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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    One Bully Slaps Another

    How Mohammed bin Salman Hit a Dead End in Washington

    Bobby Ghosh
    Bloomberg May 4, 2020, 11:00 AM GMT+7

    (Bloomberg Opinion) -- There came a moment during Donald Trump’s April 2 phone call to Mohammed bin Salman when Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, apparently stunned by what the American president had just said, asked his aides to leave the room. No courtiers were present when their master, no slouch at intimidation himself, was apparently bullied into submission.

    It could not have been otherwise. Trump had, in effect, threatened the complete withdrawal of American troops from the kingdom if the Saudis didn’t slash oil production. MBS, as the prince is commonly known, could hardly have missed the dire implications, for himself and his family. As Trump has put it, with characteristic crudeness, the kingdom’s rulers “might not be there for two weeks” without U.S. military backing.

    It took less time than that — 10 days, to be precise — for Saudi Arabia and Russia to announce the end of their oil war and start cutting production. Trump got much of the credit for the cessation of hostilities. With uncharacteristic grace, he made no mention of his hardball tactics, thus sparing MBS’s blushes.

    But the crown prince must now recognize the limitations of his ill-judged strategy to base relations with the U.S., the kingdom’s indispensable ally, exclusively on the cultivation of the first family. Previous Saudi rulers would have been able to rely on friends in Congress to plead with the White House for leniency. But MBS has few friends in Washington — and the army of lobbyists he maintains there is of limited use in a crisis.

    Instead, the prince is as close to a pariah as a senior member of the royal family has ever been in the 75 years of the Saudi-American alliance. He is under near-constant attack from all quarters in Washington over a wide range of issues, from the war in Yemen and the jailing of women’s rights activists to the murder of the columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Even such Republican grandees as Lindsey Graham regard him as “unstable and unreliable.” There is broad, bipartisan support in Washington for punitive actions against Riyadh, ranging from restricting arms sales to demanding justice for Khashoggi. The oil war earned MBS still more opprobrium, this time from American producers wounded by plummeting prices.

    MBS’s dependence on Trump — and the White House veto — to override this antagonism made him highly vulnerable to presidential strong-arm tactics. Ironically, Trump chose to invoke the hostility of Congress in issuing his threat on April 2: If the prince didn’t cut oil production, the president would not be able to block legislation to withdraw American troops from the kingdom. A week later, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy introduced just such a bill.

    The prince is now in a bind. He desperately needs to rebuild bridges with Congress, but that will be harder now that he has injured U.S. oil interests. Nor can he easily submit to pressure from American lawmakers on other issues without losing face at home and in the Arab world.

    The timing of his humiliation by Trump is especially unpropitious: The twin blows of the oil war and the coronavirus pandemic have greatly damaged the Saudi economy and undermined his ambitious reform agenda at home. His cherished plan to build a futuristic megacity on the Red Sea coast is facing unexpected opposition. Much effort and cost will be required to extricate Saudi Arabia from the Yemeni quagmire with a semblance of dignity.

    All told, any hope that 2020 would be a year of personal triumph for MBS has been dashed.

    For now, the prince is stuck exactly where the president wants him. The royal aides should expect to be routinely excluded from more phone calls from the White House.
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    With this action Trump effectively destroyed the "Petrodollar" and all the baggage that carried, the story hasn't finished yet.......................

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    ^Because ?

    Genuinely curious

  4. #4
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    Trump handled that well, once more

    awesome guy

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    No idea what happened! double post &&&&
    Last edited by Airportwo; 05-05-2020 at 01:29 AM.

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    ^Because ?
    Petrodollar gone, (with the currency not being based on the price of oil, why fight over it - there's plenty?) what will take its place? Trump has also loaded up the FED with 8 trillion dollars of 0% loans, says he will need another 30 trillion at zero percent, where would this leave the FED (remember its private!) could he be trying to break them, what will be the new "currency" Treasuries? ?????????????????
    Seems to me there is concurrent plan being played out while the new CV19 "agenda" & social engineering New World Order project is running? - just my opinion, if anyone knows better?

  7. #7
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Airportwo View Post
    could he be trying to break them
    I don't think he pondered the consequences

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    He did not ponder the consequences
    FTFY.

  9. #9
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    Trump is not trying to break the FED, the Fed is taking action on its own, it doesn't take orders from the POTUS or the US Treasury

    to maintain economic activity they need inject some cash in the pump

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dragonfly View Post
    to maintain economic activity they need inject some cash in the pump
    An empty slot machine will not attract the gambler.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    ^^
    They might not take orders from potus, but they listen bloody close to what this one wants.

