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Saudi Arabia's Two-Fronted "War"
Saudi Arabia is the middle of two 'wars" - religious (from The Kingdom's perspective, Iran is a large Persian country sitting at the easternmost edge of the Middle East, from where it projects power across the Arab world by manipulating and exploiting the region's Shiite communities and other minorities)
From Saudi Arabia's perspective, Iran is a large Persian country sitting at the easternmost edge of the Middle East, from where it projects power across the Arab world by manipulating and exploiting the region's Shiite communities and other minorities. The Saudis are mostly members of the Salafist movement (a subset of the Sunni branch that is highly sectarian), which only increases their suspicions about Tehran's overall intent. Quite simply, the Saudis see the Shia as deviants trying to undermine Islam.
Saudi Arabia hoped that the civil war in Syria would strike a critical blow against Iranian influence in the region. Instead, the conflict has created more problems for Riyadh. Similarly, the expectation that the emergence of the Islamic State would undermine Iranian influence in Iraq and the Levant has proven false. Instead, the group has threatened the Saudis, who have already been had to deal with al Qaeda's influence on the domestic and regional front.
With the Saudis focused on battling the Shia, the Muslim Brotherhood and now the Islamic State, an important development has taken place in Yemen, to Saudi Arabia's immediate south. The Iranian-backed al-Houthi movement is no longer a regional rebel subset of the Zaidi sect; it has become a mainstream national player, seizing the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa in mid-September and continuing to expand.
The Saudis were caught off-guard by the al-Houthi surge in Yemen, a country that has been beholden to Riyadh for decades. The phenomenal rise of the al-Houthis was possible because the Saudis lost influence with the Yemeni tribes and because the old ruling elite in Sanaa had been badly fragmented by the fall of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Saudis feel that while they were negotiating with the Iranians on regional security, Tehran double-crossed them by quietly supporting the al-Houthis, enabling them to impose their will on Sanaa and beyond.
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And geopolitical (it appears to reveal that the kingdom is willing to tolerate Brent prices between USD80-USD90/bbl for a period of 1-2 years in order to achieve two aims: to slow increases in US tight oil production and to pressure other OPEC members to contribute to supply discipline.)
Of course, it's not just religious 'wars', there is now the global oil 'wars' underway - as Stratfor discusses in crucial detail:
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As Deutsche Bank notes, Hints of a Saudi strategic shift can be seen in the numbers
The emerging shift in Saudi strategy means that it may be stepping away from its predominant role as the sole provider of swing capacity in the market. This role encompasses both curtailments in times of oversupply as well as increases in response to unplanned supply disruptions. While both activities entail costs either in the form of reduced revenue or idle capacity, the indicated shift should be understood as a rejection of the former rather than the latter, since only Saudi Arabia holds any significant spare capacity. As of last month, Saudi spare capacity is estimated at 2.7 mmb/d against an estimated 0.8 mmb/d for all other OPEC members combined.
According to Reuters, this purported shift in strategy has been communicated by Saudi officials in meetings in New York last week. It appears to reveal that the kingdom is willing to tolerate Brent prices between USD80-USD90/bbl for a period of 1-2 years in order to achieve two aims:
- to slow increases in US tight oil production and
- to pressure other OPEC members to contribute to supply discipline.
If true, this would mark a significant divergence from the acceptable range of prices previously stated by oil minister al-Naimi as being “$100, $110, $95.” The possibility of such a change is made more plausible by analysis carried out by Deutsche Bank Emerging Markets Research which showed that Saudi Arabia is equipped with sufficient government assets to weather the budget deficits which would result from Brent at USD83/bbl for a period of 7-8 years, assuming no changes to nominal spending, Figure 12.
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While North American production cannot be entirely suppressed by Saudi Arabia, it appears its goals are to slow it dramatically as Reuters confirms their comment that The Kingdom "will accept oil prices below $90 per barrel, and perhaps down to $80, for as long as a year or two".
As DB continues, while Saudi efforts to preserve market share may be viewed as pure conjecture, recent data does suggest efforts are underway to preserve market share.
