The Lovely Lovely Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BuilderPlumber

Saudi Arabia. Rich oil state. No one living in poverty. Major world tourist destination. Deserts turned into farmland where the native population thrive. World's third largest wine producer. Beacon of peace and hope. Moderate religious state and safeguards Islam from fanatic anti alcohol anti women pro murder fanatics.

Well that's the way it should be. Sad to say, it is actually the opposite. Saudi Arabia is a vile and negative influence that supports terrorism and has meddled in the affairs of other states and turned them into clones of itself. One clone saw the light but within 2 years of this statement, the man who said it was dead (via natural causes surprisingly enough):

In 1987 public address Khomeini declared that “these vile and ungodly Wahhabis, are like daggers which have always pierced the heart of the Muslims from the back,” and announced that Mecca was in the hands of “a band of heretics.”

Iran hates Saudi Arabia to this day for turning it into a version of itself. Khomeini's family have no say in Iran today and are the most bitter opponents of the Saudisation of Iran in the 1980s. They know Saudi Arabia had something to do with Khomeini's son's death and that they pinned it on Shah Pahlavi to turn him onto the Saudi cause but clearly by 1987 Khomeini knew he was set up and Pahlavi was not his enemy but Saudi Arabia was. Khomeini regretted a lot as do a lot of the current leaders yet Saudi has still paid operatives in Iran close to Ali Khamenei who will keep a Wahhabi like cult going there.

The lovely lovely kingdom of Saudi Arabia of course created such lovely lovely organisations as the gentle al Qaeda, the gallant Taliban and the kindhearted ISIS/ISIL/DAESH/Islamic State (so popular and so rewarded for their moderate attitude and good nature they have 4 names!!). What other country on earth could create such humanitarians directly and indirectly. Got to hand it to those boys in old Riyadh. You are super!!

Canis Lupus

Cool story.

corner of hells

Ok , unless I find my trainer , I'm not going to work.

Wanderer78

I wonder could you swap America for Saudi in this story!

The_Valeyard

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I wonder could you swap America for Saudi in this story!

Not really.

Americans don't behead their citizens or stone women to death for adultery or make them walk five steps behind their husbands or refuse to let them drive cars.

Wanderer78

The_Valeyard wrote:

Americans don't behead their citizens or stone women to death for adultery or make them walk five steps behind their husbands or refuse to let them drive cars.

Mate lived there for a while, sounds like a horrible place

The_Valeyard

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Mate lived there for a while, sounds like a horrible place

Medieval kingdom with 21st century technology. Bad mix.

Wanderer78

The_Valeyard wrote:

Medieval kingdom with 21st century technology. Bad mix.

It sounds like a very soulless place, he doesn't even really like talking about it

donegaLroad

Oil is a finite resource.. we have already reached Peak Oil, and the Saudis know that it is running out. When it does, they will have nothing, except for the extravagant palaces and the fleets of super cars and other such reminents of excess. Oil has corrupted this country to the core.

whisky_galore

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Mate lived there for a while, sounds like a horrible place

No way would I want to go there, not even as a tourist...their main 'tourist attraction' being out of bounds!

degsie

It still has a cool sounding name though.

For Forks Sake

whisky_galore wrote: »

No way would I want to go there, not even as a tourist...their main 'tourist attraction' being out of bounds!

where they spent $15bn on this

whisky_galore

For Forks Sake wrote: »

where they spent $15bn on this

Ugh!
Like Big Ben meets Stalinist Russia.

Yourself isit

donegaLroad wrote: »

Oil is a finite resource.. we have already reached Peak Oil, and the Saudis know that it is running out. When it does, they will have nothing, except for the extravagant palaces and the fleets of super cars and other such reminents of excess. Oil has corrupted this country to the core.

We are nowhere near peak oil although the saudus might be at peak. And even if we were heading that way it would just mean that oil was getting more expensive and the saudis like expensive oil which is why they occasionally glut the market - to kill off competition.

judeboy101

donegaLroad wrote: »

Oil is a finite resource.. we have already reached Peak Oil, and the Saudis know that it is running out. When it does, they will have nothing, except for the extravagant palaces and the fleets of super cars and other such reminents of excess. Oil has corrupted this country to the core.

I remember we reached peak oil in the '70's, again in the '80's, '90's, '00's and again now. Funny that, isn't it?

biko

I disliked Saudi Arabia before it was cool.

donegaLroad

judeboy101 wrote: »

I remember we reached peak oil in the '70's, again in the '80's, '90's, '00's and again now. Funny that, isn't it?

I remember this too, but as new oilfields are discovered, I suppose they can kick the can down the road for another few years.

As the world population expands, so does the demand for oil and products which rely on oil for their production. For example, it is claimed that it requires 7 gallons of crude oil to produce 1 car tyre.

