3 ms·

Well if you want to talk sanctions, I'd say selling them $110 billion in weapons a few months back is slightly more concerning than slamming shut the bank count

Well if you want to talk sanctions, I'd say selling them $110 billion in weapons a few months back is slightly more concerning than slamming shut the bank counter screens on them.

pizza 9y ago
"Psst.. You wanna see how far the nefariousness goes? Follow the money.., follow the orb..." https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8559731/GettyImages_686580132.jpg https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8559731/Ge...
- 3131s 9y ago
  And learn who the guy in the red head scarf is: http://www.almrsal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/king-abdullah-with-bush.jpg http://www.almrsal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/king-abdul... http://s4.freebeacon.com/up/2015/05/AP95102601735-540x439.jpg http://s4.freebeacon.com/up/2015/05/AP95102601735-540x439.jp... http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GettyImages-51959359-620x444.jpg http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Gett...
- rs999gti 9y ago
  It goes back further than that, all the way back to 1940's and the meeting between FDR and the King of Saud: https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2015/01/Merlin_425808.jpg&w=1484 https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://... > They eventually came to an agreement that centered around U.S. support and military training for Saudi Arabia, then a fledgling country surrounded by stronger nations, in return for oil and political support in the region. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/01/27/the-first-time-a-u-s-president-met-a-saudi-king/?utm_term=.3858fe84d5ec https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/01/27...
  - pizza 9y ago
    Bitter Lake (by Adam Curtis) is a good documentary on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbq63r7rys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbq63r7rys
richardknop 9y ago
Selling weapons to Saudis has been going on for decades, Trump, Obama, Clinton, Bush... all have been selling them weapons for billions of dollars. It's pretty big hypocrisy of US, on one hand you consider Iran the most evil nation state in the world (or at least ME region) and have been sanctioning them for decades (with slight easing of that approach recently), on the other hand nobody bats an eye for selling weapons to SA and treating them as a great ally and friend. I never could understand this big glaring hypocrisy from my European point of view. Perhaps it has something to do with politics in US but even then it's hard for me to understand why the one is ally and the other enemy.
- adventured 9y ago
  > I never could understand this big glaring hypocrisy from my European point of view. Surely you're joking. All the major European nations have been masters of exactly what you're describing for centuries. It has been historically routine European behavior. There are plenty of modern examples of it. See: the French, UK and German relationship with Iraq pre Gulf War and their assistance with Iraq vs Iran. Germany massively supplied Iraq with the ability to make chemical weapons. Before the US made the mistake of deeply intertwining itself throughout what goes on in the Middle East, the major European nations had been at it for centuries (and several of them are still very actively doing exactly the same things the US is doing, usually in proportion to their economic or military capabilities).
  - richardknop 9y ago
    I'm aware of it. The difference is most European countries have no real way to extend their military or economic power meaningfully. Only US is capable of invading almost any country it wants relatively easily due to its huge navy and aircraft and military bases all over the world. With its huge economy only US can really put meaningful sanctions on foreign countries (US navy basically singlehandedly controls international maritime trade). Notice that almost all sanctions are led by US as EU just nods in agreement and does whatever US tells them to do. So similar hypocrisy from European countries is less dangerous but US with its power akin to British Empire before can literally rewrite borders around the world and overthrow governments at whim. So when US says Saudi Arabia is an ally and Iran is enemy, that dictates the policy of the whole western world basically.
diogenescynic 9y ago
Yep, I’m against that as well.

Well if you want to talk sanctions, I'd say selling them $110 billion in weapons a few months back is slightly more concerning than slamming shut the bank counter screens on them.

pizza 9y ago

"Psst.. You wanna see how far the nefariousness goes? Follow the money.., follow the orb..." https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8559731/GettyImages_686580132.jpg https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8559731/Ge...

3131s 9y ago
And learn who the guy in the red head scarf is: http://www.almrsal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/king-abdullah-with-bush.jpg http://www.almrsal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/king-abdul... http://s4.freebeacon.com/up/2015/05/AP95102601735-540x439.jpg http://s4.freebeacon.com/up/2015/05/AP95102601735-540x439.jp... http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GettyImages-51959359-620x444.jpg http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Gett...
rs999gti 9y ago
It goes back further than that, all the way back to 1940's and the meeting between FDR and the King of Saud: https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2015/01/Merlin_425808.jpg&w=1484 https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://... > They eventually came to an agreement that centered around U.S. support and military training for Saudi Arabia, then a fledgling country surrounded by stronger nations, in return for oil and political support in the region. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/01/27/the-first-time-a-u-s-president-met-a-saudi-king/?utm_term=.3858fe84d5ec https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/01/27...
- pizza 9y ago
  Bitter Lake (by Adam Curtis) is a good documentary on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbq63r7rys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbq63r7rys

richardknop 9y ago

Selling weapons to Saudis has been going on for decades, Trump, Obama, Clinton, Bush... all have been selling them weapons for billions of dollars. It's pretty big hypocrisy of US, on one hand you consider Iran the most evil nation state in the world (or at least ME region) and have been sanctioning them for decades (with slight easing of that approach recently), on the other hand nobody bats an eye for selling weapons to SA and treating them as a great ally and friend. I never could understand this big glaring hypocrisy from my European point of view. Perhaps it has something to do with politics in US but even then it's hard for me to understand why the one is ally and the other enemy.

adventured 9y ago
> I never could understand this big glaring hypocrisy from my European point of view. Surely you're joking. All the major European nations have been masters of exactly what you're describing for centuries. It has been historically routine European behavior. There are plenty of modern examples of it. See: the French, UK and German relationship with Iraq pre Gulf War and their assistance with Iraq vs Iran. Germany massively supplied Iraq with the ability to make chemical weapons. Before the US made the mistake of deeply intertwining itself throughout what goes on in the Middle East, the major European nations had been at it for centuries (and several of them are still very actively doing exactly the same things the US is doing, usually in proportion to their economic or military capabilities).
- richardknop 9y ago
  I'm aware of it. The difference is most European countries have no real way to extend their military or economic power meaningfully. Only US is capable of invading almost any country it wants relatively easily due to its huge navy and aircraft and military bases all over the world. With its huge economy only US can really put meaningful sanctions on foreign countries (US navy basically singlehandedly controls international maritime trade). Notice that almost all sanctions are led by US as EU just nods in agreement and does whatever US tells them to do. So similar hypocrisy from European countries is less dangerous but US with its power akin to British Empire before can literally rewrite borders around the world and overthrow governments at whim. So when US says Saudi Arabia is an ally and Iran is enemy, that dictates the policy of the whole western world basically.

diogenescynic 9y ago

Yep, I’m against that as well.