Middle East Defence & Security

rsemmes

Active Member
On an humorous note...

Living in Great Britain, I am proud to be with the underdog (Saudi Arabia) against the bully (the Houthis).
PM Burnham before the UN: "We will always stand for the underdog against the bully."
 

Redshift

Well-Known Member
On an humorous note...

Living in Great Britain, I am proud to be with the underdog (Saudi Arabia) against the bully (the Houthis).
PM Burnham before the UN: "We will always stand for the underdog against the bully."
I think that you mean the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Great Britain is the name of the largest island in the group of islands known as the British isles and is not the name of a country.
 

rsemmes

Active Member
I think that you mean the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Great Britain is the name of the largest island in the group of islands known as the British isles and is not the name of a country.
Sorry, the tree didn't allow you to see the wood?
Do I actually live in GB?
 

KipPotapych

Well-Known Member
^ No dog in this fight whatsoever, but wouldn’t that still make him live in GB, assuming he lives there, as well as the UK? I don’t follow the argument. Maybe too much vodka on my part.
 

rsemmes

Active Member
I don't think it's the vodka, I think Redshift is trying to start a Geography thread.
I think to remember that someone tried to move Russia into Asia so, who knows, maybe I live in a Peninsula...
 

rsemmes

Active Member
Escalation.

The Ministry of Defence emphasised that the role of the fighters – whose number was not stated – would be limited. “These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis,” it said.
Half a step away from pre-emptive strikes, like the US.

On the other hand, as it was mentioned somewhere else, if S. Arabia ends its war, pulls back to its own country and forgets about its interests... What reason would have the Houthis to hit them when they have plenty of targets in Yemen?
 

KipPotapych

Well-Known Member
Ok, one more thought: what are the chances Article 5 being tested in Turkey at some point in time, while everyone expects the unlikely test to take place in Europe? They are definitely not zero and far from it.
@Feanor and Big Z, the Article 5 testing theory I proposed. With Iraq basically dismantled, Syria in ruins, Iran as weak as it had ever been (reasonably speaking) and no longer a credible threat for the foreseeable future (unless they get the nukes cooked with reliable means of delivery), Turkey remains the only credible threat and the only competitor in the region. For Israel, of course. If Turkey were put in the same position as the aforementioned “used-to-be-players”, Israel becomes the absolute power in the Middles East, which also brings the best security arrangements for the country. This isn’t a next year plan, of course; it’s a long-term game and the ideal result for Israel. So in my theory, it is Israel that will be testing the Article 5 and, in today’s environment (doubt it would be any different in the future, except it could be less credible), it is pretty clear that no one will come for help. Turkey’s that is.
Quoting for continuity and context:

IMG_7281.jpeg
 

rsemmes

Active Member
Talking about context...

After months bombing Iran and killing more than one hundred children, "President Donald Trump said this week that he was considering another operation against Iran" and "Iranian plots to kill U.S. officials in Middle East have reached ‘advanced stages,’ intel memo warns"; adults, I guess.

Obviously, that threat of killing officials "would fatefully damage respect for international law" (from another thread) and the US, like any other civilized nation, as least like every NATO (Western?) country, will be forced to take strong measures, maybe even preemptive actions and, no doubt, reprisals. If they dare, how do they dare!
Or something like that...

They point is that the US is happy to go for another round and every American will see that it is to protect the lives of their fellow American citizens.

Edit.
There is one reality, the War in Ukraine is not a singularity in time and space, a bubble floating over History and current affairs.
 
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