Following the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by protestors, CNN is reporting that Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with Iran:
(CNN)First, one man’s execution spurred sectarian protests and violence in the Middle East. Now, it appears to have sparked a serious diplomatic rift.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Sunday that his country is severing ties with Iran. Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia have 48 hours to leave the country, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters.
The two countries have long been at odds, but Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr Saturday kicked off a new round of sparring between them that analysts say could mark a dangerous shift in an already volatile region.
“I think you’re going to see a period of very harsh rhetoric, and the cutting of diplomatic ties comes at a very bad time. … This is Saudi Arabia saying, ‘The gloves are off,’ ” said Bobby Ghosh, a CNN global affairs analyst and managing editor of Quartz.
A few quick, hipshot reactions:
- Can anybody really believe that the storming of the Saudi embassy did not take place with, at the very least, the consent of the Iranian regime? Protestors make a very handy cover just as “students” did 35 years ago.
- The mullah regime is a rogue regime.
- The civil war within Islam is escalating. Let’s try not to get caught in the crossfire, shall we?
- I am trying very hard to resist the temptation to play the transactional game “Let’s you and him fight”.
- The Saudis will whine but I doubt they’ll do much more than that. Just look at how much trouble they’ve had with Yemen which is practically supine.
- If they do much more than that, the Saudis will have their ears pinned back unless they can get someone else to do their fighting for them. Please, let it not be us.
Update
My blogfriend Joe Gandelman has contributed one of his characteristically extensive round-ups of news and opinion on the matter.
It should be a great year for mercenaries willing to work for the Saudis.
I remember so many media experts pooh-poohing the idea that intra-Muslim conflict was important. But it’s like trying to pretend Catholic and Protestant weren’t relevant in Northern Ireland. People with a secular disposition tend to dismiss religion out of hand, and certainly have a hard time grasping that people would actually kill each other over fine points of doctrine.
Of course in the end it’s all just Us vs. Them, with sides defined by family, clan, tribe, race, religion, nationality, ideology. . . It’s not hard to get humans to choose up teams and get ready to rumble.
The last entry he list from Sophia Cannon has it right. Those who were looking for a space invasion or a repeat of WW2 have just been granted their wish. If you thought ISIS and Iranian nukes were worrying people, you should probably make sure the seat belt is tight, and if you think everything is going really swell, bury your head back in the sand.
“Us and Them…..with sides defined by family, clan, tribe, race, religion, nationality, ideology.”
Hmmm. And here I thought it was “with, without, and who’ll deny it’s what the fighting’s all about..”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2016/01/moscow-allies-with-shiites-despite-fact.html
The Russian team is certainly friendlier to Christians of all persuasions than the American team favoring the House of Saud.
(US helping SA commit atrocities in Yemen as I write.)
Not that the neocons/libs who run the American would have it any other way as long as Israel regards the Russian team as the stronger enemy.
Keep in mind the relationship between the Russian government and the Orthodox Church. Putin is trying to carve out a position for himself as guardian of orthodoxy. Of course they’re going to be favorably disposed to the Christians in Syria. Most of ’em are Syrian Orthodox.
Just a continuation and maybe an escalation of what has been going on throughout the ME, especially Syria right now. Agree that we should not jump in and defend KSA. Be very surprised if it escalates much. Saudis can’t fight and Iran doesn’t want to fight.
Steve