Saudi Arabia

[Castiel]

Iranian oil is priced in dollars as well, don't see them as the Americans best friend do you?

Not through any choice of the Americans though. In fact Iran is intent on moving away from the Dollar, and let's not forget that Iran under the Shah was US friendly, so it is not the US that made the choice to be anti-Iran, but Iran became anti-US.

The use of the Dollar for oil purchase was a deal done between Saudi and the US, which in turn was with Saudi, Kuwaiti and Iraqi support taken on throughout OPEC which includes Iran and Venezula who are both making noises about selling oil in Euros instead, and funnily enough the rhetoric coming from the US increased against these two countries in particular.

 

[Danthus]

Seriously though, ultimately it is about oil supply.

A strong stable Saudi Arabia that is on good terms with Western Democracies means a nice stable and controllable oil supply.

Energy security is why the US and to some extent the EU do not comment on the more, shall we say, questionable aspects of Sharia Law and Saudi culture.

Like the fact that the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi nationals or the fact the the Bush family has strong links the bin Laden family?

 

[daz]

Fahrenheit OcUK

 

[Danthus]

Does anyone actually know anything about American foreign policy? I mean in-depth and able to explain it in a way that answers the OP's question rather than just say, "OIL INNIT LULZ"?

I'm quite interested in this topic but know little about it (as do most previous posters, incidentally), so this would be welcomed

Iraq has massive oil reserves, the west invaded on the premise of WMD only to find non and then call it regime change, look into he amount of oil exploration deals signed in Iran by the big western oil companies.

Afghanistan, there is a big pipeline that runs through it meaning gas supplies (it could be oil i can't remember of the top of my head) do not need to be routed through Russia.

Not to mention the vast amount of minerals that have just been discovered there.

 

[Danthus]

Fahrenheit OcUK

You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to subscribe to the energy security viewpoint.

 

[Chives]

Was born there and lived there for 10 years (parents were ex-pats working out there.) Loved it!

Whats so great about it?

Fahrenheit OcUK

Iraq has massive oil reserves, the west invaded on the premise of WMD only to find non and then call it regime change, look into he amount of oil exploration deals signed in Iran by the big western oil companies.

Afghanistan, there is a big pipeline that runs through it meaning gas supplies (it could be oil i can't remember of the top of my head) do not need to be routed through Russia.

Not to mention the vast amount of minerals that have just been discovered there.

I don't suppose this is coincidental, I mean aren't most countries in this area full of oil and minerals ?

 

[Castiel]

Does anyone actually know anything about American foreign policy? I mean in-depth and able to explain it in a way that answers the OP's question rather than just say, "OIL INNIT LULZ"?

I'm quite interested in this topic but know little about it (as do most previous posters,
incidentally), so this would be welcomed

It is a deeply complex topic, which began as far back as 1931, but really only got going after WW2 and US involvement and investment in developing the Saudi Oil reserves.

So although there are many political and strategic reasons beyond oil, the main economic reason the US and Saudi are allies is indeed the need for stability in the region and it is mutually beneficial for them both.

Let's also not forget that US arms sales earn them significant revenue, if Saudi didn't buy from them, they would buy from us, so it's in the US interest to deal with such a cash rich state.

I needn't mention Israel of course and the influence Saudi has on it's Arab neighbours and so on.

I'm sure as the debate go on more will be explained, I don't really have time to go into any depth at the moment.

Let's not forget we also have strong ties to Saudi.

 

[chrisgt]

Whats so great about it?

Was just a lot of fun as a kid; camping in the desert, weekends at the beach (5mins from Red Sea - lived in Jeddah), living in a compound full of Americans/Brits etc, just lots of things to do, very different from the UK.

 

[Danthus]

And when you have hardly no friends in the middle east it is always advisable to keep the ones you do have on onside when you want to keep your airfields there.

 

[Castiel]

Was just a lot of fun as a kid; camping in the desert, weekends at the beach (5mins from Red Sea - lived in Jeddah), living in a compound full of Americans/Brits etc, just lots of things to do, very different from the UK.

Saudi is a lot of fun. People can't see past the politics however, neither do they realise that there are western enclaves.

 

[chrisgt]

I admit I think the appeal would diminish as I got older. Definitely a lack of things to do for adolescents (no cinemas, bars, pubs, clubs etc.) However, saying that my parents enjoyed their time out there and sometimes even say they wish they were back out there! I think the 90's were the 'glory years'. Apparently a lot of the ex-pat compounds have fallen into disrepair and many have left.

 

[Castiel]

I admit I think the appeal would diminish as I got older. Definitely a lack of things to do for adolescents (no cinemas, bars, pubs, clubs etc.) However, saying that my parents enjoyed their time out there and sometimes even say they wish they were back out there! I think the 90's were the 'glory years'. Apparently a lot of the ex-pat compounds have fallen into disrepair and many have left.

I was there in the 90s as part of a training program for the Saudi army. They were a good bunch of lads and tbh no different from anyone else.

 

[Chives]

I was there in the 90s as part of a training program for the Saudi army. They were a good bunch of lads and tbh no different from anyone else.

ooo, do tell us more .
Also: 2,000th post!.

 

[Castiel]

ooo, do tell us more .
Also: 2,000th post!.

Not much to tell...except they smoked too much and could get illicit booze.


Congratulations on your 2000th post.

 

[chrisgt]

Not much to tell...except they smoked too much and could get illicit booze.


Congratulations on your 2000th post.

'Sid'...made in a neighbours bath tub! Remember the stuff smelled putrid, must have been 40%+ easily!

 

[Castiel]

'Sid'...made in a neighbours bath tub! Remember the stuff smelled putrid, must have been 40%+ easily!

Apparently drink too much and you go blind.....permanently.

 

[mmj_uk]

Just doing some reading about this country, the fact that women can't drive and the people are subject to persecution by religious police, and yet the U.S (Supposedly, the worlds leading democracy) is sending Many billions worth of weapons to this absolute dictatorship. Hypocrisy?

He who controls the spice, controls the universe.

The USA can't survive without Saudi oil and Obama supposedly bowed to the Saudi king when he visited recently, all hail the Saudi's.

 

[Amp34]

Of course, how did I miss that, the USA selling billions of dollars worth of previous generation fighter planes (F16) is all about oil.

And funnily (for the OP), we are also selling them a hundred or so eurofighters...

SA is one of our biggest buyers of arms.

 

[Vita]

OP needs to research more.

Saudi have a lot of money, world needs oil, oil comes from Saudi. Europe/USA can't survive without them.

 

[Ivan Drago]

You think you know anything about Saudi Arabia because you lived in fortified Western compounds? LOL



Stop funding SA. That is the funding base of Al-Qaida. How ridiculous that we actually spend trillions on oil to some (until recently) nomadic tribesmen so we can use the combustion engines that the West created. What have the Saudis created apart from militant Wahabism?