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Who Needs Enemies? by Robert Gore

Posted by straightlinelogic 9 years, 1 month ago to Government
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If, way back in 2001, the Bush administration had been serious, as it said it was, about going after “state sponsors of terrorism,” the first front should have opened against Saudi Arabia. Most of the 9/11 jihadists and suspected mastermind Osama bin Laden were from Saudi Arabia, and there is strong suspicion that 28 pages of the Senate report on its investigation of 9/11 that has still not been publicly released (notwithstanding an Obama promise to do so) contain damning evidence of wealthy Saudis’ and the Saudi government’s involvement.

The Saudis and the US had supported the Afghan Mujahideen—led by bin Laden—who bedeviled the Soviets in the 1970s and 1980s (see “A Perfect Time to Leave the Middle East”). The 9/11 attacks were neither the first nor the last time that the US government’s designs to “use” Islamic extremist group have blown up in its face. As Putin noted: “Gentlemen, the people you are dealing with are cruel but they are not dumb. They are as smart as you are. So, it’s a big question: who’s playing who here?”

This is an excerpt. For the full article, please click the link above.
SOURCE URL: http://straightlinelogic.com/2015/12/10/who-needs-enemies-by-robert-gore/


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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 1 month ago
    I still say that there is a chasm between what most people think and what most politicians think they think. That's what Trump has tapped into. Some of the Terrible Ten are just starting to get it and are beginning to grow hawk feathers. There are other factors for Trump's success, but protecting the homeland and making it safe for oneself, one's family and friends is more important than the economy, and every other issue. Plus, it is the first duty of a political executive.
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  • Posted by wiggys 9 years, 1 month ago
    It is all about money.

    Because the world economy is between the toilet bowl and the ocean, everybody is doing what ever they can now to get their share. All who die are collateral damage and the porn pushers do not care. Russia would love to make a mistake and bomb the saudi oil infrastructure. Say what you will but it all boils down to MONEY. Why else would it be written up in the WSJ!
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  • Posted by freedomforall 9 years, 1 month ago
    Surprised you didn't mention one of the most significant items that prevent rational action in the middle east regarding the Saudis: the US dollar.
    Any action against the Saudi's would be the death of the near-monopoly petro-dollar trading and that would mean an immediate plunge in the dollar's value. This could cause skyrocketing inflation in the US, imo, reversing all the benefits of the boom in oil and gas production.
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    • Posted by wiggys 9 years, 1 month ago
      I never worry about our dollar. there are so many out there that it will not be replaced. Go any where in the world with it and it is accepted. Come here wit any other currency and you are told it looks like monopoly money. You just can't hurt it.
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      • Posted by freedomforall 9 years, 1 month ago
        The main reason the dollar has been resilient is that nearly every transaction to trade oil must be paid for in dollars. That created a demand for dollars for every country that buys oil. All the oil importers in the world must have dollars to pay for it regardless of whether they want to hold dollars at all. The oil ministers could crush the dollar instantly by stating they will accept euros, pounds, and yuan. The demand for dollars would plummet and the dollar would fall ~30% in a few weeks.
        Supply and demand.
        Of course the looters in the banking industry would be tipped off first, so they would have time to short the dollar, causing it to start to fall even before the announcement.
        (There are other less important reasons for the dollar's long time strength. The second reason the dollar was strong was the US held a large amount of gold and until the 70's backed the dollar with gold, but both those things have changed. The third reason was the US leadership in trade and manufacturing in the world which is no more. The fourth reason is threat of military action by the US. That is the only reason that would remain.)
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        • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
          Actually, the primary reason for the dollar's current strength is that the Fed's ZIRP policy has made the dollar a "funding" currency and corporate borrowers and governments have incurred dollar-denominated debt. In effect, they are short dollars, and now that debt is contracting, they are a bid for dollars. The amounts are not insignificant. Emerging market corporate dollar-denominated debt is in the neighborhood of $9 trillion. I'm not sure of numbers for EM governments or developed world corporations and governments, but again, they are not insignificant. The petro states would be a bid for dollars even if the oil trade wasn't denominated in dollars, because they have significant dollar debt. Right now, they want to denominate the oil trade in dollars to service that debt. If the Fed raises interest rates this week, it will amplify the pain, since some of the dollar debt is floating rate. For many EM nations, the commodity collapse has acted as a margin call on their debt. The collapsing debt bubble and deflation will continue to act as a medium-term prop to the dollar.
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          • Posted by freedomforall 9 years, 1 month ago
            Excellent point. That is growing to compete with oil driven dollar demand. Oil demand for dollars is about $1.5 trillion per year and fluctuates with oil prices. The debt service can enslave a lot of other resource markets to dollars. That petro state debt could be a factor in keeping the oil trade tied to dollars. OTOH, it could be an incentive to crash the dollar to reduce the debt. I think the US military's drone program may be a bigger influence to the dictators of the oil producers. It appears that none of them are students of history.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 1 month ago
    we keep playing both ends against the middle, and then
    wondering "Wha Happun?" -- we need to grow up. -- j
    .
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    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
      What happens? Nothing ......not with a bang but a whimper...just .....nothing... too busy crying to notice they got what they asked for...nothing.

