Game of Thrones – The Recent Saudi Coup

The coup in Saudi Arabia becomes timely with the current renewed media attention about the 28 Pages.

There is no doubt that a transition is taking place in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s internal struggles for power have been likened to HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. Unlike Western royal families, the Saudi Monarchy has not had a clearly defined order of succession. Within recent years, an ongoing Saudi coup is starting to take shape. Many internal elements are involved. Factions and vested interests exist not only among the Royal Family, but within the culture, religion, finance, corporations, demographics and their values, fiefdoms, clans, age groups, etc.

Also, in the context of the World’s stage where nations and corporations struggle to survive or dominate, there is an additional complex global array of events and scenarios often veiled by the many factors involved. These influences can range from local wars and turmoil, to foreign relations, to the international financial system, to oil, to covert operations and more.

VIDEO
(Note: The word “clan”, such as the “Sudairi clan”, is used in the video. “Clan” refers to each of the 22 or 24 wives of the founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud. Ibn Saud died in 1953. The Kings of Saudi Arabia have been a son from one of the different wives or “clans” of Ibn Saud.)

King Salman’s palace coup and the Saudi royal politics – (15 minutes)(May 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btqb0D_KSfg

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The coup explained in simplistic form:

In the early 20th century, Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, took wives from the many tribal factions and also formed an alliance with the Islamic ultra-conservative Sunni sect known as Wahhabism. This provided Ibn Saud with a more unified, stable control of the region. He fathered many children, including 45 sons, some of whom later took the throne as part of the Royal Family’s “House of Saud”.
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Here is the rub. Many of the high ranking government positions are given to members of the Royal Family. There are a lot of “power plays” in vying for these positions, because holding them helps to ensure power for a particular faction of the family tree. Another internal Saudi contender of the power struggle is the Wahhabism religious faction.
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History of Ibn Saud and Wahhabism influence (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B0kFmlI8hg

Official “House of Saud” website which shows how the alliances of Saud and Wahhab occurred. http://houseofsaud.com/saudi-royal-family-history/
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January 23, 2015 – King Abdullah dies.
King Salman takes the Saudi throne.

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NOTE: A key point made in the following article is that Washington will need to completely reposition itself with Saudi Arabia’s new power structure.

February 24, 2015
Journalist Catherine Shakdam with the assistance of Sevil Mikayilova, warns us of the brewing coup.
Saudi Royal Infighting Threatens US Standing In The Middle East
A peaceful transition of power is quickly devolving into fierce infighting as members of the extended House of Saud jockey for power. These squabbles could have major ramifications beyond Saudi borders, even impacting U.S. foreign policy in the region.

http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-royal-infighting-threatens-us-standing-in-the-middle-east/202419/
QUOTE
...“Although the very thorny matter of royal succession was pre-emptively handled by late King Abdullah through the appointment of a crown prince [Prince Salman] and a deputy crown prince [Prince Muqrin], Saudi Arabia’s court is alight with fiercely competitive and opposing ambitions,” Mikayilova told MintPress News...

...“Inner tension and political maneuverings are what stand to implode Saudi Arabia and ultimately force Western powers, most predominantly the United States, to reposition themselves in the region through new alliances,” she added... (( Sevil Mikayilova is an expert on Middle Eastern and Central Asian affairs and editor in chief of AzerNews, an Azerbaijani media outlet. ))
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...“If Washington was rather pleased to hear that King Salman’s first order of business was to elect his full nephew, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, to deputy crown prince and minister of interior, thus opening the corridors of power to the next generation of royals, U.S. officials have remained blind to the dangerous storm which is brewing in Riyadh over the Sudairi coup,” Ahmed said... (( Ahmed Mohamed Nasser Ahmed, a Yemeni political analyst. ))

...Like his father (Nayef) before him, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef has become a formidable power within the royal family. The son of one of the Sudairi Seven, he carries with him the legacy of one of Al Saud’s most powerful factions....
http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-royal-infighting-threatens-us-standing-in-the-middle-east/202419/
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(Article) - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/01/23/Prince-Muqrin-named-Saudi-Arabia-s-Crown-Prince.html
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(Article) - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/04/29/Saudi-King-Salman-appoints-new-crown-prince-.html
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April 29, 2015 – CCTV (40 seconds)
https://youtu.be/0PDd0R526WE?list=PLlmTL4ejJ53ea2qnTzM-jFgUBWAjs4qnA

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January 19, 2015, just prior to the death of King Abdullah when he was on his deathbed, a very revealing debate ensues regarding a smooth transition in Saudi Leadership.
https://youtu.be/mSoMEGcpCY4?t=1m24s

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January 23, 2015 (With great graphics! )(January 23rd was when King Salman took the throne)
Who is Saudi Arabia’s King Salman?
https://walizahid.com/2015/01/who-is-saudi-arabias-king-salman/
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VIDEO (50 minutes) January 2015
CCTV Special Report: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies (1924-2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wrHF61ADRo

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QUOTE
…In October 2011, The Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, died, and the current King Salman began his ascent to power by becoming Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister in November 2011 and making Mohammad bin Salman his private advisor…
…In June 2012, the Crown Prince, Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, died and Prince Mohammad moved up into the number two position in the hierarchy…
…On 23 January 2015, King Abdullah died, Salman took the throne and Prince Mohammad was appointed “minister of defense”…also named as the “secretary general of the Royal Court”…(and) the minister of the state… …was named the chair of the newly established “Council for Economic and Development Affairs”… … …In April 2015… Prince Mohammed as “deputy crown prince”…

…The first major event in his tenure as defense minister was “Operation Decisive Storm”, part of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, an operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen, experiencing the 2015 Yemeni Civil War….
WIKIWAND - Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mohammad_bin_Salman_Al_Saud
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New Crown Prince and new Deputy Crown Prince
QUOTE
In April 2015 King Salman appointed a nephew as new heir-presumptive and made his young son second in line to rule. By making Interior Minister Muhammad bin Nayef, 55, crown prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, 30, deputy crown prince, King Salman has effectively decided the line of succession for decades to come in the world's top oil exporter. The announcement means the kingship will pass to a new generation for the first time since 1953… …Almost all powers under the king are now concentrated in the hands of the pair, who each chair committees determining all security and economic development issues in Saudi Arabia, and have led Riyadh's month-old campaign of air strikes in Yemen. In another big shift, Salman replaced veteran Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had served in the role since October 1975, with the kingdom's Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, the first non-royal to hold the post.
Wikiwand – SAUDI ARABIA
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Salman_of_Saudi_Arabia
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April 29, 2015 – The Citizen
Saudi king consolidates power with succession shake-up
http://citizen.co.za/afp_feed_article/saudi-king-consolidates-power-with-succession-shake-up/
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October 24, 2015
A massive family coup could be about to bring down the Saudi monarchy
http://metro.co.uk/2015/10/24/a-massive-family-coup-could-be-about-to-bring-down-the-saudi-monarchy-5459543/
QUOTE
…Eight out of the 12 surviving sons of the country’s founding monarch, King Ibn Saud, are backing a plot to overthrow the reigning King Salman.

They are proposing replacing the ailing 79-year-old with his 73-year-old younger brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.

And they might just be able to do it, now that they apparently have the backing of the Ulama – the country’s leading Islamic clerics…
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PAST STRUGGLES in the Saudi GAME OF THRONES
In the past, there have been a number of struggles for power within the Saudi Game of Thrones.

