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2016-04-28 Arabia

Saudi Arabia will struggle to kick its addiction to oil

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Posted by Fred 2016-04-28 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1 Theprince claimed his national transformation program would enable the kingdom to "live without oil" as early as 2020

....Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha - No.

The fact that they're even talking about this means they are having a Belshazzar's Feast moment over there. Their entire social contract - and even religious dicatorships have 'em - is built on vast endless amounts of oil money, a guaranteed yearly income, and huge numbers of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) to do all the icky everyday work that Saudi males firmly believe they are above. You take any of that out of the equation, and the Saudi people (effectively just the men) are going to be pi$$ed. I think that the 'plan' actually involves setting things up so the al-Sauds can bail someplace safe and far away, and it's going to take till 2020.

And when it comes unglued, it will be hard, fast, and 'unexpected'.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2016-04-28 05:15|| 2016-04-28 05:15|| Front Page Top

#2 Geopolitics abhors a vacuum.

Saudi isn't ethnoreligiously diverse like Syria, Iraq and Yemen. I don't see it sliding into a chaotic civil war like the aforementioned.

A Palace Coup is a definitely possibility, which may end up with a military strongman in charge. Which is the default Arab model of government.

Posted by phil_b 2016-04-28 07:05|| 2016-04-28 07:05|| Front Page Top

#3 They could always sell sand

Posted by chris 2016-04-28 07:57|| 2016-04-28 07:57|| Front Page Top

#4 Like a drug pusher that realized the cartels are taking over the streets. Time to quit. Hope they rot in hell.

Posted by 49 pan 2016-04-28 10:42|| 2016-04-28 10:42|| Front Page Top

#5 Good luck with that. Once oil isn't needed as much (go fusion and fuel cells!) and we can get it from our own countries, you and your kind are doomed. Your societies will collapse and you will destroy and eat your own.

And only your fleas will miss you.

Posted by DarthVader 2016-04-28 11:50|| 2016-04-28 11:50|| Front Page Top

#6 And only your fleas will miss you.

I'm picturing a remake of Ozymandias with a cracked and weathered tombstone in a trackless desert. The inscription reads, "Where'd they all go? -- the fleas"

Posted by SteveS 2016-04-28 14:52|| 2016-04-28 14:52|| Front Page Top

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