[Gust Hubb]

I just added Aljazeera to my news feed and have been watching with growing angst this royal family purge in Saudi Arabia over past couple of days. Trump had been creaming his pants on the Twitter feed over the consolidation, but with Lebanon's PM removed at Saudi behest, the escalation between Iran and S.A. over the missle fired at Riyadh, and all the other steaming regional tension (Egypt, Israel, Qatar, etc) I am wondering if the breaking point has come?

Any thoughts?

[Kellanved's shadow]

Can't say that I know much about all of the players in the region or all of their motivations, but from the news that we are getting here in Australia it only seems to be getting worse there. I mean there is ISIS, the Syrian civil war, the Kurdish independence, the Yemen civil war, the constant rise and fall of the Iraqi government and the Israel Palestine skirmishes that never seem to end. I'm sure there is plenty more that I missed but that's all of my knowledge.

[Cause]

Gust Hubb, on 08 November 2017 - 03:22 AM, said:

I just added Aljazeera to my news feed and have been watching with growing angst this royal family purge in Saudi Arabia over past couple of days. Trump had been creaming his pants on the Twitter feed over the consolidation, but with Lebanon's PM removed at Saudi behest, the escalation between Iran and S.A. over the missle fired at Riyadh, and all the other steaming regional tension (Egypt, Israel, Qatar, etc) I am wondering if the breaking point has come?

Any thoughts?

I'm not sure if all the regional tension necessarily combines to create something larger. The Israel situation does not really interfere with the Syrian situation for example. Do either really maximize the pressure between SA and Iran?

That said a lot of it is at the end of the day Saudia Arabia vs Iran in proxy battles or just Saudia Arabia flexing its might. Its trying to squeeze Qatar, its bombing yemen to the stone age (no one seems to care). I think part of the reason why the rest of the world sees the middle east as such a mess because at the end of the day whether Saudia Arabia wins or Iran wins no one likes either. The US backs SA but its a relationship of convenience and of greed, they could not be more opposed on issues like democracy, free speech, human rights etc. The values in the middle east are alien to the west, so even at peace we tend to not think well of the region

[Morgoth]

We also don't know exactly what prompted the purges, and where it will lead. Sure, the region's history does not fill one with confidence, but a purge in the Saudi state/family in on itself was a necessity if anything like a modernization is to take place. Whether the plan is for that to happen, rather than this just being a power grab by a burgeoning autocrat, is anyone's guess.

[Gust Hubb]

http://www.aljazeera...7075704436.html

Article about Lebannon and SA.

The other problem is that Israel apparently has been increasing troops at the northern border.

And a summation article of everything happening in recent days as related to Iran vs SA.

http://www.aljazeera...8081432320.html

[Gust Hubb]

So, what do people think about the USA moving its embassy to Jerusalem?

[Gorefest]

Well, if Trump wants the world to burn this is a good first step. Thank you USA.

[Brujah]

Gorefest, on 05 December 2017 - 08:16 PM, said:

Well, if Trump wants the world to burn this is a good first step. Thank you USA.

The top 1 percent of the wealthiest, plus DC does not the USA make.

The people are so disenfranchised that that group are as alien to us as they are to non USA.

We really dislike being lumped all together.

[Brujah]

Plus Iran and SA naturally dislike each other. Iran is Shia and SA is Sunni.

Removing Saddam was a grave mistake. Whether his regime was 'bad' or not, he still helped maintain the balance of power in the region.

Iraq was none of our business.

In fact, we, the US, should keep out of all countries and focus on our own problems.

How can you blame someone from another country for wanting to kill foreign troops within their borders.

I don't even like the Police, so imagine if those Police weren't even American.

Mainly, we should have never taken Israel at the end of the '40s and allowed for the migration of over 100,000 displaced Jews into Palestine and then the formation of the Jewish State.

But here we are, 70 years later, and there's no real solution. Nothing peaceful, anyway.

[Macros]

Bruj, you have to remember, what the rest of the world sees is DT declaring Jerusalem and moving the US embassy.
The US is a (sic) democracy. Ergo DT is who the American people wanted, and what he does is what the American people wanted.

More informed people will know he is a moron who does not typify Americans, but the media states the US is going to move their embassy, people see the us is moving their embassy.

As above, DT wants a war.

