The world unwinds: Saudi Arabia to send army against ISIS in Syria?

 

I thought Saudi had been covertly funneling money and even arms to ISIS?  Has not the House of Saud been implicated in helping foment many of the islamist revolutions that have occurred, from Tunisia to Iraq?  Or is that more the Gulf States like Bahrain and the UAE?

Russians and Saudis fighting side by side (figuratively) against a common enemy?  Who would have thunk it?  And what huge carrot (I can’t believe it would be a stick) has the administration dangled in front of the Saudis in order to get them to commit to sending land forces if the Obama Admin desires it?  I can’t believe that was cheap.  Has to be more than the 86 F-15s we recently agreed to sell them.

Saudi Arabia’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri said on Thursday, according to Al Arabiya English, that Riyadh’s decision to send troops into Syria is “final” and “irreversible” and that they are “ready” to deploy them against Islamic State (ISIS) there as part of U.S.-led efforts against that group.

However he stressed that he is conveying “Saudi’s [decision] only” implying that Riyadh will follow Washington’s lead when it comes to any potential ground operation against ISIS in Syria.

Washington has refused to rule out the prospect of Saudi Arabia sending soldiers to Syria. However it pointed out that it was just one of the available options. [Saudi’s as US-funded mercenaries?  Historically, the performance of the Saudi army in land combat has been quite unimpressive.  Many of the soldiers would have strong sympathies with ISIS, I would suspect.  Not a good situation]

“There are lots of ways that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain can contribute. One of them is on the ground – and we’ll definitely be discussing that – but there are lots of other ways as well,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels according to The Guardian.

Assiri also said that if Riyadh’s main regional rival, Iran, is serious about combating terrorism in the region it must stop supporting “terrorism” in both Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia and Iran are backing opposing sides in the wars raging in both Yemen (where Saudi Arabia is bombing the Iranian backed Houthis) and Syria (where Saudi Arabia is supporting various armed groups opposed to Iran’s ally, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad). [Supporting Al Nusra and the remnants of the “Free Syrian Army?”  But haven’t they also given a wink and a nod to ISIS?  Given how much Saudi has exported radical islam around the world, their criticisms of Iran are obviously self-serving and hypocritica.  What this is really about is the great conflict between Sunni and Shia islam, and which will emerge dominant.]

What tangled webs we weave.

Is it a matter requiring assent of faith that Armageddon is really located in Israel?  Could it be in Syria, I say with tongue only slightly in cheek?

As this conflict continues to ramp up, the ones truly caught in the middle are Syria’s dwindling Christian policy.  I imagine almost all sides in the conflict – Shia, secularists, Sunni – see that as a feature rather than a bug.  And once again the US government executes policies that have the effect of leading to Christian genocide.  At least I have this to fall back on: