Sunday, April 30, 2023

Saudi Arabia has surrendered.

It is very odd to watch the Prince throw in the towel. MBS, right? He was the one that came into power, via Trump’s efforts, and proceeded to take an aggressive stance. It was MBS’s posture that brought on the war at his borders.

Now, he and China want to called it normalization. Sure. First Iran agrees to end the conflict, now it is the Houthis. There is no other way to look at it, MBS screwed up. I love the way he wants to normalize relations with Israel for a POSSIBLE recognition that it exists.

I would think "normalization" would immediately include recognizing Israel as a sovereign nation.

April 30, 2023
By AFP and Lazar Berman

Amman, Jordan — Arab foreign ministers (click here) will gather in Jordan on Monday to discuss Syria’s long-running conflict and ending Damascus’s diplomatic isolation in the region, the Foreign Ministry in Amman said.

Syria’s President Bashar Assad has been politically isolated since the conflict in his country began in 2011.

However, recent weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity after Saudi Arabia and Iran — a close ally of Damascus — resumed diplomatic ties in March, shifting regional relations.

Monday’s meeting in Amman will bring together foreign ministers from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

The talks will “take stock of the contacts of these countries with the Syrian government to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” a Foreign Ministry statement said Sunday....

I would expect at least the USA would be in attendance. Has Arabia noticed there have been conflicts with Russian and USA aircraft over Syria? I would think the first thing that needs to be done is to have the USA at the meeting to discuss what the problem is that Russian aircraft are causing tensions over Syria.

The USA is involved because of it's alliance with Israel. There is not going to be attacks of Israel by any other Arab country. Jordan and the USA are on good terms and I would expect the USA State Department and possibly a representative from the USA military as well. There is a lot going on with China trying to leverage a presence in the region so tensions are high.

April 30, 2023

China has resumed construction work on a military base (click here) in the United Arab Emirates in defiance of displeasure by the United States, leaked intelligence documents have revealed.

According to the Washington Post, leaked US intelligence documents that it obtained reportedly show that Chinese plans to continue construction in its military base in the UAE have gone ahead.

The suspected Chinese military facility at Khalifa port near Abu Dhabi is part of plans to create a global network of military facilities at ports across the Middle East, south-east Asia, and Africa by 2030, labelled 'project 141.'

The reported continuation of the build-up of that base comes after the works there were forced to halt in 2021 due to US objections. According to the outlet, however, US intelligence detected the resumed construction in December, a mere year after it was apparently halted....

It would appear that all of Xi's propaganda about peace isn't really about peace. It sincerely looks like Xi wants conflict with the USA.

Al Dhafra Air Force Base, United Arab Emirates (click here)

October 22, 2020

For the first time in over a decade, (click here) the US Air Force is publicly acknowledging it runs an air war out of Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.


The US embassy in country recently worked with Emirati counterparts to make the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing — an Air Combat Command-run unit at the base — known, officials told Military.com.

Military.com first spoke with members of the 380th on a trip to the Middle East earlier this summer on condition the name and location of the base not be disclosed, and that full names of personnel not be used due to safety concerns amid ongoing air operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

While the 380th was established at the base on Jan. 25, 2002, the US military has had a presence on the base for approximately 25 years. The base is home to a variety of combat operations...

One might note the base was established January 25, 2002. Why? Because of the events of September 11, 2001. The USA has a strong interest in maintaining a base for national security interests. However, Xi and Putin seem more interested in victimizing the USA further and raise conflict instead of peace. The USA has a right to be safe and it has operations there for one reason and one reason only; to maintain the peace.