Some Royals who were in line to the throne, were removed from succession, such as Prince Ahmed,(of the Sudairi clan) (see also Oct 24, 2015 article above). There are internal struggles to gain an appointment with a title of power. Sometimes a new title will be created in order to seal a higher, more stable altitude of power.
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One example in the Game of Thrones is the notorious Prince Bandar (Bandar bin Sultan) who has a sordid history. He was implicated as being involved in a coup and of also vying for power within the Saudi hierarchy. Rumors circulated of assassination attempts on his life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandar_bin_Sultan
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Prince Turki al-Faisal was “Director of Saudi Arabia General Intelligence Directorate”, a position he held for 23 years—from 1979 until just 10 days before the September 11 attacks in 2001. Prince Turki's resignation was unexpected since his term had been extended on 24 May 2001 for another four years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turki_bin_Faisal_Al_Saud
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Crown Prince Sultan (Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud)(of the Sudairi Seven) allegedly became extraordinarily wealthy from kickbacks by Western businesses that handled multibillion-dollar defense contracts. In December 1995, Prince Sultan attempted to seize power through the support of the Ulema when Crown Prince Abdullah was in Oman for a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. However, his attempted coup failed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_bin_Abdulaziz
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Ideological divisions include issues over the speed and direction of reform, and whether the role of the Ulema (a body of Muslim scholars recognized as having specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology) should be increased or reduced.
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Another example in the Game of Thrones…
July 18, 2015 - Senior Saudi prince accuses his cousin of arranging for him to be drugged and abducted after he announced plans to expose state corruption
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3166216/Senior-Saudi-prince-accuses-cousin-arranging-drugged-abducted-announced-pl...
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Probably, the most well-known script in the “Game of Thrones” is the story about King Faisal.
It is a remarkable story about a King trying to change the Saudi culture and to better conditions, such as with better education, more rights for women and minorities, and even the introduction of TV within society. It is said that the controversial TV issue is what led to his assassination, but some sources suggest that the revenge seeking assassin was recruited by forces within foreign intelligence communities.
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EXPLANATION ABOUT SUCCESSION in Saudi Arabia with info about King Faisal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZNigEanrUo&feature=youtu.be&t=11m

This 36 minute video gives a detailed, historical look into King Faisal. Worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIV7vLota3E

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April 2013
(6 minutes)
A game of thrones in Saudi Arabia (Who will be the next king?)
NOTE: Made in 2013. This predates the death of King Abdullah which was on January 23, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjUMB8taEYY

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Number of Descendants
There are thousands of descendants in the Royal Family. Estimates range widely, from 10,000 to perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 to Robert Baer’s statement of possibly 60,000. The official Saudi website states: “The entire House of Saud is comprised of around 15,000 members, with around 2,000 in the inner circle.” http://houseofsaud.com/saudi-royal-family-profiles/ Wikipedia places the number of Princes at 7,000, but the top 200 wield the most power.
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Monthly Stipends
Monthly stipends are given to those in the Royal Family.
Examples – “…the royal stipends in the mid-1990s ran from about $800 a month for “the lowliest member of the most remote branch of the family” to $200,000-$270,000 a month for one of the surviving sons of Abdul-Aziz Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia…”
“…Grandchildren received around $27,000 a month… …Great-grandchildren received about $13,000 and great-great- grandchildren $8,000 a month….”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-wiki-saudi-money-idUSTRE71R2SA20110228
And of note “…Then there was the apparently common practice for royals to borrow money from commercial banks and simply not repay their loans….”
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EMPLOYMENT
Only 41 per cent of the working-age population currently is employed.
Saudi Arabia has a population of about 20 million, with an additional large migrant workforce of around 9 million.

Saudi nationals are employed by the state at above-market “reservation” wages. Roughly 3.4 million Saudis currently work in public administration and the security forces, at wages 2-4 times those in the private sector. The private sector is reluctant to hire nationals.
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More than 200,000 young people enter the labour market annually. Saudi Arabia's population is also quite young with over half the population under 30 years old.

Recently, the Kingdom issued its "Vision 2030" plan for ensuring sustainable long-term growth and prosperity with the goal of turning the Kingdom into the world’s 15th largest economy over the next two decades — an economy characterized by its skilled labour force, open markets, and good governance.
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Those who do work are employed largely by overstaffed public agencies. This is the Saudi economy’s largest inefficiency, and addressing it will be more difficult than addressing any other.
http://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/saudi-arabia-s-job-policy-that-needs-change-1.1831804
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia
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VISION 2030 PLAN
Vision 2030 is aimed at overhauling the structure of its economy. The plan would reduce historical high dependence on oil by transforming how the kingdom generates income, as well as how it spends and manages its vast resources providing more economic diversity along with redefining its workforce and the structures of its society.
http://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/saudi-arabia-will-be-the-template-for-future-change-1.1832954
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CORRUPTION
The extent of corruption has been described as systemic and endemic.
Nepotism and patronage are widespread when doing business in the country. The enforcement of the anti-corruption laws is selective and public officials engage in corruption with impunity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia
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-------- 2016 Season of Saudi’s “The Game of Thrones” --------

NBC NEWS January 23, 2016
“Royal Pains: Two Princes Vie for Power in Saudi Arabia, Make a Mess”
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/royal-pains-two-princes-vie-power-saudi-arabia-make-mess-n502271
QUOTES
...A rivalry between two princes may explain Saudi Arabia's sudden eagerness to pick fights at home and abroad, as the two men spark one international disaster after another while vying for the kingdom's throne...

...The struggle between Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and Prince Mohammad bin Salman has all the elements of Elizabethan drama, including strange alliances, ambitious courtiers - and an ailing, ancient king who may be mentally incompetent. Diplomatic sources and U.S. officials believe 80-year-old King Salman, with whom Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet in Riyadh this weekend, shows signs of dementia...

...The princes who would take his place may be first cousins, but they're polar opposites. "MBN," as Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef is known, is 55 and a trusted U.S. ally. The interior minister and crown prince rose to power on his slow, steady success as head of the Saudi counterterrorism program, where he became a favorite of the CIA. He was sometimes also known as the Prince of Darkness because of his rank, his job in intelligence, and his night-owl habits...

..."MBS," Mohammad bin Salman, is King Salman's son. Just 29, he's the defense minister and a savvy publicity hound who shot to prominence in 2015 as the architect of Saudi Arabia's war against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
"Bin Salman is a pop idol," notes Riedel, who is now at the Brookings Institution. "His picture is all over Saudi social media, on television, on billboards. There are pop music songs about him!"
Bin Salman's trips to Russia, France and the U.S. were heavily covered in Saudi papers and burnished his image with the huge chunk of the kingdom's population that is under 30. "They can see themselves in him," said Riedel. "The system didn't normally operate that way." ...

...The public applauded the young prince's aggressive stance in Yemen. "To them, Saudi had never been so bold," said a Saudi journalist who wished to remain anonymous. "The Yemen operation had finally upped the ante for Saudis. Saudi Arabia didn't need any more nurse maids. He represented them, he was in touch with them.

The U.S. is less enthusiastic. Though he has compared himself to Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, bin Salman is not as enamored with the West as his older rival.

Foreign intelligence services also question his decision-making. In December, the BND, Germany's intelligence agency, publicly released an extraordinary and scathing analysis of bin Salman, saying he is behind the kingdom's "impulsive policy of intervention." The minister of defense, the paper stated, "harbors a latent risk that in seeking to establish himself in the line of succession in his father's lifetime, he may overreach."