As a consequence, total OPEC production relative to its 30 mmb/d quota has risen from virtual compliance with the quota from January to May, to one where as of last month the cartel is producing between 700-900 kb/d above its agreed production allocation.
...and we can observe that the differential of Saudi Arabia’s Arab Light blend versus the Oman/Dubai average for Asian deliveries has fallen sharply from a premium of USD1.65/bbl for September loadings to a discount of USD1.05/bbl for November loadings. This suggests that Saudi Aramco is determined to maintain current levels of exports at the expense of sales prices achieved. This represents the sharpest discount since the -USD1.25/bbl level observed in December 2008, during a quarter in which global oil demand contracted by 3.0 mmb/d, in contrast to the current quarter when we still expect oil demand to grow by 0.8 mmb/d.
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The question is - how long can the US Shale Oil industry remain afloat if the current depressed prices are not transitory but long-term...
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So where exactly does radical "Wahabi Rag head" meet rabid Zionist Yid "grassy knoll" and Multi-colored "chicken shit"?!!!...
Talk about the Three Stooges coming to life! It doesn't get any better!!!
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/10/netanyahus-respond-chickenshit
and comments say this:
@anniefofani I just listened to the original Hebrew speech here http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4585671,00.html … he says MIDSHA'OT which means lawns not grassy knolls
10:03 PM - 31 Oct 2014There is no doubt that Netanyahu meant "lawn". As in the silly-ass photo-op ceremonies that are held on the White House lawn.
Not that we don't know the facts of that day "mutually"!... But this is an excellent watch nevertheless.
Just spreadin more of the love to the slime we support with our taxpayer dollars since 1949 that try to kill us every chance they get throughout their short "and only getting much shorter" life!
It bears repeating... Either we take care of the tick embedded on our... Or we let Russia and China do it for us!...
Anybody here care to take a bet who will start it and who will finish it for the US???
once you understand that the house of saud are jewish it makes a lot more sense.
look even jewish cartoons are pointing 911 planes at usa buildings
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/10/30/Controversial-cartoon-...
So many Zionists... So little time!
Tony, Israel claims to be victim to all of the Muslim world who is picking on them and threatening their peaceful way of life. Terrorists across the world threaten Israel all the time. Hmmm, I wonder. Saudi is the central state in most terror networks, yet Saudi is Israeli's most staunch supporter in real terms. While claiming to support Arab interests, Saudi in fact workes behind the scenes to aid and further Israel at every turn. This proves a connection between Israel-Saudi-Terror Networks.
One wonders, that while car bombs and terror attacks spread like wild fire across the Muslim world, and grows worse everyday. With terror armies marching from state to state, muslim bodies pile up like cord wood. YET, Israel, the supposed target of all muslim terror, they stand alone as never being attacked ever by anyone. Hmmm. From Gaza's concentration camp a stray 1944 style rocket may come, but this is not terror, this is Israel's own population fighting to get their own land back. So, not terror.
Russia has had more Muslim terror attacks in the last decade, than Israel has or ever will suffer. Hmmm. The most likley place for terrorists to attack is inside a Muslim country, against other Muslims. Seems Israel knows what it is doing, as they never come under threat, while all other do, and their best allied friend is Saudi Arabia, the home base of global Muslim terror.
Frankly, it stink to high hell of Israeli direction of many so called terror networks. Not enemies of Israel, but tools of Israel.
The US Shale industry's interests are and always will be subordinate to the GRC status of the USD.
And the Saudis are in the eagle's perch to ensure its status or demise. (The Neo/Zio-cons know this too.) Saudis are in a stealth-Imperialism mode against their chief regional rivals: Iraq and Iran. They are rivals on political, religious and economic/oil fronts.
If the US loses its shale production, it loses its "energy independence", and DC will be even more of a whore-of-Riyadh -- as they have been for decades (recall their "special" relationship to the Bush cartel/family). Assuming that there are ANY brains and "balls" left in DC, the Saudis need to be brought to heel, or taken out entirely. By the US, of course. And then we can pump all the oil we want.
