This is the essential quote in the article:

quote:

"Saudi's diversification strategy attempts to fill in the gaps left by the U.S.' loss of interest or will in maintaining the status quo in the region," Shihabi said.

While the piece is naturally focussing on (in)action of the current administration, again the course of American disengagement from the Middle East and connected areas in North Africa and West Asia goes back more than a decade now, actually spanning three administrations. It hasn't been consistent - the US allowed itself to be dragged into Libya and Syria in 2011 and 2014 respectively, and brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords in which various countries in the region established relations with Israel (though that was arguably aimed to support American disengagement in hope of regional peace and stability).

But overall the direction is clear - 2011 withdrawal from Iraq (originally meant to become the new strategic US hub in the Middle East itself as American forces pulled out of Saudia Arabia following 9/11), estrangement from the Saudis over growing US energy independence due to the shale oil boom from 2013, 2018 decision to withdraw from Syria, too (and in articular abandoning the Kurds to Turkish intervention), pulling the plug on the nuclear deal with Iran the same year, and also pullout from Afghanistan in 2021. Just a couple decisions like that don't yet make a strategic trend; people just hunker down and wait for the next change of government, hoping that traditional policy will resume.

Three different administrations from both parties doing that though, and they start looking for alternate partners to get things done. That doesn't mean the Saudis have given up on the US entirely yet; as the guy above notes, so far it's just a diversification strategy, hedging your bets in case the trend continues. To a certain degree the Gulf monarchies have always done that, too, like buying military equipment from multiple sources to curry favor with different powers and insure supply against a fallout with one. It would take quite a bit longer still for China to become the new patrin of the Middle East, let alone establish the renminbi as the new world reserve currency.

China And Brazil Strike Deal To Ditch The US Dollar

https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...deal-ditch-us-dollar

According to the Brazilian government, China and Brazil have reached a deal to trade in their own currencies, ditching the United States dollar as an intermediary entirely, AFP reported.

And our President is taking what bold moves to prevent this?

What makes you think they want to prevent it ? Maybe this is all going to plan.

The plan is to be china's slave labor force. Education system is already geared for it.
Maybe that's harsh. But the path is to import low IQ workers and not educate native ones. I guess we could become the place the Chinese vacation at.

Well well now we see the man behind the curtain that was the fraudulent Brazil election last year, China. Elections have consequences, fraudulent elections have dire consequences, as we well know after the past two years.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
China And Brazil Strike Deal To Ditch The US Dollar

https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...deal-ditch-us-dollar

According to the Brazilian government, China and Brazil have reached a deal to trade in their own currencies, ditching the United States dollar as an intermediary entirely, AFP reported.

quote:

Well well now we see the man behind the curtain that was the fraudulent Brazil election last year, China. Elections have consequences, fraudulent elections have dire consequences, as we well know after the past two years.

Yes... I have no doubt that the Chinese had a hand in it. All that money paid to the Bidens wasn't for nothing.

Someone remind me...What's the sentence for the crime of Treason against the United States of America?

How Much Longer Can Western Governments Spit on Their People?

https://www.americanthinker.co...on_their_people.html

I'm thinking it's highly unlikely war will be necessary. China will simply foreclose on us. They already have significant assets and people here. There isn't much they don't have a significant stake in or control in the world anymore. I've been concerned about this for about 10 years now.

I find the "Russia is our current enemy, China is our long term enemy" theory ludicrous. Russia invading Ukraine means nothing to US strategic interests. China cultivating close relationships in South and Central America is a problem that is right here and right now. Europe needs to deal with Ukraine, the US needs to deal with China. If Europe can't handle the Russian problem in their own back yard it definitely can't handle a Russia-China alliance if the US is significantly weakened.

quote:

Europe needs to deal with Ukraine, the US needs to deal with China. If Europe can't handle the Russian problem in their own back yard it definitely can't handle a Russia-China alliance if the US is significantly weakened.

I think the idea is that the alliance with Europe is to make it possible to deal with both Russia and China - both of which have made it clear that they're hostile to the U.S. It's not as though we're going to convince either Russia or China that Russia is only supposed to be a problem for Europe and China is only supposed to be a problem for the U.S.

Put it this way - Russia, China and the U.S. are all Pacific Ocean powers, so we're on the front line with both Russia and China in the event of a conflict. To not uphold the European relationship would leave the U.S. "significantly weakened" in a confrontation with Russia, China or both.

So spin your wheel of fortune to come up with whatever justification of why you support this completely foolish mess to the degree it destroy's our ability to function as a strong, independent, viable nation. Knock yourself out.

This is fun.
Our isolationists non-interventionists upset and angry the US is getting involved in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Now the same crowd is now upset Russia is forming an Axis of Not Nice People with China, and getting other nations to be part of that club. And they're mad that our resident ice cream consumer at 1600 isn't doing anything about it.

Only if there have been people saying this conflict isn't just regional, that others (mainly China) are paying close attention to not just the military part of the conflict but how the international community (including the US) is responding, and re-assess their ambitions. Biden is a piece of crap, but he is out piece of crap. Sometimes one just has to hold their nose and look at the bigger picture of where do we want to world to go. Give limited support to a one term president we don't like, honor the agreements and treaties we've signed. Or allow the world to slide into darkness as tyrants use force to steal, enslave, and/or commit genocide because we don't want Biden to get a win.