Bin Nayef is favored --it's hardly an exaggeration to say beloved -- by the United States. More than one U.S. official has privately said bin Nayef is the man the U.S. wants to be king.....
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/royal-pains-two-princes-vie-power-saudi-arabia-make-mess-n502271
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April 4, 2016
U.S. official: Saudi royal family on edge of collapse
http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/04/04/744986/story.html
QUOTE
AhlulBayt News Agency - The Saudi royal family is “teetering on the edge of collapse,” with the possibility of internal dissent, whether it comes from within the ruling family or the masses living in poverty, according to an American political analyst and activist….
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May 10, 2016 – Al-Monitor (English version of Al-Hayat)
(NOTE: Al-Hayat (London), April 28, 2016 according to MEMRI and many “truth” publications ran an article written by Katib Al-Shammari entitled: “U.S. Planned, Carried Out 9/11 Attacks – But Blames Others For Them”.)
Saudi king’s Cabinet reshuffle may 'rattle many royal spines'
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/saudi-arabia-king-salman-cabinet-economy-oil-shakeup.html
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April 26, 2016 - BLOOMBERG (3 minutes)
Why This Saudi Prince Is Known as 'Mr. Everything'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLK7mLp02EE

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May 18, 2016 (2 minutes)
Mohamed Bin Salman and the Religious Authorities in Two Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1LTugipL1A

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April 21, 2016 (5 minutes) (The 28 Pages is mentioned)
Sami Hamdi: "There is a huge Gulf between Obama and Saudi"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9IbEPiaMEA

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BLOOMBERG BIG EXPOSE – April 21, 2016
The $2 Trillion Project to Get Saudi Arabia’s Economy Off Oil
Eight unprecedented hours with “Mr. Everything,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-04-21/the-2-trillion-project-to-get-saudi-arabia-s-economy-off-oil
Bloomberg Story List – Saudi Arabia
http://www.bloomberg.com/topics/saudi-arabia
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February 15, 2016 – RAND CORPORATION
(RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank originally formed by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces.)…cough.
The Next Generation of Leaders in the Gulf
http://www.rand.org/blog/2016/02/the-next-generation-of-leaders-in-the-persian-gulf.html
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May 22, 2016 – WND – (Long, very comprehensive article about Saudi Arabia)
(WND published the article “Saudi paper: U.S. carried out 9/11 attacks”)
Saudi Arabia's mysterious 'crown jewel'
http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/saudi-arabias-mysterious-crown-jewel/

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TWITTER is extremely popular in Saudi Arabia.

The participation of tens of thousands of young Saudis in a social media debate over plans to reform the kingdom's oil-reliant economy last month marked a shift in how Riyadh's conservative rulers interact with their subjects. Saudi Arabia's dynastic leaders, who rule by fiat and strictly limit public dissent, have historically courted public opinion only via informal councils with tribal, religious and business leaders or citizens seeking to petition them.

In a country in which debate has traditionally been strictly regulated by state decree and cultural tradition, and in which gender mixing is often illegal, social media has allowed many young Saudis to interact in ways that were impossible before.
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Also, the public are holding people in position more accountable for things that are being done or not.
Examples...
--In April 2014, as a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) swept Jeddah, anger over a perceived cover-up surged on social media and Abdullah sacked the health minister.

--Since King Salman came to power in January 2015, such sensitivity seems to have only amplified. Another health minister, Ahmed al-Khateeb, widely regarded as a protégée of the king, was dismissed after footage of him shouting at a Saudi citizen during a heated argument was captured on a smartphone.

--Weeks later, Salman replaced his own head of royal protocol after he was caught on camera slapping a news cameraman covering the arrival of the Moroccan king in Riyadh.

It is a far cry from the days before widespread internet use in Saudi Arabia, when discussion was limited to informal meetings or to newspapers and television channels that rarely held officials to account or criticized government policies.
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-arabia-s-rulers-adapt-message-for-social-media-age-632786.html#.V0T9jK_mpOk

Prince Alwaleed owns more than 3% of Twitter.
“…Waleed is also Citigroup’s largest individual shareholder, the second-largest voting shareholder in 21st Century Fox, and owns Paris’ Four Seasons Hotel George V and part of the Plaza Hotel… owns more than 3% of Twitter…” and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Waleed_bin_Talal

Prince Alwaleedcame to Rudy Giuliani just after 9/11/01.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHB_u_vKDU

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May 27, 2016 – Al-Monitor (English version of Al-Hayat)
Is Saudi Arabia bringing sexy back?
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/saudi-decree-commission-public-entertainment-movies.html
…The Saudi Commission on Public Entertainment announced May 20 it will start issuing permits for movie theaters to open next year for the first time in four decades. The idea is getting mixed reviews. Movie theaters have been banned since the 1970s. Before that, theaters were always surveilled and often subjected to raids by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV)….
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Saudi Arabian Women Unveiled
https://youtu.be/w6Sa-gaCrDk?t=8m20s

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September 17, 2015 – CCTV – Reforms and Women – Part 1
For the first time women will be able to vote and run for office in Saudi Arabia. But faced with pressure from ultra-conservative clerics, will the country's new King back away from social reforms?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lm2LUE23bM ..and September 17, 2015 – CCTV – Women – Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn5H-JekyKY

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How Saudi Arabia successfully defended its US oil market share by John Kemp - Reuters market analyst.
Published — Sunday 31 January 2016
http://www.arabnews.com/economy/news/873006
QUOTE
"...Saudi Aramco, which handles the marketing of Saudi Arabia’s crude, is the successor to the Arabian American Oil Company, a partnership between Chevron, Texaco, Exxon and Mobil established in the 1930s and 1940s.
Chevron (which later acquired Texaco) and Exxon (which acquired Mobil) remain some of the largest importers of Saudi crude into the US, according to customs records.
In 1988, Saudi Aramco bought a 50 percent stake in Texaco’s refining and marketing operations in the eastern US and on the Gulf Coast, which was named Star Enterprises (“Saudi Arabia, Texaco join forces” Los Angeles Times, 1988).
In 1997, Royal Dutch Shell joined the joint venture, subsequently renamed Motiva. When Chevron merged with Texaco in 2001, Texaco’s interest in the combined refining and marketing operations was sold to Shell and Saudi Aramco and reorganized as a 50:50 joint venture between them.
Motiva operates three large refineries in Louisiana and Texas (Convent, Norco and Port Arthur) with a combined refining capacity of 1.1 million bpd.
Motiva also as a network of refined product storage terminals across the eastern US ...."

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OIL
General Market Journals contain tons of information about the oil market.
911blogger has some information about oil…
“Bob Graham on 60 minutes” - http://911blogger.com/news/2016-04-10/bob-graham-60-minutes
“How Big Oil Conquered the World” - http://911blogger.com/news/2015-12-29/how-big-oil-conquered-world-corbett-dec-27-2015
“Manipulating the Oil Market” - http://911blogger.com/news/2016-04-10/bob-graham-60-minutes#comment-263900
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Links
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Official “House of Saud” website with a full menu of options.
http://houseofsaud.com/

The Official Saudi Press Agency (many photos)
http://www.spa.gov.sa/home.php?lang=en

A Royal Family Directory
http://www.datarabia.com/royals/famtree.do?id=175926

911TRUTH.ORG “Saudi Arabia” tags
http://www.911truth.org/tag/saudi-arabia/

History Commons – 9/11 Related Lawsuits
http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=complete_911_timeline&the_post-9/11_world=complete_911_timeline_9_11_r...

History Commons – Saudi Arabia
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=saudi_arabia

Arab News (Saudi influenced media)
http://www.arabnews.com/

Business Insider – Who’s Who in the Saudi Family (2015)
http://www.businessinsider.com/a-whos-who-of-the-saudi-royal-family-2015-2?r=UK&IR=T

INTERACTIVE graphic link and FRONTLINE PBS article about the Saudi Royals. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saud/tree/
PBS Timeline of Saudi Arabia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saud/cron/

Wall Street Journal – Saudi Family Tree – Interactive graphics
http://graphics.wsj.com/saudi-arabia-family-tree/

April 25, 2016 - "...own more than 3% of assets on earth..."

This is a long, translated interview with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) which addresses Vision 2030, the IPO of Aramco, the Arabian general array of values and perspectives, religion-government entwined DNA, and other issues.
Al-Arabiya News - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/inside-the-newsroom/2016/04/25/Full-Transcript-of-Prince-Mohammed-bin-Salman-s-Al-Ar...

