WaPo Columnist Jamal Khashoggi killed by Saudis in Turkey; Senators Mull Magnitsky Sanctions

[ZoeGod]

Palace intrigue is not new.

In the Middle East it’s all about who has the support of the military. And then the U.S. The Saudis own both trump and Kushner - as long as they’re in power I believe MBS position is secure.

To make matters even more hilarious - it’s not even like the military is controllled by native Saudis. If it were at least then we could consider the possibility that internal ethnic/political divisions that inflame the people may spill over into military ranks. They rely almost exclusively on American/British advisors to train/manage their defense.

And with oil money flowing my guess is that all of the important generals will have carte blanche to buy whatever toys and fund whatever (mis) adventures, they please.

I think people underestimate the extent to which dictators and autocrats worldwide have flourished and gained power (via ballots, guns and more importantly political disaffection) and even acceptance.

I would agree with you in normal circumstances however Bin Salman has broken plenty of norms regarding with his son. His son is also the most reckless leader in Saudi history. He made his son crown prince when it was supposed to be his nephew Bin Nayaf who had more experience and is older than MBS. Many royal family members were upset and held animosity towards him for that. Secondly the Ritz Carlton jux. MBS basically exhorted 100 billion dollars from Saudi princes and buisness elites with a gun to their heads. Result of that animosity.

Now you make an important point that as long the oil and money flows things willl be ok. Well if that was the case there would have been no calls for reforming the Saudi economy. MBS knew rightfully that reforms were needed or Saudi society would in the long run collapse. And the reason is that one there is more oil competitors along with the rise of alternate energy has made their economy no secure. They have increased their cash reserves and did some form of austerity but in the long run the war in Yemen along with them propping up Yemen and recently Bahrain and their increased defense spending will lead to a fiscal crisis in the long run. Hence why MBS wanted that Aramco IPO to go through because he though he would get $2 trillion slush fund that able him to impact his economic reforms. With his pops the King putting it on hold it fukks up the whole plan. And the whole Ritz Carlton affair and now the Khashoggi murder will scare away more foreign investment which will hurt the Saudi economy and plans for reform in the long run. Not to mention domestic investment is leaving the country as the Saudi elites are parking their cash away Incase of the next jux.
What this is a perfect storm of culminating problems that will bring down MBS and the House of Saud.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[re'up]

I saw that DT Jr tweet on the news ticker at CNN in LA, in traffic, and was just instantly washed over with disgust and the "of course he did", lack of surprise.

The fact someone was dismembered and kidnapped, and the President is deflecting and spinning is just near unheard of.

I am not well versed in KSA, (isn't the new Prince supposed to be this progressive mastermind?) but I don't think this will lead to any action, not in this administration.

 

[Arithmetic]

Jamie Dimon bailed on the Saudi Davos Conference. Levels. Now let's see if he pulls out of these.

Saudi Arabia, four other Gulf states to enter key JP Morgan bond indexes | Reuters

Saudi Aramco taps JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley for IPO; HSBC a contender

 

[Baka's Weird Case]

I saw that DT Jr tweet on the news ticker at CNN in LA, in traffic, and was just instantly washed over with disgust and the "of course he did", lack of surprise.

The fact someone was dismembered and kidnapped, and the President is deflecting and spinning is just near unheard of.

I am not well versed in KSA, (isn't the new Prince supposed to be this progressive mastermind?) but I don't think this will lead to any action, not in this administration.

all hes done thats progressive is related to some expansion of womens rights. hes extremely brutal when it comes to human rights and hes very reckless with foreign policy

 

[Dr. Acula]

Nice feel good vibe they've got going there...

shyt looks like a page out of high times.

 

[Arithmetic]

So is Mnuchin still going?

 

[thatrapsfan]

 

[King Static X]

I hope the Saudi's get hit will the hardest sanctions in the world. F*ck them!

 

[thatrapsfan]

Hahahahahaha....come back to this thread in a year. House of Saud will still be firmly in power.

Trump doesn’t give a fukk. Even if we had a Dem President they wouldn’t give a fuk. The Saudis are baked into the cake when it comes to US foreign policy in the ME.

People are surprised that murderous dynastic monarchies kill domestic opponents (actual or perceived)?

The only thing that can lead to downfall of the family is domestic instability. And with oil at 100/barrel, the money is flowing rather nicely.

Remember that for the saudis the more instability in the Middle East the better. Instability = higher oil prices. This is actually a blessing for them.

Simplification of the modern oil market, much has changed over the past 5 years or so: US 'likely' has taken over as the world's top oil producer

Fracking has made the U.S. less dependent on imported oil than ever before, and only a relatively small share of Saudi oil gets exported to the United States. They play a significant role as a major producer with the most reserve capacity, but its oil price calculation isnt as simple as before. As fracking is capital intensive, they do better with higher prices. The more prices rise, the more lucrative fracking becomes, and the more market share they can claw away from Saudi and other traditional producers. Should oil prices rise above the $100 mark the balance the Saudis have been trying to achieve between maintaing market share and revenue will likely tip as new producers enter the market. All this to say, its not accurate to argue exceptionally high oil prices are good for them.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

:ALERTRED:

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

This is a trip.

 

[Arithmetic]

 

[NaijaProdigy Redux]

Trump is going to look like a fool when they admit he died in their custody

“Rogue killers” really you dumb fukk?