Good grief. In no picture should the US taxpayer be funding this mess! It's almost like folks can't even fathom a world in which Europe is a viable entity able to defend itself. The darkness is going to be our domestic economic situation very soon.

quote:

Originally posted by IrishWind:
This is fun.
Our isolationists non-interventionists upset and angry the US is getting involved in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Now the same crowd is now upset Russia is forming an Axis of Not Nice People with China, and getting other nations to be part of that club. And they're mad that our resident ice cream consumer at 1600 isn't doing anything about it.

OMG Biden isn't just "not doing anything about it' ... he's pushing Russia and China together (and the rest of the non-woke, energy consuming world).

War in Ukraine has exacerbated a European energy crisis, spiked inflation, surged transnational migration, and set off new cultural clashes. U.S.-NATO's insistence on fighting a proxy war with Russia right up to its territorial borders has reignited the threat of nuclear conflagration. The decisions of the U.N., IMF, E.U., and Bank for International Settlements to use the legal and financial institutions of the U.S.'s precious "rules-based international order" as instruments for executing a hybrid war against Russia's economy have had a cascading boomerang effect across the globe as developing nations unwilling to be at the mercy of Western domination seek alternative alliances, market relationships, and financial networks. And while the CIA engages in information warfare to redirect blame for the industrial sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, connecting Russia and Germany, to Ukrainian explosives experts, it is almost universally accepted throughout the world that the Biden regime destroyed critical infrastructure owned not just by Russia, but also by Germany and other NATO allies.

Perhaps most troubling for Western governments, their choice to engage in tit-for-tat brinkmanship with Russia — while China speaks more brazenly about conquering Taiwan and Chinese economic influence grows across the Middle East, Africa, and South America — has left U.S.-NATO in the strategically vulnerable position of fighting two lethal foes at once. Abandoning — through negligence or hubris — a half-century of foreign policy directed toward keeping communist China and strongman Russia from ever joining forces, the West has instead taken one misstep after another these last two years to ensure that former adversaries become bonded allies for at least the next generation.

We haven't seen anything yet. China and Brazil will no longer use the US dollar for commerce between them. BRICS is looking to adopt a new currency to move away from the dollar, may happen as soon as August. Furthermore, at least 100 nations are looking to dump US Treasury notes they hold. We are looking at the end of the dollar as the world's currency.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Originally posted by IrishWind:
This is fun.
Our isolationists non-interventionists upset and angry the US is getting involved in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Now the same crowd is now upset Russia is forming an Axis of Not Nice People with China, and getting other nations to be part of that club. And they're mad that our resident ice cream consumer at 1600 isn't doing anything about it.

OMG Biden isn't just "not doing anything about it' ... he's pushing Russia and China together (and the rest of the non-woke, energy consuming world).

War in Ukraine has exacerbated a European energy crisis, spiked inflation, surged transnational migration, and set off new cultural clashes. U.S.-NATO's insistence on fighting a proxy war with Russia right up to its territorial borders has reignited the threat of nuclear conflagration. The decisions of the U.N., IMF, E.U., and Bank for International Settlements to use the legal and financial institutions of the U.S.'s precious "rules-based international order" as instruments for executing a hybrid war against Russia's economy have had a cascading boomerang effect across the globe as developing nations unwilling to be at the mercy of Western domination seek alternative alliances, market relationships, and financial networks. And while the CIA engages in information warfare to redirect blame for the industrial sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, connecting Russia and Germany, to Ukrainian explosives experts, it is almost universally accepted throughout the world that the Biden regime destroyed critical infrastructure owned not just by Russia, but also by Germany and other NATO allies.

Perhaps most troubling for Western governments, their choice to engage in tit-for-tat brinkmanship with Russia — while China speaks more brazenly about conquering Taiwan and Chinese economic influence grows across the Middle East, Africa, and South America — has left U.S.-NATO in the strategically vulnerable position of fighting two lethal foes at once. Abandoning — through negligence or hubris — a half-century of foreign policy directed toward keeping communist China and strongman Russia from ever joining forces, the West has instead taken one misstep after another these last two years to ensure that former adversaries become bonded allies for at least the next generation.

Seriously, it's amazing that the non-isolationists interventionists are all happy and giddy about seemingly every aspect of the US getting involved in defending Ukraine and yet, somehow CANNOT see that all of this is happening as a DIRECT RESULT of that intervention, the sanctions that were intended to 'punish' Russia, and all the precursor activities that occurred during the previous decade that (intentionally?) provoked this situation!

The 'boomerang effects' are simply everywhere, universally affecting nearly all western economies and financial markets. The sad truth is that this is just the beginning and it's likely to get MUCH worse than many can even imagine! All of this was easily predictable, and for some, it could seen plain as day where this could/would end up over a year ago! Unfortunately, this will have devastating, long term impacts that our children's children (or possibly their grandchildren!) may still be hoping to one day recover from long into their lifetimes!

But hey, 'As long as it takes, Whatever it costs'...

U.S. House Speaker McCarthy is planning to visit Taiwan and seems scheduled to meet Taiwanese President Tsai in California on his way to Taiwan.

The People's Republic of China is threatening all kinds of consequences and says that McCarthy's visit will "unite the Chinese people against a common enemy".

http://www.yahoo.com/news/chin...eaker-034058835.html

Should McCarthy avoid meeting with Tsai and cancel the trip to Taiwan because the Red Chinese are calling both of those (prospective) actions "provocations"? Are we "ignoring their warnings" if McCarthy goes ahead and meets with Tsai and then visits Taiwan?

They are clearly meant to be provocative. It's all theater anyway. China owns most of our politicians, athletes, hollywood, and businesses

quote:

They are clearly meant to be provocative

How so? That looks like ordinary diplomatic relations with an ally to me.