Saudis May Ask U.S. to Leave

[Chris 62]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Anyways, good riddence. They aren't our friends. They fund our enemies. They have an evil and retrograde civilization, they are a corrupt and brutal dictatorship. I won't shed any tears when they go up against the wall. However, what's likely to replace them may make the Taliban seem tame.

I agree with this 100% Che.

It's their country, they want us gone, we should go.

All of you that are US citizens are forgetting, this isn't our way, to force ourselves on others, it's not what we are meant to be.

Our "payback" for this betrayal will be when the Saudi royals come to the USA seeking exile after fundimentalist fanatics overthrow their corrupt asses, we refuse their entry.

Let the arab world police itself, it's not our job to be the world's policeman, even though it seems that way lately.

In other words, f*ck em.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Kyle
In the unlikely event that they do ask us to leave, the military better bulldoze every building we put up there, including that multimillion dollar command center.

We just gave specifications, so that they would be compatable with our equipment. The Saudis paid for the construction, a lot to US constuction companies. One of my war gaming buddies took two construction jobs there; best money he ever made. Hell, they even bought sand from Australia; theirs does not make good concrete, the grains are too smooth.

[DanS]

Yeh, if they don't want us there, we're gone, and ASAP. That's the way these things work.

[SlowwHand]

Either way.
If Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, etc. don't want us there, then don't be there at all, or be there anyway.
No more half stepping though.

[- Groucho -]

Originally posted by Eli
You seem to be forgetting who your true allies are.

Allies that have to sit on their hands when there is a conflict because everyone else in the region hates them aren't the most useful allies. Sure you guys would be great to have on side if it ever came down to us or them, scorch the earth time. But otherwise, being Israel's friend is a liability. A friend I don't think the US should abandon, but a liability nonetheless.

The US should see this as a good reason to start doing some image mending in the area. Reach out to some moderate opposition political leaders and NGOs and start making themselves look more like a friend of Saudi Arabia rather than friends of the House of Saud. Start agitating for more democratic reforms etc. It'll piss off the rulers, but they are so scared of the radicals it seems like it's time to pass them by and start trying to appeal to the ordinary Saudis rational side (i.e. Get some friendly pundits to start asking on Al Jazeera "Would you rather live in Turkey or pre 9/11 Afghanistan? Because the House of Saud is weak and those are rapidly becoming your choices."). Don't know if it would work, but the status quo and war aren't the greatest options either.

[Shi Huangdi]

The King of Saudi Arbaia is the recognized soverign ruler of Saudi Arabia, and it owuld be perfectly within our rights to tell them to leave. Of course, we can always make it known that should our forces be expelled, we will activley fund and aid liberal opposition groups-- and do an investigation to see if they help anti-US terrorists and if so we can Afghanistan them. We can also tell them that should our forces leave they will receive no more military hardware or support for what they have brought from us, and that Israel will get even more aid.

I think his majesty can be persuaded that he is better off with our troops then without them.

[SlowwHand]

I'm just tired of people that want it all, free of charge, just how they want it.

[Gatekeeper]

Everyone:

If Saudi Arabia wishes to disassociate itself with the U.S. military, then so be it. It will do nothing for their homegrown terrorism problems.

What are the odds we would see a fundamentalist regime come to power in Saudi Arabia? I hear that the fundies are even beginnning to retake the halls of power in Kuwait. Perhaps both nations need to spend a decade or two under an Iran-like regime to wholly understand why many of Iran's young people today are clamoring for something different?

Or perhaps both nations need to get their asses kicked in — permanently — by a revenge-crazed Iraq? That likely won't happen, I'd think. Even if America is told to butt out, we'd step in again should Iraq make any moves. Perhaps that's what the Saudis are truly counting on? Best of both worlds for them, eh? They'd be able to say that Islamic and Arabic concerns come first for them — demonstratd by booting America out — while also (correctly) knowing that America still wouldn't let Iraq take any action against the Saudis or Kuwait, no matter how ill-positioned our frontline reaction forces might be.

Oooh. This could be a juicy situation should U.S. troops actually leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

CYBERAmazon

[rah]

It's kinda funny. Earlier this week I read that the US was questioning whether to reduce our pressence there after the current actions are over. In both the House and Senate. So is this latest article a response to the one earlier this week or visa versa. Maybe it's just a game of saving face. You're not leaving, we're kicking you out. No you're not kicking us out, we're leaving.

The article I did read. (sorry no link) did mention that quite a few of the improvments at that command center were paid by the US.


RAH
Just another twist in the story.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by CYBERAmazon
What are the odds we would see a fundamentalist regime come to power in Saudi Arabia?

100%

There is already a fundimentalist regime in Saudi Arabia. It is called the House of Saud, the ruling family. They are followers of the extremeist Islamist sect known as Wahabism. Wahabism is the same sect of Islam to which the Taleban belong.

[DanS]

rah: yeh, that's an interesting point, but this looks to me like a trial balloon that got a little too much coverage--it's a political class to political class proposal. The original Washington Post article is a lot more detailed.

Overall, I would be happy to see it, if we can substitute other military arrangements/technologies. Even though we're friends--which won't change--we don't see eye to eye on a lot of topics, such as the implementation and promotion of Sharia (the root of all this BS).

It's funny that our and Iran's natural interests are becoming aligned over time. Downright ironic, I'd say.

[rah]

Yes, thanks for the link. I still get the feeling even after reading it that it's going to be a face saving contest. The Saudi's would love to get the extra respect in the ME by being able to say they kicked us out. (and possibly some security from future terrorist acts aimed at us or their policy). But if it comes to that, I guarentee that all the previous proposals to pull them out (that were ignored at the time) will be trotted out again to make it sound like it was the smart thing for us pull our troops out.

But it does look like everyone recognizes that if it happens today, it will look like OBL won. And I don't think either side wants that to be the perception.

RAH

[Lefty Scaevola]

I think rahter trail balloning, they are desensitizing. Both parties will float premonitions of it for a while, so that it is less newsworther when it does happen down the line.

[rah]

Yeah you could be right, but the Saudi's will get mucho "Polictical Value" in the area, when they do it, that it would be naive to think they wouldn't try to leverage it to the best advantage.
There's not really any political upside for the US, so I think the stratagy will be to minimize the downside.

Rich

[DanS]

"I think rahter trail balloning, they are desensitizing."

Lefty: You might be right. For my own account when reading the paper, I find it hard to distinguish between those tasks in this this context. But I can't help but think that the Saudi "officials" ( ) wanted it below the front page fold like Iran's message a couple of months ago wrt Afghanistan rather than above it and to have it on the wires does nobody any good.

Rah: Another interesting thing to consider is that this might be Saudi Arabia throwing in the towel on American public opinion (where this stuff actually matters) rather than this bogus "Arab street" stuff. Saudi Arabia spent a ton of money post-9/11 on advertising in places like The Post and sent Saudi quasi-ambassadors to any TV talk show that would invite them. But in spite of this, I think that the response from the American public (and by extension her politicians) has been downright frosty and blunt, keeping in mind that the majority of the 9/11 terrorists were from the kingdom. You could almost go down the article line by line, swapping "American" for "Saudi Arabian" and it would be no less true an article.