    Anyway what have I missed here, the main functions of a central bank are to monitor, issue and stabilise currency, regulate banks and fis, and attend to inflation and employment; can't see where it says also bail out stock markets.

    At the end of this if they don't reign in, the Fed could pwn the Treasury and whatever bits China has overlooked.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Anyway what have I missed here,
    ...*cough*...the point of this thread...

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by lom View Post
    An empty slot machine will not attract the gambler.
    is it empty? why would you think that?

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    ^^
    They might not take orders from potus, but they listen bloody close to what this one wants.

    Anyway what have I missed here, the main functions of a central bank are to monitor, issue and stabilise currency, regulate banks and fis, and attend to inflation and employment; can't see where it says also bail out stock markets.

    At the end of this if they don't reign in, the Fed could pwn the Treasury and whatever bits China has overlooked.
    the role of the Fed is to create economic stability by maximizing output and maintaining Potential GDP, with a reasonable inflation level

    problem is that we have been below potential GDP since 2008, and growth and inflation failed to pick up as some ways to reach back potential GDP

    and of course we have that liquidity trap with the low interested rates so the Fed is running out of options, and they know it.

    Monetarists are starting to fail, like Keynesians did in the 70s. Interesting times.

  15. #15
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    More proof that the orange moron is under Vlads thumb. That pee pee tape exists.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    More proof that the orange moron is under Vlads thumb. That pee pee tape exists.
    The brainless one is back with his "nasty orange man" what a dickhead you are, you moronic piece of crap!
    & thats being nice! as you are a pathetic human being!
    Least you have "Arry's" butt to kiss, what a pair you are!

  17. #17
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    I guess the red got you....

    One Bully Slaps Another-giphy-gif


  18. #18
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    I guess the red got you....
    No, just find it annoying that sad fucks like you exist to be quite honest, enjoy your extended lock down as you wont have the balls to stand up for your rights and will come out with your pathetic "bad orange man" child like shit instead!
    Instead of actually doing something positive, you brainwashed ignoramus!

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Airportwo View Post
    a) No, just find it annoying that sad fucks like you exist to be quite honest, b) enjoy your extended lock down as you wont have the balls to stand up for your rights and will come out with your pathetic "bad orange man" child like shit instead!
    c) Instead of actually doing something positive, you brainwashed ignoramus!
    a) *tsk*...sad fucks are TD's bread and butter...

    b) What rights would you have him stand up for? Freedom to breathe in virus particles? Freedom to infect others at will? Freedom to do exactly as he likes without regard for social well-being? Freedom to carry a weapon to demonstrate his manhood?

  20. #20
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    b) What rights would you have him stand up for?
    Even the worst dictatorships have freedom of thought.

    No lockdown or excuse there

    Maybe a good place for him to start

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    a)Even the worst dictatorships have freedom of thought.

    b) No lockdown or excuse there

    c) Maybe a good place for him to start
    a) Was that pithy?
    b) Where?
    c) Who?

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    What rights would you have him stand up for?
    Just to insist on being told the truth and not the twaddle the MSM media peddles, if the truth had been told there would have been no lock down.
    If you follow the MSM and believe their nonsense and the lies and BS that has been forced on people using the "virus" agenda, their is no conversation to be had!
    I will leave you to celebrate the 60% reduction in flu cases & wait for the miracle vaccine complete with disinfectants which they will force on people!

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    a) Was that pithy?
    b) Where?
    c) Who?
    A: Sorry, but do not know the word 'pithy'
    B: Where you think
    C: Follow your own post trail

  24. #24
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Airportwo View Post
    Just to insist on being told the truth and not the twaddle the MSM media peddles, if the truth had been told there would have been no lock down.
    If you follow the MSM and believe their nonsense and the lies and BS that has been forced on people using the "virus" agenda, their is no conversation to be had!
    I will leave you to celebrate the 60% reduction in flu cases & wait for the miracle vaccine complete with disinfectants which they will force on people!
    ...ah, you're a conspiracy theorist...an anti-vaxxer perhaps...a pedophile ring in the DC pizzeria no doubt...I hope you have something novel to report...alien anal probes are so overdone...

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...ah, you're a conspiracy theorist...an anti-vaxxer perhaps...a pedophile ring in the DC pizzeria no doubt...I hope you have something novel to report...alien anal probes are so overdone...
    Nothing to discuss - Another Sheep!

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