The Al-Arabiya interview was linked to from Al-Hayat / Al-Monitor's article of May 27, 2016 "Saudi Arabia's post-oil plan enters slippery slope" http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/saudi-arabia-love-oil-aramco-ipo.html -
Al-Monitor mentions The 28 Pages and a potential liability of lawsuits.
QUOTE -
...A recent Economist interview with Falih already hinted at some trepidations with introducing the company on the New York stock markets, warning of "unintended consequences" such as "frivolous lawsuits [in New York]."....
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Full Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jju7ErdRot0&feature=youtu.be

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS from Al-Arabiya
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NOTE: The following excerpt comes after statements which clarify that Saudi Arabia plans to offer an IPO (An initial public offering (IPO) is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public). The IPO will consist of only 5% of Saudi Arabia's massive company, Aramco. The IPO is part of VISION 2030 to diversify investments away from oil.
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Interviewer: "...What is the size of the risk that will be pursued by this fund?"

MbS: "What will the size of the risk be if we did not take such a step? Had we not followed this procedure, the risk would have been very high. This is the first point.

"The second point is that the Public Investment Fund will not lead Aramco in the future. A board of directors will lead Aramco, and the latter will be elected by the general assembly, which represents the owners of Aramco, whether the fund, citizens, investment institutions. The investors, at home and abroad, they will be buying Aramco. This will lead to a huge leap in the Public Investment Fund."

"The preliminary data show that the Fund will take control over more than ten percent of the investment capacity of the globe. The fund will own more than (3%) three percent of the assets on earth. We believe that we will be way ahead of this issue because whoever valued this issue said that Aramco will be set to be valued at more than 2 trillion or 2.5 trillion...."
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NOTE: From the excerpt below, an understanding develops into the dilemma of integrating traditional cultural values of certain factions. Also "transparency" is mentioned. This is a key aspect, because there are many anecdotes of run-away spending of Saudi funds by different Royal Family members who were in charge of their respective "title of governance". These incidents include examples where a Royal would spend freely without oversight, almost with the mindset that unlimited funds were available in the Arabian checkbook.
.
EXCERPT
...(interviewer)Turki Al-Dakhil: "Well, you will not be breaching the sacred, as some are saying, when you put Aramco's shares for IPO or part of Aramco's shares?"

Prince Mohammed: "This is a very serious problem."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" Is it considering Aramco sacred?"

Prince Mohammed: "Yes, King Abdulaziz and the men who worked with him in all parts of [formation] of the kingdom for the establishment of the state, did not depend on oil and they established the kingdom without oil, and they ran this state without oil, and lived in this state without oil."

"They defied the British colonialism where Britain could not take an inch from Saudi Arabia's land without depending on oil, but depending on men only."

Turki Al-Dakhil: "What is the relation between that and Aramco?"

Prince Mohammed: "There is a relation, in the sense that it is as if it were our constitution: the Quran, the Sunnah and then the oil. That is very serious."

"We have a case of addiction to oil in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the part of everyone. That issue is serious. It disrupted the development of many sectors in the past years."

Turki Al-Dakhil: "But oil is the main commodity that the Saudi economy depends on?"

Prince Mohammed: "Yes. Oil should be treated as an investment, nothing more, nothing less. It is an investment. It is a company that has a value, an investment."

"You must own it as an investment. It should not be owned as a primary commodity or a major source of income."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" Therefore, you seek to diversify the sources of income through this vision?"

Prince Mohammed: "Yes. Aramco has many benefits apart from transparency."

...and later...
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be an investment power through its sovereign fund, through the other state-owned funds, and through the most important profession, i.e. the Saudi businessmen."

"Yes, we have many businessmen in different industries, but most of the businessmen are in investment companies. The Saudi mentality is an investment one.We must take advantage of it."

(Discussion of the Bridge between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, thus Africa) (see http://911blogger.com/news/2016-04-10/bob-graham-60-minutes#comment-263696 )

...and further into the interview...
Prince Mohammed:" I think that if oil stopped in 2020, we can live. We need it. We need it, but I think in 2020, we can live without oil."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" Your Highness... In the vision, Your Highness, you focused on the fact that you want to maintain a high living standard."

Prince Mohammed: "Yes and to raise the living standard for citizens. This is part of the vision and it requires a strong cooperation by the citizen, to maintain a better and improving living standard."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" What is expected from the citizen regarding this vision?"

Prince Mohammed:" Everyone should be working in it. Today we are exerting a great effort to convince everyone, whether in the governmental body, the executive authority, the legislative authority, the judicial authority, citizens, or businessmen. This is our fate as Saudis. Thus, each person must do his role in this vision."
NOTE: The above statement eludes to the fact that the Saudi government employees are often seen as elite, lackadaisical, corrupt, overpaid, do-nothings as mentioned in "Game of Thrones - The Recent Saudi Coup".

...and then about TRANSPARENCY...
Turki Al-Dakhil:" You have always talked about boosting transparency, so what do you want to do, in particular, to boost transparency?"

Prince Mohammed:" Today, we are living in a society where it is difficult not to be transparent, and it is difficult to hide a secret from the society in the modern age."

"It is very important to provide information to everyone including citizens, private sector, and the public so as to be part of the discussion and dialogue taking place inside their homeland."

"Transparency is required because it is a very strong supportive element for censorship, government's decisions and government's procedures."

...and about subsidies...
NOTE: SUBSIDIES - Saudi Arabia has been giving money to much of the populace, especially the elite. (See "Game of Thrones - The Recent Saudi Coup")

Prince Mohammed:" It is true. But that does not mean that we should not work. We must work. When we open the lists of 2015, we will find that seventy percent of the subsidies go to the rich. That is not permissible. The income should go to the people on average and below-average incomes, who constitute thirty percent."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" It is supposed?"

Prince Mohammed:" It is supposed ... But seventy percent, such as me and you, Turki, and other people ..."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" No, I am not with you. You have your own category. I am one of the people who expect to receive subsidies."

NOTE: MbS chides the interviewer...
Prince Mohammed:" Do not let me say on television what you have, Turki! But we do not deserve subsidies... The people who deserve and need subsidies are those who are on average incomes and less."

Turki Al-Dakhil: "Your Highness, how do the wealthy class ... You are saying that they are the ones who benefit. How does that happen?"

Prince Mohammed:" Because he has a bigger house, he consumes more electricity and more water. The value is cheaper, he has five cars and six cars. He consumes more fuel."

"He has a farm other than the house that consumes more electricity and water. He may have a house in another city that consumes more water and electricity. The rich man consumes electricity as much as ten other families or 20 other families. This is unacceptable. The goal is how to restructure support and liberalize prices, and how we could make another program that does not affect the 30%, and compensate them, in other ways, for...."
... ...
Prince Mohammed: " I will apply it to myself, and those who fail to accept are free to clash with people in the streets."

Turki Al-Dakhil:" it will be applied to all categories,"

Prince Mohammed:" Yes."

Turki Al-Dakhil: "Whether ministers, princes, all groups?"

Prince Mohammed:" Yes."

...and finally...
Prince Mohammed: "...I do not watch, the people are watching...."

Update on Saudi personal gift of $681 million to Malaysian Head

Path of $681 Million: From Saudi Arabia to Malaysian Premier’s Personal Account
(more interconnected recent news added)
Updated 911blogger comment - http://911blogger.com/news/2016-04-10/bob-graham-60-minutes#comment-263697
.
...Federal investigators are probing what could end up being “one of the largest money-laundering frauds in the world,”...

June6 Saudi Authorities Panic Currency Manipulation by Speculat

June 6 2016 News
ZeroHedge as seen on OilPrice.com
“Saudi Authorities Panic as Speculators Drive Currency Down”
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Saudi-Authorities-Panic-As-Speculators-Drive-Currency-Down.html

The article talks about the Petro-Dollar and how Saudi currency is pegged to the Dollar.
The article also talks about the benefit of “indirect QE effect” for the United States because of Saudi oil-treasury dealings and their currency peg to the dollar.

The Saudis tried to curb derivative speculation on their currency in January, but speculators found a way around that rule recently.

Saudi Arabia is left with narrow, tough choices.

Saudi Arabia's successes in countering terrorism - July 2016

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-idUSKCN0ZT0K3
EXCERPTS
...Western diplomats say the kingdom has developed one of the most formidable counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Interior Minister...

... "The Saudis have come up with a successful strategy with dealing with this sort of problem and they have mounted a highly effective public education campaign in the mosques," said former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman.

"And second, they have very effective internal security mechanisms that have enabled them to spot people in the process of turning to terrorism."

Security tactics have been accompanied by softer measures too. So-called "rehab" centers for militants employed Wahhabi clerics to preach that obedience to the king trumped individual decisions to go and fight in defense of Muslims overseas.

Meanwhile, Saudi media were given access to young men who had returned from fighting overseas whose stories of the brutal reality of life among jihadist groups were broadcast in an effort to dissuade others from militancy....

7-15-16 Release of 28 Pages - Saudi Foreign Minister - Security

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir discusses the release of the 28 pages at http://911blogger.com/news/2016-07-15/28-pages

At the Munich Security Conference, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir gives an overview of the Saudi Arabian country, society, culture, and the challenges it faces. He also discusses terrorism and conflict in the region.
QUOTE ...we are a country which has no ambitions beyond its borders....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slfAviDHtx8

Sept 30 2016 – Danger working for Saudi Royalty

The Dangerous Business of Working For Saudi Royalty
Tom Sykes – 9/30/2016
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/01/the-dangerous-business-of-working-for-saudi-royalty.html

The case of a Parisian decorator who claims he was beaten, bound and forced to kiss a Saudi princess’s feet shows the lamentable track record of Arabic royal families when it comes to abusing their servants.

Working for the patriarchs and matriarchs of Middle Eastern royal families and their mercurial offspring has never been regarded as an employment opportunity without its drawbacks.

Known risks include being murdered, raped and imprisoned, so perhaps the Parisian decorator who turned up to paint the apartment of a Saudi Arabian princess—and who then alleges he was bound, beaten and made to kiss the Princess’s feet before being kicked out of the apartment without pay—should count himself lucky.

He had enraged the princess, according to Le Point by taking some photographs of the room at the apartment on the Avenue Foch, an expensive road that runs off the Arc de Triomphe, where he was carrying out some decorating work.

He said taking pictures was standard practice, and that the snaps were shot simply so he would know where to put back any furniture he had moved, but the unidentified princess accused him of scheming to sell the photographs to the press, and told an armed bodyguard: “You have to kill this dog, he doesn't deserve to live.”

Le Point reports that, in the course of what became a four-hour ordeal, the bodyguard, “struck him a blow to the head before tying his hands”, after which the craftsman was ordered to kneel and kiss the feet of the princess.

Abuses of staff appear to be a troublingly regular phenomenon among the wealthy Gulf families that populate Europe’s capital cities during the summer months. Migrants’ rights organizations consistently highlight appalling treatment dished out to staff, but the fact that many staff are foreign workers on tied visas combined with the diplomatic immunity many of these minor royals enjoy means meaningful interventions rare.

Last year, Majed Abulaziz al-Saud, a 29-year-old Saudi prince, allegedly sexually accosted five women at a Beverly Hills compound.

He was arrested after neighbors spotted a naked, bleeding woman frantically trying to scale the 8-foot fence around Al-Saud’s Beverly Hills compound. They helped the woman escape and called police.

A few days later Al-Saud—subsequently revealed to be a son of Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah—was free on $300,000 bail.

He allegedly told his victims: “I am a prince and I do what I want. You are nobody!”

Sheikh Rashid, the fast-living eldest son of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, fell into disfavor with his father—and was stripped of his order in the succession in 2008—after he apparently murdered a worker at his father’s office.

The alleged homicide was revealed in a confidential memo sent from the U.S. consulate in Dubai back to Washington published by Wikileaks.

Acting consul general David Williams wrote: “It is alleged that Rashid killed an assistant in the Ruler’s office, thereby forfeiting his opportunity to be heir.”

The astonishing claim was never proved.

Some foreign domestic servants working away from their native lands for foreign princes have suffered astonishing levels of abuse.

A United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Ireland was ordered to pay three Filipina workers a total of €240,000 for breaching their employment rights.

Ambassador Khalid Nasser Rashed Lootah and his wife Mehra Metad Alghubaisi had paid the women less than $2/hour to perform housework and other tasks for 15 hours a day, seven days a week, a tribunal heard.

The staff were constantly on call, had their passports confiscated and were never given a day off.

One of the women, Jennifer Villaranda, told Irish website thejournal.ie that she and her colleagues were treated “like slaves.”

Racial abuse has also allegedly been a fact of life for some employees. One black man working in the British household of a Gulf Sheikh alleged he was referred to as, ‘black slave’ by other staff members.

Another Saudi Princess, Buniah al-Saud, was arrested and thrown in the town jail in Orlando after it was alleged she hit her Indonesian maid and pushed her down the stairs of her Orlando townhouse. The princess, who denied the charges, was reported to be a niece of King Fahd.

In 2013, a Saudi princess named Meshael Alayban was arrested in Irvine, California on charges that she imprisoned and abused a Kenyan house servant. However, the charges were eventually droped.

The most shocking case of domestic abuse to be widely publicized however came in 2010, when Saudi Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir Al-Saud was jailed for life in the UK after bludgeoning his manservant Bandar Abdulaziz to death in London.

During Nasir Al-Saud’s trial it came to light that the man he murdered was also his sexual partner. The BBC noted that the 34-year-old prince spent more of his time in court arguing that he wasn’t gay than he did denying the murder.

It all makes the ordeal suffered by the Parisian decorator seem a rather trifling affair.

As a British businessman with extensive knowledge of Saudi and Gulf life told the Daily Beast despairingly of the alleged incident, “It’s not particularly a ‘royal’ thing. It’s the same culture as ISIS, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, and Assad destroying Aleppo. So this poor decorator had to kiss a princess’s feet? He got off lightly.”

Oct 2016 - Moving towards WW3 via Syria

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia
"Arab News" - Oct 11, 2016
HNC appeal: Save Syria from tyranny
http://www.arabnews.com/node/996581/saudi-arabia
RIYADH: The main Syrian opposition group on Monday asked international and regional organizations, including the Arab League, to intervene immediately to safeguard Syria's independence by activating the joint Arab defense agreement.

Speaking on behalf of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Salem Al-Meslet said that Russia and Iran are aiding and abetting the present Syrian regime headed by Bashar Assad who is the instigator of all the atrocities that befell the Syrian people.
Meslet was addressing a press conference at the end of a two-day meeting of the HNC in Riyadh, which concluded Sunday.
He said that at the close of the meeting, members decided to appeal to the United Nations to intervene and restrain Russia, which supports the cruel regime of Assad.
“Russia and Iran are considered occupying powers and the presence of their troops on the Syrian territory is illegal, and all agreements reached by them and the regime are null and void, and a violation of the sovereignty and independence of Syria,” said Meslet.
The HNC called on the international community and friendly countries to provide full support and the needed equipment for Syrians to defend themselves and maintain the unity and independence of their homeland. It also called on the United Nations General Assembly to implement its resolution for unity and peace and the relevant joint agreement, since Russia has vetoed the UN proposal to take action against the Assad regime.
The committee also urged UN to resolve this issue on humanitarian grounds since people are being killed ruthlessly and those living are suffering from starvation.
The committee urged all states and regional organizations to carry out their duty, based on the principle of responsibility to protect, enshrined in UN General Assembly resolution of 2005.
The HNC will get in touch with brotherly and friendly countries to activate Paragraph 21 of UN Resolution 2118 of 2013 to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in 2013.
The body called on the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution to stop the aerial and artillery bombardment and attacks against civilians and civilian targets, and to put an end to the displacement of Syrians and demographic changes, brought about by blockades and starvation.
“The Security Council should adopt a resolution to take punitive actions against the Syrian regime and its allies who gave the order to use chemical weapons,” said an HNC statement.
The committee also emphasized that it absolutely rejects and condemns all terrorist acts, whoever the perpetrator, especially the state terrorism practiced by the regime and its allies, and the sectarian mercenary militias and troops from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah as well as terrorist organizations like Daesh.
The committee called on all political, civil and military organizations to make every effort to protect Syria's independence and territorial integrity, and defend the rights of Syrians, their dignity and sovereignty, and to form joint political-military committee to develop practical mechanisms to ensure peace and security in the country.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Syrian Girl --
WW3? How the Ceasefire in #Syria broke down WATCH the U.S. General talk about WAR at the 2:30 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_grZK1hqExk

~~~~~~~~~~
-- CORBETTREPORT -- (17 minutes)
URGENT: MSM Syria Lies NEED TO BE EXPOSED...Before It's Too Late
https://www.corbettreport.com/msm-syria-lies-need-to-be-exposed/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzEsDAoUvOI

Syrian Girl reports about the above with more graphic details....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jifS0fi9WB8

~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Syrian Girl --
8 reasons why the New World Order hates Syria
(She gives some excellent descriptions of the Syrian culture)

