Saudi Future : Bullets Or Barrels

 Here is Robert Morris of the More Freedom Foundation with a take on the future of Saudi Arabia :

Robert Morris feels that the sinking prices per barrel of oil coupled with their insane spending will sink Saudi Arabia permanently - latest by 2030.

My view is a single bullet (courtesy of the CIA) can throw Saudi Arabia into a chaos on the scale of Libya or worse. 

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia committed suicide when no senior Saudi official was present to greet president Joe Biden when he landed on an official visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2022. Biden was greeted by some local governor and you can see in the pictures how empty was the tarmac when Biden landed. There was an 'honour guard' of only five soldiers to greet him.

On the other hand when president Xi Xinping visited Saudi Arabia (above) the Saudi Crown Prince threw a grand welcoming ceremony complete with full military honours with the entire Saudi government in attendance. 

It did not stop there. Saudi Arabia has very obviously pivoted towards China and has agreed to accept the Chinese Yuan currency as settlement for oil sales to China. This is part of the de-dollarisation from the US Dollar that is now picking up momentum all over the world.

Two previous Arab leaders who tried moving away from the US Dollar to settle their oil sales were Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Muammar Khaddafy of Libya. Both ended up getting killed. 

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arabs have also taken a 'we do not wish to get involved' stance towards the war between Russia and Ukraine. Considering that the US has been the sole benefactor and life support provider for the survival of all the Gulf monarchies their feigned neutrality over Ukraine is a lightly disguised endorsement of Russia.  

It is obvious that the Gulf Arabs are breaking with the United States. The question is is the United States prepared to let the Saudis go? If the answer is no (and I think it is a no) then the Saudi Crown Prince (and his father the king) are living on borrowed time. 

Thanks to American protection the Saudis have never suffered a revolution, an overthrow of the ruling dynasty or even a palace coup. The Americans have always kept a tight watch on the Saudis. 

In 1990 days before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait the CIA spirited the entire Kuwait royal family across the fence into Saudi Arabia. 

In 1974 when the PLO was ready to overthrow the Jordanian King Hussein the CIA despatched General Zia Ul Haq  and his Pakistani mercenaries to massacre the PLO in Amman and kick them out of Jordan. 

The Americans have long standing interest in that part of the world.  Who is one Crown Prince? Or king?

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.