What will Obama’s big gamble be? He’s running out of time and space to keep the onrush of collapse at bay. He – and the economy – requires resources to backstop the hollowed out finance economy. The President needs to start taking desperate chances; will his be an invasion of Iran?
Not an air raid, an all- out invasion with intent to conquest?
An article at ZeroHedge remarked about Saudi Arabian and Iranian saber rattling:
There was some speculation brewing over the potential pan-Arabist unification if Israel attacks Iran, and that the potential Arab block could easily halt any global recovery via implementation of oil exporting embargo, as was done in the 1970s by King Faisal ibn-Saud during the Arab-Israeli conflict. But there is no support for such a claim, quite the opposite is true. Today the Saudi Hajj minister Fouad al-Farsi told Iranian officials not to politicise, or in any other way, disrupt the Hajj. Here is the article in which this is mentioned:
JEDDAH – Saudi Hajj Minister Fouad al-Farsi told Iran not to politicise the hajj after Tehran leaders said Iranians could experience mistreatment during the annual pilgrimage, a report said Wednesday.
Iran “should not take advantage of the pilgrimage for political purposes and its own agenda,” Farsi was quoted as saying in the Al-Watan newspaper report.
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently warned that Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, might abuse the mainly Shiite Muslim pilgrims from Iran during the hajj, which begins in November.
“If they impose restrictions on Iranian pilgrims… the Islamic Republic will take the appropriate measures,” Ahmadinejad said Monday in a meeting with hajj officials, according to the official website for the Iranian presidency.
On Monday Khameini also raised the issue of alleged “insults and mistreatment against some Shiite Muslims,” saying “the Saudi government must take action against such acts.”
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently warned that Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, might abuse the mainly Shiite Muslim pilgrims from Iran during the hajj, which begins in November.“If they impose restrictions on Iranian pilgrims… the Islamic Republic will take the appropriate measures,” Ahmadinejad said Monday in a meeting with hajj officials, according to the official website for the Iranian presidency.
On Monday Khameini also raised the issue of alleged “insults and mistreatment against some Shiite Muslims,” saying “the Saudi government must take action against such acts.”
The saber rattling between Iran and Saudia is meaningful, the idea is the Saudis will supply any shortfalls that would emerge from combat activities … from their incredible ‘spare capacity’. The Saudis are caught between their ongoing and long running lies about their reserves on one hand and their perceived need to become hegemons in the Gulf on the other.
A report allows the Saudis giving the Israelis passage through Saudi airspace.
By Gordon Thomas and Camilla Tominey
INTELLIGENCE chief Sir John Scarlett has been told that Saudi Arabia is ready to allow Israel to bomb Iran’s new nuclear site.
The head of MI6 discussed the issue in London with Mossad chief Meir Dagan and Saudi officials after British intelligence officers helped to uncover the plant, in the side of a mountain near the ancient city of Qom.
The site is seen as a major threat by Tel Aviv and Riyadh. Details of the talks emerged after John Bolton, America’s former UN ambassador, told a meeting of intelligence analysts that “Riyadh certainly approves” of Israel’s use of Saudi airspace.
Forget Israeli bombers; the Israelis would put commandos on the ground.
The original article is here, in Hebrew.
The real battle is in DC w/ Obama- McChrystal vs. the ‘liberals’ who want out of Afghanistan/Iraq.
The US/Nato has a large buildup in the region adding all the ‘assets’ in both countries and offshore .. plus Israeli forces. Probably close to 250,000 US/Nato regular combat troops plus aircraft and vehicles. Don’t forget the ‘private armies’ of contractors. An additional 250,000 … of which a large proportion are high- quality combat soldiers.
Ending 3rd quarter FY 2009, USCENTCOM reported approximately 243,735 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR.
This is more than sufficient resources for an invasion of Iran and occupation. Forget Goldman- Sachs, this would be the biggest theft in history. Iraq/Iran and ??? Would an invasion ‘wash’ with the US public?
With the US thirsty for more and more oil the answer isn’t hard to determine.
I suspect there are more US/Allied troops in theater than during the height of the Vietnam war in 1969. It’s the ‘secret buildup’ that doesn’t hit the media. ‘Taking’ Iran and Iraq’s oil would both stifle the Chinese ambitions in the area, guarantee some ‘notion’ of fuel security and shift the ‘white shoe’ balance of power from the Shiites- driven militant factions toward the Sunnis and Saudi Arabia.
The US and Europe would deplete the two countries in ten years or less and that would leave Saudia as the world’s swing producer.
The ‘attack’ or raid or whatever it’s called would require gas rationing in the US, but the curve of depletion will require rationing in a few years, anyway.
According to Jeffrey Brown, the largest producers are not only past their peak in production but face increasing domestic consumption. This ‘Net Export’ condition would lead to shortages in consuming countries before 2013 regardless of declines in demand in these same countries.
Listen to Jeff Brown’s outlook and market analysts at Financial Sense Newshour. This is not the rosy scenario found in the mainstream.
Look for a big upswing in US military activities. It’s ‘use it or lose it’ time for the US and the Pentagon knows it.