~~~~~~~~

Virginia Senator Richard Black talking about his visit to Syria...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0753SEMZiM

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And he said, "I just got this down from upstairs" -- meaning the Secretary of Defense's office -- "today." And he said, "This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran."

General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned - Seven Countries In Five Years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw

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FRIDAY - October 14, 2016
REUTERS (with video)
Exclusive: Obama, aides expected to weigh Syria military options on Friday
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-options-exclusiv-idUSKCN12D2B2
EXCERPTS

U.S. President Barack Obama and his top foreign policy advisers are expected to meet on Friday to consider their military and other options in Syria as Syrian and Russian aircraft continue to pummel Aleppo and other targets, U.S. officials said.

Some top officials argue the United States must act more forcefully in Syria or risk losing what influence it still has over moderate rebels and its Arab, Kurdish and Turkish allies in the fight against Islamic State, the officials told Reuters.

One set of options includes direct U.S. military action such as air strikes on Syrian military bases, munitions depots or radar and anti-aircraft bases, said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

This official said one danger of such action is that Russian and Syrian forces are often co-mingled, raising the possibility of a direct confrontation with Russia that Obama has been at pains to avoid.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 18, 2016
Corporate U.S. Media Propaganda and Putting a Human Face to Suffering in Syria w/ Eva Bartlett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wgkjkJb8jo

EVA BARTLETT
https://twitter.com/evabartlettgaza
https://ingaza.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/EvaBoBeeva

Nov 4 2016 - 'Clinton & ISIS funded by same money'

(Just prior to the Nov 8, 2016 Clinton vs Trump election)
'Clinton & ISIS funded by same money' - Assange interview w/John Pilger (Courtesy Darthmouth Films)
(3 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9xbokQO4M0

http://www.infowars.com/assange-clinton-isis-funded-by-same-money-trump-wont-be-allowed-to-win/
QUOTE
In a 2014 email made public by Assange’s WikiLeaks last month, Hillary Clinton, who had served as secretary of state until the year before, urges John Podesta, then an advisor to Barack Obama, to “bring pressure” on Qatar and Saudi Arabia,“which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL [Islamic State, IS, ISIS] and other radical Sunni groups.”

“I think this is the most significant email in the whole collection,” Assange, whose whistleblowing site released three tranches of Clinton-related emails over the past year, told Pilger in an exclusive interview, courtesy of Dartmouth Films.

“All serious analysts know, and even the US government has agreed, that some Saudi figures have been supporting ISIS and funding ISIS, but the dodge has always been that it is some “rogue” princes using their oil money to do whatever they like, but actually the government disapproves. But that email says that it is the government of Saudi Arabia, and the government of Qatar that have been funding ISIS.”

John Pilger: The Saudis, the Qataris, the Moroccans, the Bahrainis, particularly the first two, are giving all this money to the Clinton Foundation, while Hillary Clinton is secretary of state, and the State Department is approving massive arms sales, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Julian Assange: Under Hillary Clinton – and the Clinton emails reveal a significant discussion of it – the biggest-ever arms deal in the world was made with Saudi Arabia: more than $80 billion. During her tenure, the total arms exports from the US doubled in dollar value.

JP: Of course, the consequence of that is that this notorious jihadist group, called ISIL or ISIS, is created largely with money from people who are giving money to the Clinton Foundation?

JA: Yes.

Pilger also questioned Assange over increasingly frequent accusations from the Clinton camp, and Western media, that WikiLeaks is looking to swing next week’s US presidential election in favor of Donald Trump – perhaps at Russia’s behest.

But Assange dismissed the prospect of Trump, who is behind in the polls, winning as unlikely – and not necessarily due to his standing with the electorate.

“My analysis is that Trump would not be permitted to win. Why do I say that? Because he has had every establishment off his side. Trump does not have one establishment, maybe with the exception of the Evangelicals, if you can call them an establishment,” said Assange. “Banks, intelligence, arms companies, foreign money, etc. are all united behind Hillary Clinton. And the media as well. Media owners, and the journalists themselves.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D92Gc7f6Lk

Wed June 21, 2017 - Saudi succession shake-up

Saudi king empowers young reformer son in succession shake-up
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-succession-son-idUSKBN19C0AN
EXCERPTS
Saudi Arabia's King Salman made his son next in line to the throne on Wednesday... ...Although Mohammed bin Salman's promotion to crown prince had long been expected among those who follow the royal family closely, the timing was a surprise... ...Mohammed bin Salman replaces his cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef...
...U.S. President Donald Trump, who last month made Saudi Arabia his first foreign stop since his election, telephoned Mohammed bin Salman to congratulate him on his promotion....

James Evan Pilato and James Corbett discuss the Saudi shake-up.
Corbett Report - #NewWorldNextWeek
https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1282-new-world-next-week-with-james-evan-pilato/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp0mxrsX7sE

Corbett Report Channels…
BitChute – https://www.bitchute.com/channel/corbettreport/
Corbett Report YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7TvL4GlQyMBLlUsTrN_C4Q
Corbett Report EXTRAS YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM6EbmEFrTbrQ_31bUx5h3w

July 2017 Families urge Theresa May to release Saudi Arabia

Survivors of 9/11 attack urge Theresa May to release Saudi Arabia terror report she suppressed
Exclusive: Relatives and survivors say British Premier has chance to pour ‘sunlight’ onto funding of extremism
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/saudi-arabia-terrrorism-9-11-report-theresa-may-survivors-urge-uk-pm-release...
EXCERPT
Now, a group representing US survivors of the 9/11 attacks and the relatives of some of the almost 3,000 people who died, has urged Ms May to seize the chance to release the report, even if it is not fully complete.

“The UK now has the unique historic opportunity to stop the killing spree of Wahhabism-inspired terrorists by releasing the UK government’s report on terrorism financing in the UK which, according to media reports, places Saudi Arabia at its centre of culpability,” says the letter, signed by 15 people.

~~~~
The Blog of Kevin Ryan
Saudi Ties to 9/11 Mean U.S. Ties to 9/11
https://digwithin.net/2015/09/27/saudi-ties/

~~~~~~
Corbett Report and Media Monarchy - James Corbett and James Evan Pilato discuss this 9/11 story...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSMGzEsz4K0&feature=youtu.be&t=7m49s

Nov 4 2017 - Shocking Purge & Arrests by Prince Salman

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-04/shocking-purge-saudi-king-arrests-billionaire-prince-bin-talal-others-anti-money-lau

In a shocking development, late on Saturday the Saudi press reported that prominent billionaire, member of the royal Saudi family, and one of the biggest shareholders of Citi, News Corp. and Twitter - not to mention frequent CNBC guest - Al-Waleed bin Talal, along with ten senior princes, and some 38 ministers, has been arrested for corruption and money laundering charges on orders from the new anti-corruption committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Royal princes’ private planes have been grounded.

