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Saudi Arabia threatens split with US if Obama vetos Palestinian statehood bid(r/worldnews)
>Perhaps. In this case, I think it has a lot more to do with bruised pride from decades ago.
Here:
IRANS RECENT HISTORY
1953-CIA backed coup overthrows the popular democratic gov.
1979-81 US hostages taken and released.
The US escorts shipping up and down the gulf, except Iranian, which it allows Iraq to attack
When Iraq falters in its attack, the US provides chemical weapons satellite intelligence
1998 Irans regional neighbours, India/Pakistan get nukes, no longterm sanctions are placed on them.
2002 USA places Iran in Axis of Evil
2003 US invades countries on either side of Iran’s borders.
2003-9 Israel calls for Iran to be bombed, launches practice raids.
This has nothing to do with bruised pride, it’s about the ability to control access. 50% of the worlds oil is sourced from the M.E.
Americas number one objective in the Gulf: The availability to the US and its allies of resources, the strategic positions and the passage rights and the denial of such rights and resources to the soviet block.
So in 1955 the US sought to control the Gulf, to have the ability guarantee its access and to deny access to others. Oil has not become less important in the prevailing 55 years.
Formally the USSR was the rival and was seen off with the help of Israel, Iran was a client. Iran is no longer a client and so currently the US would like to prevent the formation of the a Shiia crescent, with Iran at its head. Should Iran succeed in creating such an entity this would be a genuine threat to Americas passage rights and strategic positions in the region, which as you will recall is America #1 objective in the M.E. Saudi Arabia is a key position in this. Thus Saudi is encourged to crush the Shiia spring in Bahrain as they would be aligned with the Iranian Shiia. This video was filmed in the Shia region of SA. This region rising up would spell disaster to SA as it is the oil producing region.
The US will seek to control the M.E. so long as oil powers the world. Control of this resource is a major plank in the USA’s super power status.
The US state dept has called Saudi and the description can be extended to the region “a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history.”
Zbigniew Brzezinski former United States National Security Advisor said America’s control over the Middle East “gives America indirect but politically critical leverage on the European and Asian economies that are also dependent on energy exports from the region.” . George Kennan put is as “Veto power”. Truman’s Secretary of Defense James Forrestal noted that “whoever sits on the valve of Middle East oil may control the destiny of Europe” and now Asia.
Control the M.E and you have your foot on the windpipe of the European and Asian economies. relinquishing that control is unthinkable. (Having permanent military bases in Iraq makes very good sense in this context ) relinquishing control to Iran/China/ Russia is doubly unthinkable. All other potential rivals have to figure Americas control of the oil flow into their calculations. The USA controls the oil. If the USA decides, say China, will not be getting M.E. oil then it can stop the flow. China knows this, the USA knows this. Thus before things get violent China will have to back down. ( China used for example only )