Otherwise someone else can and (eventually) will take out the Saudis by taking them apart: Sectarian strife, escalating to civil war. Assuming some biological contagion (other than Ebola) does not decimate their ranks first. BTW, several such Players have the perfect Motive, Means and Opportunity to do so: US, Israel, Russia, China and probably Iran. You live by slime or sword, you bleed out by slime or sword. What goes around...
p.s. How ARE the "Saudi Hijackers" of 9/11 doing these days? And how are Bin Ladens doing? They ever got over the real or fake "Burial at Sea"?
A couple well-placed MIRVs would certainly demonstrate to the House of Saud that their cute black cube only exists because we ALLOW it to.
Bollocks. Saudi have fuck all spare capacity unless the rest of the world is in a depression. They peaked just over 10 mbpd and can't hold that.
Saudis oil fields are really old. I think their output is going to start to collapse sooner than we all think. They want Iraq and Syria for nat gas and Iraq's oil. If the Saudis do not get it then they are dead meat.
Iran is playing the long game. The Z-House of Saud pumped all their oil while Iran still has tons of reserves and so does Iraq. Taking out Iraq and Libya was part of the game because the Saudis oil fields are in terminal and rapid decline.
Do the Saudis know how quickly the NWO can turn on them? Do they really think they're part of the club?
If anyone thinks that Saudi Arabia has any foreign or economic policy independent of Washington, they have been reading too many propaganda and disinfo sources like the NY Times and Stratfor.
The Saudi Royal family would not survive a day without US support and so Saudi Arabia is just a puppet of US foreign policy. In 1986, Saudi Arabia increased oil production by 400%, collapsing oil prices, and causing the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Now, again, the Saudis are just a front for US interests. Oil prices are being restrained to put pressure on Russia. All the wars that the Saudis support are for American/Israeli interests in the region. As usual, Saudi Arabia, like a loyal dog, is serving its masters.
Yes. A better title for the piece might have been "Saudi Arabia's two-faced masters"
I thought Saudi was increasing output to help the US eeconomy and undermine Russia's economy because the US were helping saudis with ISIS....
This is all way to difficult.
Can't we just put a border around our "civilisted" western country and get on with our own lives.
Workers in HAZMAT suits at Cleveland address as NE Ohio residents removed from Ebola monitoring
just to remember to any army powerful enough to throw a massive nuke attack, the best location/target to set is kuweit,.
remember, half distence of evey problem of the fucking world, from israel to iran.
ok ? many mega tons, giga tons if possible, and KUWAIT - KUUUUWAITTTT
if we get satelite bounced of solar system, we dont give a fuck, as long we do not have anylonger any arab, any jews, any oil liter from this part of the world, the only thing that can grow from this is PROGRESS. :)
Stratfor (George Friedman), the pro-Jewish inside connection to the financiers and military complex wars in the Middle East who advised Obama that the way to win the presidency was preemptive bombing of Iran, has arrived at Zero Hedge on the weekend, just in time for the election.
His analysis, as usual, heavily leans on characterizing the enemies of Israel, providing an incredibly biased picture every time of the Middle East.
But the real story today in the Middle East is being played out in the United States not Saudi Arabia and it’s not anti-Semitic to say that America’s war-making power is in the hands of Jewish financiers at the Federal Reserve and their policy makers in the U.S. governmesnt.
And those policy makers have just cut off Gaza indefinitely as Israel closes Gaza’s border crossings indefinitely.
Global Research reports today, from RT News:
Israel has said it’s shutting the only two operating Gaza border crossings indefinitely. This comes a day after a projectile hit Israel from the strip, but caused no damage. Border closures threaten to isolate already devastated Gaza completely.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/%E2%80%8Bgaza-cut-off-israel-closes-border-crossings-indefinitely/5411378
How did this total takeover of American policy to favor Israel occur? Here is how it was explained io Israeli readers in 1994. Since then, the takeover has intensified (including, per Obama, almost daily contact with the White House from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu).
The Jews Who Run Clinton's Court
Source: WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS,
November/December, 1994
Published monthly since 1982 by the American Educational Trust (AET),
a non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC by retired
U.S. foreign service officers to provide the American public with
balanced and accurate information concerning U.S. relations with
Middle Eastern states.
