(October 26, 2015 at 1:37 pm)Chuck Wrote: Collapse of the petro-oligarchy in the gulf most likely mean expansion of IS. It does benefit the US in creating the sort of disorder that makes it easier for the US to retain its preeminence in the civilized parts of the Euroasian continent, but it benefits almost no one else.
This is what I was thinking. Despite the fact that regimes like this are nauseating, they do have the benefit of stabilizing a region that is full of sectarian tribes that want to see each other up against the wall. The ensuing power vacuum of a bankrupt Saudi Arabia would be ripe for IS to take over, giving them a new foothold, more recruits and more resources.
The region is destabilized enough as it is. The Saudis running out of money would be devastating for the common man in the region. It's a lose/lose situation.