When we consider that the world population in 1950 was 2.5 billion, and today it is 7 billion... we can only imagine how much the demand for oil will explode. (Im going off topic here)

The_Valeyard

biko wrote: »

I disliked Saudi Arabia before it was cool.

Should we go back and thank those posts?

razorblunt

Always handy for a win against them in the World Cup.
Also can you imagine how bad their doctor's hand writing would be.

Yourself isit

donegaLroad wrote: »

I remember this too, but as new oilfields are discovered, I suppose they can kick the can down the road for another few years.

As the world population expands, so does the demand for oil and products which rely on oil for their production. For example, it is claimed that it requires 7 gallons of crude oil to produce 1 car tyre.

When we consider that the world population in 1950 was 2.5 billion, and today it is 7 billion... we can only imagine how much the demand for oil will explode. (Im going off topic here)

In fact per capita use has fallen as cars, electronics and other devices have gotten more efficient. The us is using as many barrels now as it did decades ago.

Also there are hundreds of years left. Unfortunately in many ways as solar and other renewables are now cost competitive.

https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/259781/how-much-oil-is-left-in-the-earth

Long before the oil runs out it will be replaced.

Jude13

I have been there nearly every week this year working for at least 3 days each week.

Of course this is AH so most people yapping will never actually have been there and chatted to a local or worked with them for years.

I was going to comment about judging a country based on a terrorist group would be akin to someone from outside of Ireland tarring us with the RA brush and elaborate on it. But I have to go to KSA next week and don't want any hassle so best not to enter a discussion about it in too much details.

Says allot I guess.

biko

You guess and then you make assumptions.

I have been in the middle east several times for extended periods. Most of the time everything was fine, just don't bring up "sensitive" topics - kinda like you do now, avoid the sensitive topic in case they will find out.

It's not "allot", it's "a lot".

Jude13

Been over and back for over 8 years.

Gone Drinking

A Cork man and a rich Saudi are walking through the desert, the Saudi man turns to the Cork man and tells him "I'm going to build the greatest, richest city in the world, right here, in the desert."

The Cork turns and says "Do bai"

red ears

donegaLroad wrote: »

Oil is a finite resource.. we have already reached Peak Oil, and the Saudis know that it is running out. When it does, they will have nothing, except for the extravagant palaces and the fleets of super cars and other such reminents of excess. Oil has corrupted this country to the core.

And their people will be exported to gullible European countries.

biko

Out of all the Arab countries I'd say KSA is worst and Jordan is best.
Lebanon is lovely but still has problems.

I was chased by a mob in Gaza so that place is not recommended.

Yourself isit

Jude13 wrote: »

I have been there nearly every week this year working for at least 3 days each week.

Of course this is AH so most people yapping will never actually have been there and chatted to a local or worked with them for years.

I was going to comment about judging a country based on a terrorist group would be akin to someone from outside of Ireland tarring us with the RA brush and elaborate on it. But I have to go to KSA next week and don't want any hassle so best not to enter a discussion about it in too much details.

Says allot I guess.

You didn't say a lot though. You like it from your air conditioned hotel room? Good for you.

However the country has issues.

scamalert

Yourself isit wrote: »

We are nowhere near peak oil although the saudus might be at peak. And even if we were heading that way it would just mean that oil was getting more expensive and the saudis like expensive oil which is why they occasionally glut the market - to kill off competition.

Actually for Saudis and most they need oil to be over 100$ per barrel to profit, given that last couple years it went down do 50$ range means they are losing a lot, good example is Russia they have wast amounts of oil but low prices makes it basically lose them money.

Since currently while global reserves seem to be low places even like Alaska find new taps, not to mention around arctic wast unexplored or in many cases hard to even get to.So really not global issue but if saudis do run out id expect it to be like any other third world country in that part of the world, they could grow poppy seeds and fund terrorists while sitting in a sand pit praying 5 times a day in other words usual medieval crap that no bling will change.

Jude13

Yourself isit wrote: »

You didn't say a lot though. You like it from your air conditioned hotel room? Good for you.

However the country has issues.

Not in a hotel, you like Ireland in the winter from your central heated house, for shame.

Every country has issues as highlighted by my unwillingness to slag it off as I have to go back there soon stating that just that says allot.

The_Kew_Tour

Their day will come though.

They will run out of oil at some point and it will be a free fall like nothing before it

topper75

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Their day will come though.

They will run out of oil at some point and it will be a free fall like nothing before it

Not one reader of this thread will witness that day though.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Their day will come though.

They will run out of oil at some point and it will be a free fall like nothing before it

This keeps getting rolled out, but do you think that it's impossible for Saudi Arabia to adapt? People are putting everything on the oil.