This article appeared in the Tel Aviv Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv on Sept. 2, 1994, by Avinoam Bar-Yosef
Translation by Dr. Israel Shahak
Several weeks ago the rabbi of the "Adath Yisrael" synagogue in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC, dedicated his Sabbath sermon to the Jewish cultural and political center now being formed in America. "For the first time in American history," the rabbi said, "we no longer feel that we live in the diaspora. The U.S. has no longer a government of Goyim [Gentiles], but an administration in which the Jews are full partners in the decision making at all levels. Perhaps the aspects of the Jewish religious law connected with the term 'government of goyim' should be re-examined, since it is an outdated term in the U.S."
Indeed, as far as the Jews are concerned, President Bill Clinton has contributed toward a real change in administration outlook, having concluded a series of changes which enhance Jewish power, a process that began under President Reagan and his secretary of state, George Shultz.
True, the Jewish political influence was also evident in America in previous decades. We have already seen a Jewish secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, enjoying the full confidence of President Richard Nixon. There were Jewish Cabinet members also under Carter. However, they were exceptions proving the rule. Especially, pious Jews were seldom appointed to participate in political work concerning the Middle East.
The picture now has totally changed, and not only about the Middle East. For example, every morning at about 6 o'clock, several staff cars travel from the CIA center to the White House with senior officers of the American intelligence community, who are about to present to the president and to the four top staffers a PDB -Presedent's Daily Briefing- the term for the most exclusive report in Washington. The document, consisting of 5-7 pages, is often accompanied by top secret satellite photographs transferred by the Pentagon. It is composed in the course of the night by the best American intelligence experts, who analyze the telegrams and reports arriving from the CIA's worldwide network of agents. It contains the most sensitive information regarding developments around the world. Its uniqueness, compared to all other American intelligence documents, lies in the fact that it almost always indicates the source of the information, whether it is a document stolen by a spy, or an agent or "mole" infiltrating a foreign government, or whether the source is tapped by means of satellite. If Clinton is in Wahington, he holds a short discussion on the contents of the document with the five other addressees: Vice President Al Gore, National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, Deputy National Security Adviser Samuel ("Sandy") Berger, and National Security Adviser to the Vice President Leon Perth. Two of the addressees, Berger and Perth, are warm Jews. They have reached posts that are extremely sensitive for U.S. policy. They are by no means exceptions.
In the National Security Council, 7 out of 11 top staffers are Jews. Clinton has especially placed them in the most sensitive junctions in the U.S. security and foreign policy administrations. Sandy Berger is the deputy chairman of the council; Martin Indyk, the intended ambassador to Israel, is a senior director in charge of the Middle East and South Asia; Dan Schifter, the senior director and adviser to the president, is in charge of Western Europe; Don Steinberg, the senior director and adviser to the president, is in charge of Africa; Richard Feinberg, the senior director and adviser to the president, in charge of Latin America; Stanley Ross, the senior director and adviser to the president, is in charge of Asia.
The situation is not much different in the president's office, which is full of warm Jews: the new White House counsel, Abner Mikva; the president's schedule and programs manager, Ricki Seidman; deputy chief of staff, Phil Leida; economic adviser, Robert Rubin; media director, David Heiser; staff director, Alice Rubin; Ely Segal, in charge of volunteers; Ira Magaziner, in charge of the health program. Two Cabinet members, Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Mickey Kantor, in charge of international trade agreements, are Jewish. They are joined by a long list of senior Jewish officials in the State Department, headed by the chief of the Middle East peace team, Dennis Ross, and followed by many deputy secretaries and even more senior secretaries' chiefs of staff.
One of the most interesting Jews from the Israeli point of view, who has rarely been exposed to view until now, is Rahm Emmanuel, Clinton's senior adviser in charge of coordinating special projects in the White House. His office is located next to the famous Oval Office. Rahm won extra points from his boss last week, when he succeeded in passing a law for combating crime. He has become an expert at communicating with Congress and has already had many successes, the most prominent of which was the ratification of NAFTA. Now he is immersed in the passing of the health bill. Last Thursday his office was in shambles and he strode around it like a typical Sabra, simultaneously conducting a lively conversation with me, studying the protocols of the debate being held at the time by the Senate, and watching the report of Wolf Blitzer (also a Jew) on CNN and being updated by his secretary and three aides on the positions of the senators regarding the votes. . . . . . .
[ deleted ]
The other synagogue competing for the young generation of wealthy Jews is located in Georgetown. It is a fully Orthodox synagogue, but its prayers are conducted in the Israeli style favored by "Gush Emunim." The Israeli flag is proudly displayed above the Sacred Ark alongside the American flag. On each Sabbath the prayers include the benediction for the Israeli Jewish soldiers and the prayer for the welfare of the Israeli government and its officials. Many Jewish administration officials pray there. They not only don't try to conceal their religious affiliation, but go to a great length to demonsrate their Judaism since it may help their careers greatly. The enormous Jewish influence in Washington is not limited to the government. In the Washington media a very significant part of the most important personages and of the presenters of the most popular programs on the TV are warm Jews. A significant portion of senior media correspondents, newspaper editors and analysts are Jewish and many of them are warm Jews too. Many of them are influenced in Israel's favor by attending suitable synagogues. AP's political reporter, Barry Schweid, and The Washington Post's education reporter, Amy Schwartz, regularly participate in a prayer session which is considered to be close to Israel at the Cleveland Park synagogue. Also there the Israeli flag is posted proudly above the Sacred Ark. Let us not forget in this context the Jewish predominance in the Washingtonian academic institutions. At the National Institutes of Health the percentage of Jewish researchers is very much higher than their relative percentage in the population. In the fields of security and science, in the film industry, in art and in literature, the Jewish influence can only be described as immense, with a corresponding enhancement of Jewish power.
http://iahushua.com/JQ/jws_clnt.html
And, what may I ask is the disadvantage to Americans for having "depressed" (lower) oil prices. If I remember correctly, Mr. Friedman, oil was $10 a barrel in 1999.
And, according to EIA data, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States was $1.838 on Jan. 19, 2009--the day before Obama took office.
The next twenty years will see the demise of ME monarchies in their current political form, all tied to the western world, and of Pax Americana's control of the Oil Patch.
That will be the inevitable legacy of this unholy alliance since 1945 between the USA and Petromonarchs around the region's black gold. A time line that is also constrained by the fact that Oil, conventional oil, will now become more and more a rarified commodity and its role in regional development will diminish like that of the old spice route.
Its tortuous trail all through the 20th century has led to this tragic reversal of the region's evolution. As the follow up of Ottoman empire dismemberment, of Sykes Picot fall out and then of western reaction against the rise of nationalist regimes of the region aspiring to modernity, in the aftermath of Ataturk's impetus.
ALL to ensure the hegemonical control of OIL by the Seven Sisters feeding the fount of European reconstruction after Armageddon. And, feeding the coffers of western civilization in its welfare state construct.
Oil has been, all the time, the sole reason for this imperial play by Pax Americana; "it was Barzini all along" as the Don would say. In this case Barzini was the Oil Oligarchy and its greed for the Oil patch.
And now Pax Amercana's allies will start sleeping with the fish... as this war becomes as sterile and convoluted as the Don's inevitable Oligarchical demise. Two faced Saud, like Janus, will have to pay the price of this internecine war between the "five families" of the region.
Not that this is anything new. Its a repeat of what happened 1000 years ago. Then, the goal was Jerusalem, all for "God wills it"; aka ostensibly to ensure salvation of those who had not seen the light of God the Savior. (like today to install democratic and free market regimes from Nam to Lebanon accross the Asian continent).
In fact it was for the conquest of Byzantium's inordinate riches and lands and the control of the silk and spice routes; the black gold of that age.
It was for what shallow man has always aspired to : Greed, riches and vain-glory. And we live in an age of shallow men who run the world. Was it ever otherwise?
