US to get out of Saudi...

[Larry Gude]

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_4.html

This, to me, is the single greatest thing we can do for our national security.

Now, if only we can find the courage and will to do it.

Let them run their nation.

 

[huntr1]

Then who will we buy our oil from? If we can find alternate sources, I say we say "F**K YOU!!!" to the entire middle east.

 

[Larry Gude]

Follow me here...

...if we leave, then the comfort and security of international markets that we ARE there is gone. There is no more implied or real US backing so Saudi MUST deal with the international marketplace on their own.

If that means they are screwing up orders and commitments because they aren't dealing with terrorists, ie damage and sabotage, then, that is THEIR problem.

The market will devalue their oil because it is unreliable. Other suppliers will only fall so fas as people are willing to risk placing orders that might not get filled by them. Cheap oil is worth nothing if you don't get it to market. Other suppliers may see a rise in the value of their product.

Knowing 50% of the readily available world supply is in the hands of people who allow terror to dictate their livelyhoods will put great value on all other sources including nuke u leer.

Ever notice how France could not care less about goings on in the Middle East? They are something like 70% nuke power.

 

[Steve]

Larry...

If the US pulled completely out of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia would immediately become the target of Arab extremists. They do not have the capability to defend themselves from invasion, which would be the most likely result. Then we'd have a new supplier in the region. Or a country like Iran who would turn the oil spigot off for the Western world. Not good.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Steve
They do not have the capability to defend themselves from invasion, which would be the most likely result.

Yezzzz :mwahaha:

Then we'd have a new supplier in the region.

Not for long :mwahaha:

 

[soul4sale]

Re: Larry...

Originally posted by Steve
If the US pulled completely out of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia would immediately become the target of Arab extremists.

As I understand it, the extremists' reason for waging war on the house of Saud has precisely to do with the fact that the Saudis are so cosey with The Great Satan. Still the whole "Crusaders in the Holy Land" theme. That is not to say that the attacks will end when we pull out. A weakened house of Saud with its hand on the money printer is an easy target and will attract any ideology that facilitates its overthrow.

BTW, I don't agree that a destabilized S.A. will result in lower oil prices. If S.A. becomes an unreliable and its one-third share of the oil market (or something like that) become troubled, then oil prices will skyrocket, due to demand outpacing supply.

(Oh, and France's unconcern for the oil wars has less to do with its power plants and more to do with its rail system. Most U.S. power is generated by W.V. coal and Canadian natural gas. We're just car crazy.)

 

[Hessian]

Thinking long term:

In the long run....
a) Protect the oil fields of Iraq...make them play nice.
b) Protect the oild distribution of Kuwait.

Long term:
The future of oil may rest in Russia and Canada.--that's where we have to plan for in a dozen years or so....then let the towel heads eat their sand fleas and admire their rusted, archaic, empty oil rigs.

 

[Larry Gude]

Oil is a commodity...

...and one of the factors of commodity pricing besides demand is...supply. Reliable supply.

It doesn't matter how large a share Saudi has if they are not delivering the goods in a predictable, stable fashion. They eitehr will fix their problems or they won't.

There will certainly be some shock to the system if we withdraw BUT if it is done in a rational fashion, IE gradually over a years time say, then the markets will adjust and adapt in a reasonable fashion as would we all if the local convenience store was closing up, selling less goods each month until ceasing entirely.

The goal here is for Saudi to be a good international citizen and Saudi has this responsibility because they have, at present, such global power. They must be held responsible if for no other reason than the fact that we all stop using the convenience store if we're getting mugged because they do not police their grounds.

As far as France goes, it's a small, socialistic nation and trains work for socialists. We're big. We have an interstate highway system and we're Americans. We like our own train so to speak.
The point was that there are reasons France is not very helpful in the Middle East. Lower oil dependency is a huge one.

The fact remains that Saudi is the source of the vast majority of international terrorism.

 

[Tonio]

I liked last year's National Geographic article on Saudi. It described how oil revenues have turned the nation into a political powder keg. The money keeps the royal family fat and pampered. Foreigners hold most of the oil jobs there, as others here have pointed out, so millions of young Saudi men are unemployed. And the ones who go to college tend to study Islamic theology rather than something practical like engineering. Those young men have been easy prey for extremists like bin Laden, because they readily believe his bullshait about the US being to blame for their problems. That's why most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.

I agree with Larry--if we pull our people out of Saudi, the Saudis will be forced to operate their oil industry by themselves. Better in the long run for all, since the country's young men will have jobs and our citizens won't be targets for terrorists.

 

[Larry Gude]

That's a huge factor...

...the legions of idle young males throughout the Islamic world, not just Saudi.

They're searching for a purpose.

 

[Hessian]

I know a purpose! I know! Pick me!

Shark bait.