Saudi Arabia and Russia had no diplomatic relations between 1938 and 1992, and that was not because of commercial rivalry. And even now there's a lot of bad blood from the Soviet War in Afghanistan and the Chechen conflict, during which Saudi Arabia sponsored terrorist attacks against both Russian soldiers and Russian civilians. The conflict in Syria has only exacerbated that bad blood.Xeraphim1 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:34 pmSaudi Arabia and Russia/USSR have never been enemies and aren't now. They're commercial rivals. Russia would be *delighted* to replace the US as arms supplier to SA.
Saudi Arabia isn't that worried about Turkey because it doesn't have an ability to project force at that distance. SA worries about Iran. Muslim Brotherhood activity is a lower level threat.
As for Turkey, you are correct that Saudi Arabia deems it to be a secondary enemy relative to Iran. That's because Turkey is a fellow Sunni country, not a Shia country like Iran.
China's leaders learned nothing. They are actually more reckless than the Soviet politburo. Again, this is what is to be expected from a country which is currently in a crisis era.Xeraphim1 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:34 pmExactly. China's rulers learned their lesson and have no intention of losing their positions. Wars are unpredictable and rulers face the unattractive possibility of facing unfortunate consequences. Much better to try to muscle their way into getting what they want while avoiding messy uncertainty.
The establishment won't change these things because it doesn't want to change them. Not because it can't.Xeraphim1 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:37 pmYou keep pushing this "Heartland Theory" and I'm not buying it. Similarly with petrodollars, it exists for a reason and despite several attempts no one has been able to change it. There isn't a credible alternative to it now or in the foreseeable future.
It's a lot more than ten to fifteen. It's millions upon millions. And that's because it's actually Saudi Arabia, not Iran, who has killed more Americans. 9/11 alone solidifies that fact. And no, the fact that Saudi Arabia approaches its proxies with a "wink and a nod" doesn't change anything in the end.Xeraphim1 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:47 pmIf by "more and more" you mean the total has gone from ten to fifteen, maybe. Iran, through its proxies, has killed more Americans than Saudi Arabia has. And that's the official policy of Iran whereas "official" Saudi support for terrorism has been more of a wink and a nod.