      Meanwhile I'm going to have a good chateaubriand with a nice sauce ...some fresh......and a little smidgen of ....

      What's on your menu?
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    • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 1 month ago
      Yes. It is called "integrity".

      Jan
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      • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 1 month ago
        we need to grow some, IMHO. -- j
        .
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        • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 1 month ago
          This is one of the things that beggars my imagination: I cannot understand why people do not see that if you just deal with insight and integrity with the people around you, you will prosper. 'Insight' is necessary or those dishonest people around you will take you to the cleaners if you are not wary, and 'integrity' because then you will not only be the first choice for other people to interact with but you won't have to waste so much effort in maintaining your manipulations, secret deals and outright lies.

          Jan
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          • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 1 month ago
            yes, and it's such a b!tch keeping track of the previous lies
            you might have told -- gets all tangled up! -- j
            .
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            • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
              Most people couldn't see their nose as they cut it off to spite their face. A great many are always standing behind the door when intellect is passed out and, as humans, having no instinct as a fall back are happily doomed.
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 1 month ago
    I dont believe anything I hear from politicians nowadays. And since I have so little influence or power to affect their actions, I just have to deal with my own life and let the system crash.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 1 month ago
    "[sarcasm]Of course there would be no blowback from taking out both the Sunni side and the Shiite side, and no possibility, with Russia and Iran as potential opponents, of unintended consequences."
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  • Posted by edweaver 9 years, 1 month ago
    Great article, both of them actually.

    I have 2 questions. Where are you seeing the American people calling for blood and what do you mean by throwing out the Constitution?
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    • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
      Biased as it is, everyday I read in the WSJ that Americans are finally ready to get "serious" about fighting terrorism. All the leading candidates for president, Republican and Democrat, have called for escalation of our involvement in Syria, including no fly zones and boots on the ground. Hillary Clinton as well a number of intelligence figures have called on tech companies to give the government encryption keys to smart phones. Donald Trump has said we've got to do something about the Internet and mocked those who cite freedom of speech and 1st Amendment concerns. I have read a number of articles talking about balancing Constitutional rights with security. People have been saying the same thing since 9/11, and since then we have less individual freedom and more insecurity. It is true I spend most of my time writing and don't extensively canvas the "public" for its views, but I also assume that what I read must reflect the views of a substantial portion of the public. Trump and Clinton are, after all, the frontrunners.
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      • Posted by edweaver 9 years, 1 month ago
        Now I get it. Thanks for clarifying.
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        • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
          If you want more, I've posted a number of relevant articles from other sources on SLL.
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          • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
            All the leading and many of the trailing candidates are jumping on the "I smell votes bandwagon." No take a deep breath and remember the last 50 years of exactly the same conduct. Repeat after me. What they say and what they do are two different things. The only politician I can think off that said and did the same thing was Gingrich and the funny part is he got creamed for doing what he said he would do while those who spent their entire careers prevaricating the unadulterated truth are considered 'candidates?' What hubris is this?
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            • Posted by 9 years, 1 month ago
              I certainly agree with you. I've voted since 1980 for candidates who said they would reduce government, cut spending, lower taxes, reduce the debt, restore individual freedom, and reduce the US footprint abroad. It hasn't happened yet, but I no longer get pissed about it. I no longer vote, either.
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              • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
                but make it a meaningful vote by non voting. I call it when asked. None of the Above or A Vote of No Confidence. As for the pre-ordained final two that's not a choice that's a sentence and voting for either one is an admission of guilt. Be they the left wing of the left or the right wing of the left.
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    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 1 month ago
      You know what we did back in the days after 9/11. When we switched to the Patriot Act, gave up all that civil rights bill of rights crap, went to a one party system of government with Comrade Obeyme in charge....That the one you mean?

      Not with a bang but a whimper......
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