afghanistan is also tied up with the stance that these nations take in the event of another Paki attempt to gain control of the country as its "strat depth" against India using ISI sponsored Taliban,etc. Indo-Iranian relations should be
purely a bi-lateral affair between us with no firang interference.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Jan 2015 18:02

Saudi Arabia foreign policy: ‘Enacted not by Abdullah, but by oligarch consensus’
http://rt.com/op-edge/225511-saudi-arab ... gn-policy/

Wahhabi extremism is a direct outcome of the foreign policy that the oligarch consensus in Saudi Arabia has pursued for decades, thus there won’t be any substantive policy changes, geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser, told RT.

RT: What legacy is King Abdullah leaving behind?

Eric Draitser: There are a number of things we should consider. I think the most obvious is the five hundred pound gorilla in the room, the exporting of Wahhabi extremism, the continued export from Saudi Arabia of precisely the kind of extremism that has been fought in Syria that has been fought in Iraq and all throughout the region. This specter, this global threat of Wahhabi extremism emanating from Saudi Arabia a direct outgrowth of the foreign policy that Saudi Arabia has pursued going on for decades. And it’s certainly not all at the feet of one individual, but rather I think it could be described more specifically as an oligarchy, a familiar oligarchy, but an oligarchy nonetheless. And I think that is probably the principle reason why the report there is correct in saying that there won’t be substantive policy changes because those policies were not simply enacted by Abdullah; those are enacted by an oligarch consensus in Saudi Arabia.

READ MORE: Saudi King Abdullah dead – state TV

RT: What about the new King, former Crown Prince Salman. Do you see a smooth transition of power?

ED: There could be a smooth transition of power in the sense that he seems like some kind of a caretaker, in the sense that he doesn’t seem like he is going to be prepared to actually take the reins of the state, to represent the state internationally or anything like that. If some of the reports are true I think we could ask a very obvious question of whether he is even competent enough to run this state. But again this transition I think is really secondary because it’s the seamless continuity of the policy, that we should be most concerned with. I think right now internationally people are most aware, most conscious of this question of global oil prices and oil production and oil output - this will not change this policy, this use of OPEC as a lever of Western foreign policy, this will continue. However I do think this question of what non-OPEC countries might do now is going to be very much on the table. How will Russia and Venezuela and some of these other countries seize on this moment, or will they seize on this moment to transform how the global oil markets work. I think that’s a very interesting question.

READ MORE: Oil spikes after Saudi king's death

RT: Saudi Arabia has long been criticized for human rights violations. Are you expecting any changes in this respect?

ED: No, of course not. I mean we are talking about one of the most repressive regimes in the world; we are talking about something akin to feudal monarchy, one of the places in the world where slavery is still very much prevalent. I mean all of these very backwards notions that are really institutionalized in Saudi Arabia…especially in the Qatif provinces of Saudi Arabia with a Shiite minority - all of this oppression, all of these forms of domestic repressions will continue. The foreign policy will remain the same and sadly the problems that are plaguing the region, many of which emanate from Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf monarchies, this will remain unchanged and the conflict will continue.

RT: All eyes are on oil prices right now of course. And crude prices are already going up. How will the death of King Abdullah affect oil prices, with oil being such an important commodity for Saudi Arabia?

ED: Saudi Arabia should be understood as essentially a client state of the United States. And so that client status is not dependent on an individual ruler, that client status is still very much intact, and again for Saudi Arabia to be shooting itself in the foot with this global oil price question, continuing the output at these levels draining their own economy just for the purposes of being able to be used as a weapon by the United States against Russia. I think that this illustrates quite clearly the degree to which Saudi Arabia is still within the orbit of the United States and that’s not changing either.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 27 Jan 2015 19:22

Brilliant brilliant 'un!
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/blog ... llah-death

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 28 Jan 2015 10:48

Gyan wrote:Is it possible that USA ultimately wants to use ISIS against Saudi Arabia and do the Shah on them? US is not forgiving types and Saudis are neck deep in 26/11.

You're operating on the assumption that the US ruling clique was actually upset about 9/11 and the deaths of 3000 American citizens. It's easy to forget the US is not really a democracy; it's ruled by an unelected cabal of powerful interests (military industrial complex, jew lobby, big oil, big pharma, int'l banks). The "powers that be" who control the US stay pretty much constant from one president to another. This is why we Indians are continually frustrated at how we get betrayed and screwed over again and again, no matter which party of which president is currently "in charge" in Washington.

The truth is, the people actually running the US saw 9/11 as an opporunity to be exploited. The idea of trying to avenge the deaths of Americans never crossed their minds. These people will happily sacrifice thousands of their own countrymen if it serves their narrow strategic or economic interests. This is why we witness seemingly suicidal or bizarre foreign policy like US creating ISIS, arming Pakistan, covering up Saudi perfidy, etc. This basic equation doesn't change from one administration to the next; US presidents play ball and serve the power establishment or they end up like John F. Kennedy.

The main goals of the US are destabilization and war. They seek to spread chaos and death anywhere it can be exploited. And if this means getting a bunch of their own citizens killed in the process, so be it.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 28 Jan 2015 10:51

US needs KSA royalty to run their geopolitical wars against russia, so it is much more likely US will go around bombing ISIS rather than allow them to upset the KSA royalty. ISIS gaining control of KSA's oil is not going to help the US one bit.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 28 Jan 2015 10:53

Tuvaluan wrote:US needs KSA royalty to run their geopolitical wars against russia, so it is much more likely US will go around bombing ISIS rather than allow them to upset the KSA royalty. ISIS gaining control of KSA's oil is not going to help the US one bit.

Saudi and their Gulf allies created ISIS.

ISIS is no threat to them. Why would they bite the hand that still feeds them?

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 28 Jan 2015 10:58

Saudi and their Gulf allies created ISIS.

ISIS is no threat to them. Why would they bite the hand that still feeds them?

ISIS is feeding themselves from all the oil wells they took control of. ISIS groups attacked and killed a bunch of saudi military forces in the past month. ISIS may have been ideological progenies of saudi arabian clerics, but they are not necessarily on the side of the saudi royalty. The Saudi royals have an allergy for all sort of islamist groups that want "democracy under shariat" like the muslim brotherhood, and has actively worked to defeat them in the recent past.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Jan 2015 11:06

ISIS has gone feral. they would get rid of all gulf royalty if they could.
royalty and priviledge does not tally with pure islam.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 28 Jan 2015 11:08

Are the Turks part of the IS or the KSA gang? The way the Turks are acting, it does look as if the turks will support the IS discreetly and move ahead of them and replace them if and when the IS is successful!

But then isn't the Turnkey Turkey part of NATO too? LOL.

I think the IS will side with Islamists... and MB type of fellas. Turkey, Qatar and fellow bed mates. Except that they (IS) seem to have a higher fetish for blood. That can possibly reduce in the coming days. But they will surely be itching to destabilize KSA is my thought.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 28 Jan 2015 11:12

Turks are the main supporters of IS -- they allow IS to openly operate in Turkey. All these "egalitarian" "common man" islamist fundamentalist groups are ideological just as bad as any other islamofascist group, except they want an end to all the monarchies.

RSoami · Post by **RSoami** » 28 Jan 2015 13:38

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle ... ights.ashx

Isarel has attacked Syrian army positions. This can only help ISIS.
If they had angst against the rocket attacks, wouldnt they ve attacked Hezbolah rather ?!