Trump on Saudi Oil Attack: "Locked and Loaded" — Why is He About to Start WWIII

Trump's gloomy and damn scary tweet

(Waiting on the Saudis to tell him to attack) 

$110 billion arms sales and smiling MBS

(Trump bragging: October 15, 2018)

Let me be perfectly clear and logical about the recent Saudi oil refinery attack this past weekend based on:

This update from Reuters; Trump’s tweet; and, my earlier coverage here.

A Saudi-led military alliance battling the Houthis said the attack on Saudi oil plants was done with Iranian weapons and was not launched from Yemen. (Saudi preliminary finding).

Saudi Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a press conference in Riyadh that an investigation into the Saturday strikes, which shut 5% of world crude output, was going on to determine the launch location, and he added: “The preliminary results show that the weapons are Iranian and we are currently working to determine the location ... The terrorist attack did not originate from Yemen as the Houthi militia claimed.”  

Meanwhile, UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council it was “not entirely clear” who was behind the strike but he said it had increased the chances of a regional conflict.

My 2 cents and more facts below: Let’s assume that Iranian-provided hardware was used by that group now fighting the Saudis in Yemen was in fact used in the attack. Okay, then, so what about the all other arms and weapons sold around the world that are used in various military attacks. Should they, the sellers, be held to account and attacked? 

To answer that question, consider these military arm sales facts:

Saudi Arabia has the highest military expenditure per capita some $2,107.42 in the world. 

The top 10 countries by military expenditure per capita are: #1: Saudi Arabia, #2: Israel, #3: United States, #3: Oman, #5: Singapore, #6: Kuwait, #7: Norway, #8: Australia, #9: Bahrain, and #10: France.

Saudi Arabia is also the 18th-largest economy in the world by GDP. 

The top 10 countries by GDP (nominal) in the world are: #1: United States, #2: China, #3: Japan, #4: Germany, #5: United Kingdom, #6: France, #7 India, #8: Italy, #9: Brazil, and #10: Canada.

World-wide military arms sales: 

The United States remains the world's top weapons seller, accounting for 34% of all global arms sales over the past five years.

Russia is the second-largest exporter with about 20% of all global arms deliveries.

This research is from the “Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in their March 11, 2018 overview of global weapon sales and arms transfers report.

The U.S. share of arms sales is up 4% in the 2008-12 period, re: SIPRI, adding: “Based on deals signed during the Obama administration, U.S. arms deliveries in 2013–17 reached their highest level since the late 1990s.” That according to Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program, and she added: “These deals and further major contracts signed in 2017 will ensure that the U.S. remains the largest arms exporter in the coming years.”

Specifics from SIPRI:

U.S. arms went to at least 98 countries, with a large portion of U.S. exports consisting of combat and transport aircraft.  

Russia exported weapons to 47 countries as well as to rebel forces in eastern Ukraine. That is where Moscow-backed separatists are fighting the central government in Kiev. Overall, Russian arms sales fell 7% from the previous five-year period report.

France is #3 in arms exports with some 7%. They are followed by #3, Germany and #4, China.

My conclusion: I rest my case – if there is a case to be rested that is.

Trump appears ready to defend the Saudis – why? So, they will help defend his loaned out money (or to money Jared Kushner has begged for, and from here.

Call this by what it is: quid pro quo – you scratch my back, I’ll return the favor – just tell me where to scratch.

Stay tuned folks, this is apt to get very, very ugly very fast.

Thanks for stopping by.