Reassessing the U.S.-Saudi partnership

Our relationships and cultures have changed radically since 1992. The Saudis have spent billions upon billions updating and upgrading their forces -- with special emphasis on Special Forces, anti-terrorism police and the like. They've been in the fight a long time supporter and are a strong ally, don't kid yourself. Long before we became "energy independent" they looked out for our national interests, like in 2000 when they increased their oil output to secure sufficient supplies for us a forecasted brutal East Coast winter. They are fully contributing partners in the fight against Daesh. They, along with the rest of the GCC have picked up the "boots on the ground" requirement in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. They've suffered losses and paid in blood and treasure -- just like we've done. We need to treat them as equal partners in the GWOT. We can continue to provide intell, comms & logistics -- we have common enemies and the Saudis and GCC deserve our respect for taking up this fight.

The Saudis helping the 9/11 hijackers, funding the Wahhabism madrassas and all that are no big surprise. It galls them and all Arabs when you can make more jokes about the failings of Arab armies than you can about the Poles, Italians and French combined.

How does this affect us? At some points in the past, under Nixon and Carter, the US was seen as the honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians. Witness the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt. But now --- Israel is totally right wing, they care nothing for peace or accommodation with the Palestinians. That has been clear since Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right wing Israeli.

In that sense, the US brought down 9/11 down on itself. Or put another way, the Arabs found a way to get to us. That is why it was so awesome and courageous for Senator Sanders to take the side of the Palestinians the other day. That was really awesome.

Of course the US government is totally under the heel of Israel and AIPAC. Don’t expect anything to change but do understand what the factors are.

Walt