[Gorefest]

Brujah, on 06 December 2017 - 03:06 AM, said:

The top 1 percent of the wealthiest, plus DC does not the USA make.

The people are so disenfranchised that that group are as alien to us as they are to non USA.

We really dislike being lumped all together.

Sorry Brujah, but it is a proposed formal move by the leader of the nation, which will require backing from congress, the senate, etc. So in effect it is the USA as a nation who makes this move on the world stage. I won't hold every single American to account for it, but as far as I can see it is a statement made by the USA. Not by a single lunatic, because he still has a whole political apparatus around him.

[Gust Hubb]

Macros, on 06 December 2017 - 10:26 AM, said:

Bruj, you have to remember, what the rest of the world sees is DT declaring Jerusalem and moving the US embassy.
The US is a (sic) democracy. Ergo DT is who the American people wanted, and what he does is what the American people wanted.

More informed people will know he is a moron who does not typify Americans, but the media states the US is going to move their embassy, people see the us is moving their embassy.

As above, DT wants a war.

[Brujah]

I didn't realize these posts were moved. First off, I apologize for any above statements.

Secondly, I also found the Al Jazeera news on satellite, and I watch it quite a bit now. It gives the news without the Democratic spin of MSNBC, and the Republican spin of Fox.

This post has been edited by Brujah: 17 January 2018 - 02:22 AM

[Nicodimas]

Oldie, but a goodie. Watch this and consider the comments made above.

[worry]

This doesn't seem great: https://twitter.com/...582963025637377

[Chance]

Brujah, on 17 January 2018 - 02:21 AM, said:

I didn't realize these posts were moved. First off, I apologize for any above statements.

Secondly, I also found the Al Jazeera news on satellite, and I watch it quite a bit now. It gives the news without the Democratic spin of MSNBC, and the Republican spin of Fox.

It does have its own spin however and some of it ain't subtle.

Still it is a good counterweight to some western media but with its own bagage.

[Tiste Simeon]

worry, on 21 March 2018 - 10:32 PM, said:

This doesn't seem great: https://twitter.com/...582963025637377

Or at all surprising.

[Tsundoku]

So ... Khashoggi, eh?

Has MBS overreached himself or will they get away with it and go back to business as usual as soon as the politicians feel they are able? Watch out for a lo of diversion-type stories and pressure on media to let the story die.

The way the story has kept changing since day 1 for me has been the most fascinating part.

But in it all I keep thinking about the poor dude who basically got killed for having an opinion and writing about it. This is also why China can suck it.

Maybe we need another topic about Big Brother on the rise with all the new tech and the social, political and economic implications?

[Cause]

It's an amazing story. I find it very scary. Really shows how easy it is for our rights and protections to just vanish.

Saudia Arabia will get away with it. They can get away with anything. We Need that oil. I also believe the average Saudi still prefers him to the previous state of things with the religious police etc. He is not a Saint but a better type of Devil.


What I'd like to know in more detail was how worried was khagoshi to enter the embassy. Was he scared? Did he tell people to check on him? His son was banned from leaving Saudia Arabia so he knew Saudia Arabia was. Not happy with him. Why did he need these documents to get married? Was there no way around it?

I think we may be heading to a cold war. Of ideologies between those countries where such behavior is abhorrent and those countries, China, Saudia Arabia, North Korea etc where it's the way things are done. We need to fight it because I fear we are at risk of the bad side spreading.

I don't think I can go to Saudia Arabia anyway but I wouldn't put myself in that cou tries power for anything. See how they trewt their African maids, migrant workers, non Muslims and women. Place is a human right shit hole but we ignore it for oil and also. Because it's home to mecca. They were played a powerful hand.

[Mezla PigDog]

Cause, on 28 October 2018 - 10:54 AM, said:

Place is a human right shit hole but we ignore it for oil and also. Because it's home to mecca. They were played a powerful hand.

It's not just the oil. For the UK at least. They are a significant contributor to our economy via arms deals and keeping BAE Systems in business. Those starving children in Yemen can feel a little better that their plight contributed so much to the UK public purse.

I met a Saudi sheikh once and his wife Christina Estrada. One of the weirdest days of my life - they were looking to invest in the business I worked for. He was an absolute arsehole. I may as well have been invisible in a boardroom containing 6 people and he spoke to his wife like shit. It was intriguing to meet someone with such an air of entitlement about them.