The New York Times reports (and Yahoo! News repeats without any paywall) that the government of Saudi Arabia is threatening to sell $750 billion in treasury securities and other unidentified assets if Congress passes the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. The bill would allow foreign governments to be sued by 9/11 victims and their families. The threat was issued by Saudi Arabian foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir to unnamed US lawmakers while he was visiting Washington sometime last month, on the grounds that these assets could be in danger of being frozen by US courts.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @02:29AM
To be sure, that would certainly be emotionally satisfying on one level. But think this through carefully. It would be the wet dream of both ISIS and al Qeada if civil war were to erupt in KSA. Do you really want ISIS taking over one of the largest suppliers of the world's oil supply? Seriously? The KSA is bad enough; let's not make this any worse than it actually is already. I'm afraid our best option right now is to work this one with patience and calm.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @03:11AM
The relationship of Trump and Cruz to the Republican Party is weirdly analogous to the relationship of ISIS and Al Qaeda to the ruling party of Saudi Arabia. In both cases, the parents refuse to acknowledge their logical offspring.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @03:34AM
The same can be said for Bernie Sanders. The difference in the dangers -- we know how to escape theocracy. The priests disrobe themselves [youtube.com]. Cultural revolution on the other hand -- well, we've never seen a successful uprising against that kind of government.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday April 17 2016, @04:19PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 18 2016, @05:13AM
Do you know what Saudi Arabia has that is worth even more than all that oil?
Mecca and Medina.
SA is the Jerusalem of Islam (ignoring for the moment that many religious sites in Jerusalem also have significance to Muslims). Meaning that just like all Jews are supposed to pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Catholics to Rome (and Jerusalem and elsewhere as applicable), Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (and Medina? I don't remember the full specifics.)
Point being that destablilization of Saudi Arabia could make the religious war Daesh/ISIL/ISIS, Al Qaeda and other religiously charges Muslim groups are fighting just that much worse. If one of them were to take the religious centers from Saudi Arabia tens of thousands if not millions more Muslims would be looking to join the new Caliphate backed with the will of God (as show by their newfound territorial control of the very foundations of Islam.) Assured that their holy war was fully backed by the will of God they would not be as easily disenfranchised as Daesh's forces have turned out to be. Furthermore retalitory strikes against the sites after that would only assure them the ends of days had come and this was their glorious last battle as prophesized in their religious texts.
(Score: 1) by Delwin on Monday April 18 2016, @08:00PM
KSA falling into civil war because oil is no longer worth much (due to electric cars and widespread adoption of renewables) on the other hand would be an interesting turn of events.