Saudi Arabia Is Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place...Oh Well!

Saudi Arabia's security and territorial integrity are inviolable, Prince Faisal declares at BRICS Summit

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s security, territorial integrity, and resources are inviolable. Addressing the 18th BRICS Summit meetings at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Sunday, the foreign minister emphasized that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will not accept targeting of their territories or vital facilities, under any pretext or justification.

Prince Faisal said that the ongoing escalation in the region is contributing to an expansion of the scope of confrontation and increasing the risks threatening regional and international security and stability. He emphasized that priority must be given to de-escalation and to paving the way for political and diplomatic efforts.

They have a large active-duty armed forces, modern weaponry, and the backing of the world. Yet they can't manage to tamp down the Houthis?

Why is that?

First...The Saudi armed forces are long on weaponry and short on fighting spirit. Second...Saudi Arabia loves to talk and negotiate and play the typical Arab long game. But the Houthis don't do any of that. Third...The Houthis are supported by Iran, and Saudi Arabia is ambivalent about Iran. Yes, they are afraid of Iran's nuclear and regional ambitions, but direct confrontation is not in their DNA. Fourth...The Houthis are tough fighters who are good at guerilla warfare and are holed up in the mountains. Beating them requires well-trained troops and the political will to complete the job...neither of which is in evidence in KSA.

And now there have been attacks from Iraq (probably on Houthi authority) on the alternative pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz and send oil to the Red Sea. KSA has shut down those pipelines temporarily, but the attack sends a message that Saudi Arabia is no longer fighting on one front.

Years of accommodation to the various Islamist factions, both inside and outside of Saudi Arabia has created a massive network of quasi-government actors that have no fear of KSA, and are willing to act in their own best interests, knowing that Saudi vacillation, negotiation, and ultimately settlement will protect them.

And it couldn't have happened to a worse country. Remember, Saudi Arabia was the source of 15 of the 19 9/11 terrorists, and there is ample evidence of internal involvement.

So...man up Saudi Arabia! It's your problem, and it is my most fervent hope that President Trump tells them to deal with it, because we won't!

posted by CBD at 12:05 PM

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