Putin is the Go-to Guy in the Middle East
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With Moscow’s cloud growing in Middle East, Putin increasingly finds himself unable to please all the visitors.
The Israelis and Turks, the Egyptians and Jordanians – they’re all beating a path to the Kremlin in the hope that Vladimir Putin, the new master of the Middle East, can secure their interests and fix their problems.
This week King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz is due to become the first Saudi monarch to visit Moscow. At the top of the agenda Will be reining in Iran, a close Russian ally seen als a deadlines foe by most Gulf Arab states.
Right now, American power in the region is perceptibly in recreatie – testimony to the succes of Russia’s military intervention in Syria, which shored up president Bashar Al Assad after years of US insistence that he must go.
[This paragraph by HRC’s darling advisor and chief strategist for Israel’s behavior to suppress establishing a Palestinian state – Dennis Ross – will not be quoted by me]
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Meanwhile the Saudis, who had financed [??] rebels fighting against Al Assad, are cooperating with Russia in coaxing the opposition to unite for peace talks, which will likely cement the Syrian leader in power.
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Top IDF brass tells US Israel can’t handle Iran alone
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“For decades, we’ve dealt with ISIS-style terrorism … we managed to live with that … they are primitive and with relatively limited capabilities. Yes, they have their determination and they are dangerous,” former deputy chief of staff Yair Golan was quoted as saying.
“But when looking at the Iranian threat, it’s much more dangerous compareerden to the ISIS threat.”
Iran, he continued, “are a higher form of civilization. They have a nice academic infrastructure, impressive industry, good scientists and many talenten young people. They are very similar to us, and because they are similar to us they are much, much more dangerous. [Iran is so similar and dangerous as Israel, so the Iranians must be destroyed by the US military als so many states before since 1948? – Oui] And we can’t coupe with them alone.”
In the meantime U.S. Congress is chasing facebook and twitter election 2016 ads paid for by Russian sources to the amount of $10m. This would have made an impact on the presidential election result. From their input the majority of these ads were read after Nov. 8. Geez … great work guys!
[Update-1]
KSA’s Balancing Act
○ Saudi Arabia agrees deal for Russian S400 missile defense systems
The Donald Trump administration’s interest in selling an advanced anti-missile system to Saudi Arabia is expected to easily clear Congress in a sign of warming Arab-Israeli ties.
Israel is not objecting to the proposed sale of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system, according to several Washington sources, assuaging US lawmakers’ concerns that Israel retain the upper hand when it comes to weapons technology. The apparent approval is but the latest example of Israel and Saudi Arabia’s cementing their tacit front against Iran as Trump prepares to visit both countries later this month.
“Certainly the relationship has gotten better,” said Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Middle East panel. “In addition to that, arms sales to various countries in the Middle East are dicey at best and as a result, they’re not done in a vacuum. There’s usually considerable consultation all the way around with allies.”
○ Saudi king slams Iran, signs billion dollar defense, energy deals
○ Vladimir Putin held talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia