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PBS Frontline - Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia

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Did anyone watch part 1? Part 2 is on tonight. It goes all the way from the post WW2 colonial ME. The US and Britain engineering a coup against the first democratically elected leader of Iran, Mosaddegh, when he nationalized the western run oil industry. Ayatollah Khomeini's Shia uprising against the western backed Shah of Iran. Bush 2 going into Iraq against the advice of the Sauds (both the Sauds and Hussein were Sunni and the Sauds knew Shia Iran would fill the vacuum). Carter arming the mujaheddin in Afghanistan. Iran funding Hezbollah in Lebanon to fight Israel, etc.

 

It's really fascinating stuff, and a great history lesson for anybody that doesn't understand all of the nuances and complexities of all this ME drama.

 

http://www.pbs.org/video/bitter-rivals-iran-and-saudi-arabia-pqsnhk/

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Will check it out. Front line is awesome. Surprised PBS hasn't ruined it yet.

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It was excellent. I really wish all Americans watched it. It's a very complicated situation.

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Ill have to download it.

 

Ive read books on the post war colonial period in the ME. My conclusion is that the ME mess is mostly the focking britishs Fault.

Its definitely worth watching, man. It doesnt even get too deep into the politics of it all. And when it does, its very unbiased and historically based (who was in power at the time, etc). lt its more of a chronological story of post WW2 events that shaped the ME. The rise of Sharia law, fighting between the two Muslim sects, western influences, etc.

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Its definitely worth watching, man. It doesnt even get too deep into the politics of it all. And when it does, its very unbiased and historically based (who was in power at the time, etc). lt its more of a chronological story of post WW2 events that shaped the ME. The rise of Sharia law, fighting between the two Muslim sects, western influences, etc.

Sounds like something Id like. Ill see if its on Pirate Bay later.

 

Check out A Peace To End All Peace by David Fromkin if you want to read more about that period.

 

Basically, much of the trouble comes from France and mostly Britain drawing national boundaries to suit their own greedy interests that still cause problems to this day (see iraq and Syria).

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Just finished part 2. It took a while to appear on Pirate Bay.

 

Really good stuff.

 

Just reinforces why we need to stay completely out of that sh!thole of a region. Nothing we or anyone else does there turns out to be anything good.

 

We should distance ourselves from the Saudis big time. Should never have climbed in bed with them. Need to stop selling them freaking weapons.

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We should distance ourselves from the Saudis big time. Should never have climbed in bed with them. Need to stop selling them freaking weapons.

Saudis are the most sane (the bar ain't high). If we didn't climb in bed with them and shape their world view, someone else would have.

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Just finished part 2. It took a while to appear on Pirate Bay.

 

Really good stuff.

 

Just reinforces why we need to stay completely out of that sh!thole of a region. Nothing we or anyone else does there turns out to be anything good.

 

We should distance ourselves from the Saudis big time. Should never have climbed in bed with them. Need to stop selling them freaking weapons.

 

It's definitely a complicated situation. Ultimately that would be great, but Israel is too important to us, and that region as a whole. If we got out, it would just create an even bigger power vacuum, that would likely be filled by Russia. With Russia already in the Ukraine, they have such easy access to the Mediterranean, and by extension all of our western allies.

 

Saudis are the most sane (the bar ain't high). If we didn't climb in bed with them and shape their world view, someone else would have.

 

Mostly true. The Saudis generally leave the Jews alone, and are one of the few stable countries in the region. They're also slowly becoming a more moderate country.

 

While on the flip, Iran's whole agenda is building a land route through Iraq, Syria and into Lebanon, where they can further arm Hezbollah and eventually try to invade Israel.

 

It's the classic the enemy of my enemy is my friend scenario.

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Just finished part 2. It took a while to appear on Pirate Bay.

 

Really good stuff.

 

Just reinforces why we need to stay completely out of that sh!thole of a region. Nothing we or anyone else does there turns out to be anything good.

 

We should distance ourselves from the Saudis big time. Should never have climbed in bed with them. Need to stop selling them freaking weapons.

The enemy of my enemy...and all that jazz

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The ME was a clusterfuck long before the Brits and the US messed with it after WWII and will be long after we are done there.

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The ME was a clusterfuck long before the Brits and the US messed with it after WWII and will be long after we are done there.

Actually, I ran under the Shawn was pretty damn manageable. That whole country in that whole region would have been a hell of a lot better off had he been able to hold power.

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You guys should look into what we did with the stuxnet virus and Iran's nuclear production capabilities.

 

Basically, the virus got their centrifuges wobbling so badly that literally just fell to Pieces. Pretty cool.

 

If that's the we know about...

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