Listen to a reading of this article: ❖ The White House has officially confirmed reports that President Biden will indeed be visiting Saudi Arabia in contradiction of his campaign vows to make the nation a "pariah" for its human rights violations, and everyone's acting like visiting a murderous tyrant is somehow beneath the dignity of a US president.
Oh, my! Tim Kaine says the big issue is "authoritarians?" And Chris Murphy is wringing his hands over "repression" while he pushes social media to censor anything that's counter-narrative?
Conspicuously absent in all those media comments is any mention of Yemen. Khashoggi was bad but what Saudi is doing with our support in Yemen is far, far worse.
It's clear that Biden has zero intention of fulfilling any campaign promises. A five to ten minute look into his performance record clearly shows that Biden was not fit to be President. It was easy to not vote for Biden. But because he keeps saying "Trump is bad", millions of Americans keep falling for him, allowing him and the Democrats to continuously, and falsely, blame Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin for all of their failures.
Only one reason for the visit by Biden to Saudi. Just one.
OIL
Biden will now go out of his way to expand on the relationship with Saudi, their own MBS a murderer by any standard you can measure.
When you are dealing with a customer low on oil in 2022 with very, very small reserves lasting only 11 years, as a big oil supplier you can get away with murder, you can kill hundreds of thousands in Yemen, decapitate hundreds every year and generally give the finger to humane practices. You can also be on speaking terms with unrespected apartheid states like Israel. An Arab country? How's that for progress.
But be quick. Biden wants to tie up his country's future in oil supplies and Saudi has the inside running.
Yes. That will mean allowing them to get away with every criminal activity you can imagine and to ensure that the staggering arms sales from the US to Saudi continue, the biggest purchases of US weaponry ever. What a great deal. The US gets unlimited supplies of oil, and makes a fortune at the same time from ongoing death and destruction.
That's the USA, folks. Their interest in stealing oil from Syria every day, attacks on Iraq (oil producer), through their controllers in Israel allowing nuclear weapons in Israel to point at Iran(oil producer), their aims in South American oil with the biggest reserves in Venezuela (oil producer) and on. There is always a reason, commercial or strategic, or both. They are "exceptional" you see.
The really sad outcome of the US objectives is that naive countries like the naive QUADdies, the AUKUS players and the expanding NATO stooges all think that such groupings will protect their countries from future evils through their alliances with the USA. Check your history books (or if short of time, just Ukraine) and you will find that the US has no real friends.
Nor does it deserve any either.
It is just a user. No one is safe from their Machiavellian thinking.
The best example of this will be coming to a (war) theatre near you, if you are in and anywhere around the Pacific.
That is an apt description, and you could also say, two vultures of a feather (apologies to vultures that perform a valuable function, unlike these two misfits) sullying each other's nests.
Please continue to do what you do. No one describes the most tyrannical regime on the planet as effectively and accurately as you do. Would that more people could come to understand this. Propaganda is so painfully effective.
I love the spectacle of groveling for oil. After the President bends the knee to the crowned prince and places his hand on the glowing orb, I can't wait to see him join the sword dance.
Shouldn't that crowd include everyone? If he is NOT part of the "human rights crowd", does that mean he doesn't believe in human rights? (Both questions are rhetorical.)
This is a great point. Chomsky once noted that there seems to be an obsession with Israeli crimes, which are horrible, but to the exclusion of even worse US crimes.
Neo-feudalism is supported and exported by US government’s true ‘owners’, the undemocratically self-appointed: “masters of the universe” (re, Pepe Escobar). Monarchy = Feudalism. Kings & Queens are still fashionable… speaks volumes for the successful PR (Berneys) narrative forming popular opinions.
SA keeps their oil reserve numbers a state secret, but they've made no secret of their intention to diversify their economy since the new guy took charge. One form that takes is tourism, believe it or not. Consider: how many Muslims are there in the world? Lots, right? And if they're doing better economically (no thanks to NATO, USA or Israel) then more of them will make the Haj, correct? The Haj is an obligation for anyone able to afford it, so that's a no-brainer. Likewise, SA employs a lot of foreigners, and if they diversify their economy then more foreign workers means more remittances to home countries which means more Hajis. Full circle.
Forget western portrayals of Saudi Arabia. There's more going on than than meets the eye.
Since 2016 doubt has been raised by industry analysts whether SA can actually increase production by any significant amount. But assuming they could, why would they? If you had something people want that you also need yourself, how does selling more of it for less money make any sense?
By the same token, how does sanctioning Russian oil hurt Russia if they can sell half as much at twice the price? Even at a discount to current world prices, Russia is earning more than twice as much as before the sanctions. Their 2022 national budget is based on a price of $40/bbl - a price that we'll probably never see again. Truth is, Russia is awash in foreign income, so much so that their main issue is not how to ration it, but where to invest it.
In effect, Russia's military operations are being financed by western oil and gas purchases. As for Saudi Arabia, my guess is they're currently reviewing their position in the global petro-dollar nexus. After all, if Saudi security is based solely on selling their oil in dollars, why would they continue that relationship when they can buy demonstrably superior Russian arms at a lower price than what the US is selling? Who's going to threaten them when their country is ringed by S-400 AA systems, which unlike the Patriot, can actually intercept Iranian missiles?
Finally, for all the butt-hurt Putin haters, how does having Putin living rent free in your head in any way change the outcome? Trust me, his removal would be your worst nightmare as there are far more strident elements within Russia's government, or would you prefer dealing directly with Lavrov, Shoigu or Medvedev?
Senile man begs dictator man to pump more oil in exchange for missiles, while they discuss hot air. News at 11.