Among those fired and/or arrested are the head of National Royal Guards, Miteb Bin Abdullah, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Fakeih, and Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, the Commander of the Saudi Naval Forces...
...
...As Saudi analysts were quick to point out, the purge by the Saudi King means that King Abdallah’s last remnants (Riyad firmer gov. & head of Nat. Guard); media moguls; SAGIA & financial policy officials have been purged.

As Bloomberg notes, changing the head of the National Guard, an institution that’s been controlled by the clan of the late King Abdullah, “is not like changing the minister of oil,” said Kamran Bokhari, a senior analyst with Geopolitical Futures and a senior fellow with the Center for Global Policy. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to greater fissures within the royal family.”....

NOTE:
Prince Alwaleed owns more than 3% of Twitter.
“…Waleed is also Citigroup’s largest individual shareholder, the second-largest voting shareholder in 21st Century Fox, and owns Paris’ Four Seasons Hotel George V and part of the Plaza Hotel… owns more than 3% of Twitter…” and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Waleed_bin_Talal
Prince Alwaleed came to Rudy Giuliani just after 9/11/01.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHB_u_vKDU but this video has been removed by YouTube. It showed Alwaleed in NYC with Rudy following 9/11.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns The Kingdom Holding Company. (The world's tallest building is Kingdom Tower)
http://www.kingdom.com.sa/
The company's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/kingdom5kr1/videos?disable_polymer=1

BLOOMBERG about the Purge (with video)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-04/saudi-national-guard-chief-economy-minister-out-in-reshuffle

Nov 7 2017 - Saudi Arabia says Lebanon declared war

(It should be noted that for about 2 years, oil prices have remained in a lower range, relatively stagnant. In recent weeks/months, oil prices have started to climb out of the stagnation.)

On The Verge Of Catastrophe: Saudi Arabia Says Lebanon Declared War
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-06/verge-catastrophe-saudi-arabia-says-lebanon-declared-war

EXCERPTS
As expected, Saudi Arabia has cast itself as the victim of external Shia plotting after its internal weekend of chaos which included a missile attack from Yemen, the deaths of two princes and other high officials within a mere 24 hours, and an aggressive crackdown against dissent in the royal family which saw close to a dozen princes placed under house arrest. And as Al Jazeera noted, in this Saudi version of 'Game of Thrones', the 32-year-old Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) shows that he is willing to throw the entire region into jeopardy to wear the royal gown.

While Saudi Arabia has long blamed Iran for sowing unrest in the region, this evening's declaration by Saudi Gulf affairs minister Thamer al-Sabhan that Lebanon has "declared war" against the kingdom is truly an historic first. But perhaps the biggest problem is that international media is currently uncritically spreading the statement, whereas what such a bizarre claim actually warrants is laughter. Thankfully, Nassim Nicholas Taleb sums it up nicely with a basic geography lesson: "Either the media is stupid, or Saudi rulers are stupid, or both. Lebanon did not formally declare war and there is no common border."

Though clearly absurd (that Lebanon has declared war on KSA), the statement is driven by legitimate and deep-rooted fear, for not only has Hezbollah transformed itself into a Middle East powerhouse whose influence has grown vastly in the midst of the Syrian war, but it has transitioned into a quasi-state which has gained the respect of Lebanese and Arabs across the region. As we've noted many times before, it is fear of Hezbollah and its increasingly broad acceptance and legitimacy within Lebanese state institutions that also drives heightened Israeli rhetoric and bellicosity of late, which has once again "surprisingly" found itself on the same side as Saudi Arabia.

And at a moment that Israel has begun massive war games, and as MBS continues his purge toward total consolidation of power over the kingdom, both unlikely bedfellows continue their war of words against Hezbollah. It's no secret that common cause in Syria of late has led the historic bitter enemies down a pragmatic path of unspoken cooperation as both seem to have placed the break up of the so-called "Shia crescent" as their primary policy goal in the region. But that's perhaps why few pundits seemed overly shocked when Israeli media reported in early September that bin Salman may have made a secret visit to Israel, in spite of the fact that the kingdom does not recognize the Jewish state, and the two sides do not have diplomatic relations.

TruthStream Media - Nov 7, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWGof4StIQo

"Bad" week

For Saudi influence on the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZqyYVF6fIE

Sept 16 2017 "ReallyGraceful" -Saudi Arabia connections history

ReallyGraceful gives a deeper history of Saudi Arabia, its history and connections. She goes into detail about the Wahhabism religious faction and who helped support its rise to dominance. She also mentions alliances which Saudi Arabia has with other nations, both covert and overt, depending upon the time frame and leadership.
What's your opinion on the House of Saud? What is the media not telling us about Saudi Arabia? by reallygraceful
shownotes and references and comments with videos - https://steemit.com/war/@reallygraceful/what-the-media-won-t-tell-you-about-saudi-arabia

The original YouTube Video was "censored", so this BitChute video is the ORIGINAL video
https://www.bitchute.com/video/AWalwanpFIC5/