Barzini (like Agememnon) is a name that sits well on all the Oligarchs who pull the strings on which dangle their blind, inarticulate puppets, who fight their wars and die for their riches.
Time and time again.
Soon the petrodollar goes kaboom!
Yeah... the Saudis will "tolerate" oil as low as $80 for two years, which means they are ready to accept, but not enjoy prices as low as $60 for one year. The Saudis know exactly that the only thing that separates the House of Saud from it's subjects is the US helping it, while at the same time they know damn well that the CIA can give the "rabble" more than plain impetus to go wilding from Riyadh to all the way up their sexiest camel's ass.
The whole Libya/Egypt/Yemen Wa-ha-B-Q party is toleated only because it is truly regional, and as seen, easily contained in the region... especially from the north and the east.
Yes, Bibi IS "chickenshit"... he sees how the talks have gone on... with out any real attention to his "input".... he's seen Obama's second CIA phone, saw the sexting and the nude photos to and from Iran, and KNOWS something is damn well up. Iran is still FWB with Russia, for now, but they "booty call" from the White House saying "go work the Baghdad neighborhood, no one gonna touoch you".
It's clear that Uncle Sam is gonna "put on the rings" and teach either Israel or the Saudis that ugly lesson of what happens when the "bottom bitch(es)" just isn't towing the line. Iran WAS that "bottom bitch", and remembers how nice it was - foreign investment, defense sales, dollars for oil - nothing's changed, 'cept she stopped doing anal and gangbangs. It's always messy when the stable gets turned upside down, and it's coming.
Nuke their sand castles for working with Rumsfeld and Cheney to take down the World Trade Centers.
This could be the exploding cigar in the face for the saudi's. China can't believe their luck, China is looking to dump their massive wad of US$ before it becomes worthless. China has willingly climbed into the Saudi oil sale, filling up 90 supertankers so far, soon the Saudis could be the proud owners of a big slice of US debt. With crude oil accounting for an estimated 85% of total Saudi revenue that's what you call good business 'NOT'.
Meanwhile, Russia and BRICS are creating a closed shop economy, trading independently of the US$, securing trade deals that were formerly contracted to the EU also Russia is securing big goods for goods contracts with IRAN. Russia and China are negotiating a joint goods/passenger rail link, large capacity steel foundry as well as the gas pipeline to china that will come on stream in 2018, by that time the US/EU should be well fucked.
ChickenShit are the 'loons' who'd vote in an obnoxious tyrant like NuttyNewt. You don't require a degree in Psychology to figure that he's a confrontational twisted zealot who views any slight compromise to peace initiatives as pandering to the REST OF THE WORLD ( minus his enablers in USSA ).
The sooner the USSA has to bring home it's overseas troops to defend it's own borders the 2nd civil war WE shall never see peace in the ME. Just how these bastards like it.
U.S. Oil Rig Count Declines by 13, Baker Hughes Says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-10-31/u-s-oil-rig-count-declines-by-13-baker-hughes-says.html
What suprises me is that the U.S. allows the the Saudies to supress the oil price which could mean that it somehow is in their interest too although this seems in contradiction with U.S. shale oil ambitions.
george "china must die because they don't like jews" freidman! lol!
interesting how the zionists have deflected blame to saudi arabia for the mid east misadventure. opec has long since lost any effect upon the market. the customer determines the price and china is the one that benefits from low price oil. because they are willing to sop up the excess they determine the price.
Stratfor is a joke.
why didn't the u.s govt put the cordoba center "inside" freedom tower?
and then we could has a "benghazi center" in mecca
and when is netenyahoooo going to blow up the dome of the rock???
i mean, the hopi indians have now seen their white buffalo, and white people are paying black slavery reparations under obama, sofa king why isn't netty yahoo blowing up the dome of the rock??? the towers came down on 911, so it must be time for the dome to blow, right?
just saying, netty needs to get on the ball here
obviously
and sharon is officially dead, SOFA KING BLOW THE DOME NETTY !!!
REBUID THE TEMPLE AND WHILE UR AT IT, REVOVATE THE ECCLES BUILDING, IT NEEDS A FACE LIFT !