Yourself isit

Jude13 wrote: »

Not in a hotel, you like Ireland in the winter from your central heated house, for shame.

No sense here.

Every country has issues as highlighted by my unwillingness to slag it off as I have to go back there soon stating that just that says allot.

To be fair you are not alone in not wanting to slag the saudis off if there's money to be made.

Syphonax

While I cannot advocate anything good about Saudi Arabia its a backwards nation about 600 years behind 'Christianity' or former christian nations and just as dangerous if no moreso, the OP, has a lot of it backwards....

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

The lovely lovely kingdom of Saudi Arabia of course created such lovely lovely organisations as the gentle al Qaeda, the gallant Taliban and the kindhearted ISIS/ISIL/DAESH/Islamic State (so popular and so rewarded for their moderate attitude and good nature they have 4 names!!). What other country on earth could create such humanitarians directly and indirectly. Got to hand it to those boys in old Riyadh. You are super!!

One would legitimately argue that all 'organisations' mentioned above are a direct consequence of American and British foreign policies, rather than the Saudis themselves.

Wanderer78

Syphonax wrote: »

One would legitimately argue that all 'organisations' mentioned above are a direct consequence of American and British foreign policies, rather than the Saudis themselves.

this is more or less what i was getting to earlier, american and british intervention in this region over history has been disastrous, not just for the locals but globally

Columbia

I lived there for a year and a half. I've lived in a few strange places, however normally when I go back to Ireland I can find a lot of common threads, hard evidence that we all occupy the same global village.

Any time I landed back in Dublin from Saudi Arabia, I truly, truly felt like I had returned from Mars. It was actually an exhilarating feeling in many ways.

oppenheimer1

donegaLroad wrote: »

Oil is a finite resource.. we have already reached Peak Oil, and the Saudis know that it is running out. When it does, they will have nothing, except for the extravagant palaces and the fleets of super cars and other such reminents of excess. Oil has corrupted this country to the core.

No we have't. The lower bound estimate is for peak oil production in 2026.

Wanderer78

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

No we have't. The lower bound estimate is for peak oil production in 2026.

does anybody actually know? can we trust the data from this industry?

BuilderPlumber

Syphonax wrote: »

While I cannot advocate anything good about Saudi Arabia its a backwards nation about 600 years behind 'Christianity' or former christian nations and just as dangerous if no moreso, the OP, has a lot of it backwards....



One would legitimately argue that all 'organisations' mentioned above are a direct consequence of American and British foreign policies, rather than the Saudis themselves.

Sadly, of course that is true. Saudi Arabia in its modern guise is a legacy of the Cold War and imperialism. The fascist regime there was encouraged and helped. Why? Because it was a massive enemy of communism and 'communist' thoughts. Everything Saudi Arabia bans are to stop thought. Alcohol, women's rights, music, films. All banned by a cynical regime using 'religion' as an excuse to stop communication and thought basically. What's worse is that Saudi Arabia was instructed and helped by the West to spread its poison to Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Africa and Syria.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

this is more or less what i was getting to earlier, american and british intervention in this region over history has been disastrous, not just for the locals but globally

Sadly Western intervention in the Middle East has destroyed it. Saudi Arabia's extremist stifling repression could be reigned in by the West if the West wanted. The West should have chosen its policies better and it is now obvious that communism was nowhere near as 'bad' as the West painted it. The West ruined Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, the rest of the Middle East and North Africa in its proxy wars against the commies.

Syphonax

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Sadly, of course that is true. Saudi Arabia in its modern guise is a legacy of the Cold War and imperialism. The fascist regime there was encouraged and helped. Why? Because it was a massive enemy of communism and 'communist' thoughts. Everything Saudi Arabia bans are to stop thought. Alcohol, women's rights, music, films. All banned by a cynical regime using 'religion' as an excuse to stop communication and thought basically. What's worse is that Saudi Arabia was instructed and helped by the West to spread its poison to Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Africa and Syria.

The spread of Islam from the region of Saudi Arabia has been happening since long before it was even a country and has little to do with modern, Western intervention, American or otherwise. Their fascist regime wasnt an enemy of Communism as you're portraying, if anything Russia and Saudi Araibia have much more in common than Saudi Arabia has with America. The difference is that America has come to the aid of modern Saudia Arabia wars many times with their military, Russia has not.

These new groups like ISIS or Al Qaeda ARE however a direct result of American and Russian wars in the region.

Ipso

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I wonder could you swap America for Saudi in this story!

You need to get out more.

Wanderer78

Ipso wrote: »

You need to get out more.

caves are interesting though!:D

Jude13

Yourself isit wrote: »

No sense here.



To be fair you are not alone in not wanting to slag the saudis off if there's money to be made.

It was in reference to your comment relating to "you like it from you air conditioned hotel room"