Anyone who can count knows that Biden and Obama murdered a LOT more people than Saudi has in the last 100 years.
Oh, my! Tim Kaine says the big issue is "authoritarians?" And Chris Murphy is wringing his hands over "repression" while he pushes social media to censor anything that's counter-narrative?
Great headline. Really grabbed me.
Conspicuously absent in all those media comments is any mention of Yemen. Khashoggi was bad but what Saudi is doing with our support in Yemen is far, far worse.
Can’t talk about that.
It's clear that Biden has zero intention of fulfilling any campaign promises. A five to ten minute look into his performance record clearly shows that Biden was not fit to be President. It was easy to not vote for Biden. But because he keeps saying "Trump is bad", millions of Americans keep falling for him, allowing him and the Democrats to continuously, and falsely, blame Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin for all of their failures.
Only one reason for the visit by Biden to Saudi. Just one.
OIL
Biden will now go out of his way to expand on the relationship with Saudi, their own MBS a murderer by any standard you can measure.
When you are dealing with a customer low on oil in 2022 with very, very small reserves lasting only 11 years, as a big oil supplier you can get away with murder, you can kill hundreds of thousands in Yemen, decapitate hundreds every year and generally give the finger to humane practices. You can also be on speaking terms with unrespected apartheid states like Israel. An Arab country? How's that for progress.
But be quick. Biden wants to tie up his country's future in oil supplies and Saudi has the inside running.
Yes. That will mean allowing them to get away with every criminal activity you can imagine and to ensure that the staggering arms sales from the US to Saudi continue, the biggest purchases of US weaponry ever. What a great deal. The US gets unlimited supplies of oil, and makes a fortune at the same time from ongoing death and destruction.
That's the USA, folks. Their interest in stealing oil from Syria every day, attacks on Iraq (oil producer), through their controllers in Israel allowing nuclear weapons in Israel to point at Iran(oil producer), their aims in South American oil with the biggest reserves in Venezuela (oil producer) and on. There is always a reason, commercial or strategic, or both. They are "exceptional" you see.
The really sad outcome of the US objectives is that naive countries like the naive QUADdies, the AUKUS players and the expanding NATO stooges all think that such groupings will protect their countries from future evils through their alliances with the USA. Check your history books (or if short of time, just Ukraine) and you will find that the US has no real friends.
Nor does it deserve any either.
It is just a user. No one is safe from their Machiavellian thinking.
The best example of this will be coming to a (war) theatre near you, if you are in and anywhere around the Pacific.
That is an apt description, and you could also say, two vultures of a feather (apologies to vultures that perform a valuable function, unlike these two misfits) sullying each other's nests.
Please continue to do what you do. No one describes the most tyrannical regime on the planet as effectively and accurately as you do. Would that more people could come to understand this. Propaganda is so painfully effective.
Thank you for being the only journalist who openly recognizes that the US practices authoritarianism and starvation (austerity) at home: paragraph 13.
I love the spectacle of groveling for oil. After the President bends the knee to the crowned prince and places his hand on the glowing orb, I can't wait to see him join the sword dance.
DORE ’24 has a nice ring to it !!
"The human rights crowd", Gergen calls us.
Shouldn't that crowd include everyone? If he is NOT part of the "human rights crowd", does that mean he doesn't believe in human rights? (Both questions are rhetorical.)
This is a great point. Chomsky once noted that there seems to be an obsession with Israeli crimes, which are horrible, but to the exclusion of even worse US crimes.
Neo-feudalism is supported and exported by US government’s true ‘owners’, the undemocratically self-appointed: “masters of the universe” (re, Pepe Escobar). Monarchy = Feudalism. Kings & Queens are still fashionable… speaks volumes for the successful PR (Berneys) narrative forming popular opinions.
SA keeps their oil reserve numbers a state secret, but they've made no secret of their intention to diversify their economy since the new guy took charge. One form that takes is tourism, believe it or not. Consider: how many Muslims are there in the world? Lots, right? And if they're doing better economically (no thanks to NATO, USA or Israel) then more of them will make the Haj, correct? The Haj is an obligation for anyone able to afford it, so that's a no-brainer. Likewise, SA employs a lot of foreigners, and if they diversify their economy then more foreign workers means more remittances to home countries which means more Hajis. Full circle.
Forget western portrayals of Saudi Arabia. There's more going on than than meets the eye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwTGFz4tgM
Since 2016 doubt has been raised by industry analysts whether SA can actually increase production by any significant amount. But assuming they could, why would they? If you had something people want that you also need yourself, how does selling more of it for less money make any sense?
By the same token, how does sanctioning Russian oil hurt Russia if they can sell half as much at twice the price? Even at a discount to current world prices, Russia is earning more than twice as much as before the sanctions. Their 2022 national budget is based on a price of $40/bbl - a price that we'll probably never see again. Truth is, Russia is awash in foreign income, so much so that their main issue is not how to ration it, but where to invest it.
In effect, Russia's military operations are being financed by western oil and gas purchases. As for Saudi Arabia, my guess is they're currently reviewing their position in the global petro-dollar nexus. After all, if Saudi security is based solely on selling their oil in dollars, why would they continue that relationship when they can buy demonstrably superior Russian arms at a lower price than what the US is selling? Who's going to threaten them when their country is ringed by S-400 AA systems, which unlike the Patriot, can actually intercept Iranian missiles?
Finally, for all the butt-hurt Putin haters, how does having Putin living rent free in your head in any way change the outcome? Trust me, his removal would be your worst nightmare as there are far more strident elements within Russia's government, or would you prefer dealing directly with Lavrov, Shoigu or Medvedev?