YouTube ('censored version') - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8FW9s8Jsg

~~~~~~~~~
Reiterating the top part of this 911blogger entry...

In the early 20th century, Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, took wives from the many tribal factions and also formed an alliance with the Islamic ultra-conservative Sunni sect known as Wahhabism. This provided Ibn Saud with a more unified, stable control of the region. He fathered many children, including 45 sons, some of whom later took the throne as part of the Royal Family’s “House of Saud”.
Here is the rub. Many of the high ranking government positions are given to members of the Royal Family. There are a lot of “power plays” in vying for these positions, because holding them helps to ensure power for a particular faction of the family tree. Another internal Saudi contender of the power struggle is the Wahhabism religious faction.
(Note: The word “clan”, such as the “Sudairi clan”, is often used. “Clan” refers to each of the 22 or 24 wives of the founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud. Ibn Saud died in 1953. The Kings of Saudi Arabia have been a son from one of the different wives or “clans” of Ibn Saud.)
History of Ibn Saud and Wahhabism influence (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B0kFmlI8hg

GRAPHICS
1 http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/2/d/b/highres_450577595.jpeg
2 http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/2/c/d/highres_450577581.jpeg
3 http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/d/2/a/highres_450576138.jpeg
4 http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/d/5/4/highres_450576180.jpeg
5 http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/c/f/3/highres_450576083.jpeg
6 http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/c/f/f/highres_450576095.jpeg
7 http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/d/1/3/highres_450576115.jpeg

by South Front - The Saudi Purge: MidEast verge of War

November 8 & 9, 2017

The Saudi Purge: The Middle East Is On The Verge Of New War
https://southfront.org/the-saudi-purge-the-middle-east-is-on-the-verge-of-new-war/

(4 1/2 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgjBnpTLKgw

ARTICLE
Saudi Arabia is going through a major internal political crisis the likes of which has rarely been seen.
A missile gets fired on the Saudi capital. A missile, which was allegedly built in Iran and smuggled to Yemen, just to be fired at Saudi Arabia.
According to initial reports, two Saudi princes died back to back in 24 hours: one in an “accidental” helicopter crash, the other during a firefight that broke out while security forces were trying to arrest him. On November 7, Saudi Arabia’s information ministry spokesman said that “Prince Abdulaziz is alive and well”. However, the prince could not be independently reached for comment by the media.
Other high-ranking members of the establishment and the royal family — the two tend to be one and the same in Saudi Arabia — get arrested on charges of corruption, with their bank accounts frozen.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unexpectedly resigns after he was summoned to Riyadh by his Saudi-backers.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of conducting acts of “direct military aggression” and accused Lebanon of “declaring war” on Riyadh by allowing Hezbollah “aggression” against the kingdom.
All this happened in a span of just a few days.
With ever-growing security challenges and problems at the regional level, the crisis that took hold of Saudi Arabia does not seem to be slowing down.
One contributing factor to the ongoing crisis is a major split in the Saudi royal family: the power struggle that resulted in the former crown prince being deposed and replaced with a new one, a move that shook things up quite a bit inside the country. The echo of this can be seen in the current “anti-corruption” persecution, enforced by the current Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Outside the country, several key foreign policy projects failed: the effectiveness of the Yemen intervention can be judged by the fact that it resulted in a missile being fired at Riyadh. Bashar al-Assad is still in power in Syria. The attempts to scare Qatar into submission backfired, as Qatar has been getting more and more friendly with Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Iran is gaining more and more influence in the region, while the Saudis seem to be losing it, hence they are trying to compensate for their losses by participating in proxy wars elsewhere.
The Saudis also tried to flex their diplomatic muscle. King Salman even visited Moscow, where the two sides exchanged promises with no guarantees that these will ever be fulfilled. This also backfired, as some considered it a demonstration of weakness or an attempt to make peace by making concessions.
Add economic struggles to this series of failures, and one can see why the King’s and his Crown Prince’s position seem less and less stable by the minute. The situation apparently seemed so dire, that in order to keep everything afloat active persecution seemed the only possible way to keep the King and his successor in power. The “anti-corruption” campaign is just an excuse: the corruption has always been high in Saudi Arabia, and no one batted an eye before now.
These are temporary measures.
Persecution can hardly solve foreign and internal matters, and it will not lead to a solution of the problems. Right now, the kingdom’s leadership is desperately in need of an enemy to unite the population and draw their attention away from the chaotic events that unfolding in the country.
A warlike rhetoric against Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah are a clear sign of this. While Iran is a potent regional power in military and diplomatic terms, Hezbollah is a non-state actor. So, Riyadh may choose the group as an enemy for its risky foreign policy undertaking. Saudi Arabia and Israel are obvious allies in their will to destroy Hezbollah. On November 5, Tel Aviv started the largest-ever aerial exercise in the history of Israel. A leaked diplomatic cable confirmed that the Saudis and Israelis are coordinating their efforts against Iran and Hezbollah thus escalating the already tense situation in the Middle East.
The region may be heading for another large-scale military conflict.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://southfront.org/about-southfront/
SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence is a public analytical umbrella project maintained by a team of experts and volunteers from the four corners of the Earth. SouthFront focuses on issues of international relations, armed conflicts and crises. The project provides military operations analysis, military posture of major world powers, and other important data influencing the growth of tensions between countries and nations.
We try to dig out the truth on issues which are barely covered by the states concerned and the mainstream media.
The SouthFront Team believes that not only well-paid “professional journalists”, but common people with inquisitive minds are able to produce balanced content in a modern information-oriented society.
Everybody can become a volunteer in our project and share their own story and perspective with the world.

CorbettReport - Marwa Osman Reports on the Saudi Purge

Nov 9, 2017
Interview 1320 – Marwa Osman Reports on the Saudi Purge
https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1320-marwa-osman-reports-on-the-saudi-purge/
Be sure to see the show notes / links at Corbett Report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq_LtbtvefM

Nov 9 - OilPrice.com - Saudi Arabia

Kingdom Of Fear: Saudi Arabia On Lockdown Nov 9, 2017 - Oil Price.com
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Kingdom-Of-Fear-Saudi-Arabia-On-Lockdown.html

EXCERPTS
...in rounding up more than a dozen government officials—both former and current—five members of the royal family, and several businessmen. Since then, the list has been growing, to more than 60 as of today...

...There are also reports that the purge could fill the state coffers with as much as US$800 billion in assets seized from those arrested—all members of the Saudi elite...

...There is a constant flow of new information coming from Saudi Arabia, such as that one of the Arab world’s leading broadcasters, MBC, has been put under government control. Part of its management was removed and the owner detained. News is also emerging that even the former Saudi Energy Minister Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s media face for decades, has been forcibly confined to his quarters....

Sharmine Narwani - Two Power Blocs competing

James Corbett talks to political analyst and commentator Sharmine Narwani on the explosive events in the Gulf this week and what they tell us about the changing power relations in the Middle East. From the wind down of the Syrian terrorist insurgency to the shock resignation of the Lebanese PM and the Game of Thrones in the House of Saud, a new regional picture is emerging, one in which two power blocs are competing for the upper hand in the new Middle East. Narwani breaks down this new dynamic and paints the picture of where things are heading in this dynamic region.
https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1322-sharmine-narwani-on-the-changing-face-of-the-middle-east/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTwXj2uPdF8

Middle East Eye article [Prince Bandar etc]

"Several detainees taken to hospital with torture injuries, while sources tell MEE scale of crackdown is bigger than authorities have revealed."

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-senior-figures-tortured-and-beaten-saudi-purge-1489501498

5 Things You Need to Know - Saudi Purge - EXCELLENT ARTICLE

5 Things You Need to Know About the Saudi Purge 11/12/2017 by James Corbett
https://www.corbettreport.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-saudi-purge/
- Subscriptions are only $1 monthly -
For Non-Subscribers go here - https://steemit.com/news/@corbettreport/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-saudi-purge


.

EXCERPTS
...So guess who was in Riyadh paying an unannounced visit to his good friend MBS just days before the purge madness took place. Go on, guess....

.
~~~
...2 – Saudi Arabia is facing an existential crisis...

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...5 – The future of the global monetary system hangs in the balance....

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~~~
...But, as I’ve also reported in recent years, that US-Saudi relationship has shown strains in recent years. Saudi anger over Obama-era rapprochement with Iran and unwillingness to go full-Gaddafi on Assad has been met with US threats about exposing “Saudi” terror, including the 9/11 lawsuits and the 28 pages. The recent American shale oil boom has meant that Saudi has seen selling less oil to the US, and China is only too happy to step in and take America’s place as Saudi Arabia’s most-favored trading nation. And now China is setting up a yuan-denominated oil exchange that could potentially mean that the Saudis and others may be trading oil for yuan in the future....

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~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~
– MEDIA Headlines on the 28 PAGES –
“The 28 Pages” has been in and out of the major mainstream news networks.
For example: September 2015 and then November 2015 it was mainstream news, but faded away from the limelight until March/April 2016.
Reference – http://911blogger.com/news/2016-04-10/bob-graham-60-minutes

Broc West & James Corbett & Kevin Ryan & “The 28 Pages”
(5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9My99Ru84J4&feature=youtu.be&t=6m36s

.

$20 for BOTH DVDs “How Big Oil Conquered the World” and “Why Big Oil Conquered the World” – FREE shipping.
Corbett’s shop – https://www.corbettreport.com/shop/
10 second visual video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wlNey9t7hQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1h51m25s

Nov 17, 2017 - The Saudi Purge is a Global Crisis

The Saudi Purge is a Global Crisis - Corbett Report
https://www.corbettreport.com/episode-323-the-saudi-purge-is-a-global-crisis/

The House of Saud is in crisis as MBS consolidates his hold on the kingdom and prepares to transform Saudi Arabia in his image. But what is behind the purge, and how does it relate to the future of the world monetary system. Join James for a classic Corbett Report debriefing on the Saudi purge and the rise of the petroyuan.

YouTube - https://youtu.be/dkXyWPVkqcg
BitChute - https://www.bitchute.com/video/dkXyWPVkqcg/

Nov 16, 2017 - CaspianReport - Saudi anti-corruption purge

Great VISUAL video via Corbett Report’s “Recommended Viewing” from his article “When Robots Rule the Markets…”

Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption purge (13 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2jllzAy1BU

December 14, 2017 - ...Saudi financed politicians...

Recent Arrests Clear Way for Reform of Saudi Arabia and Its US Ties
Arrested princes tied to subversive movements, terrorist support, and finances for US politicians

https://www.theepochtimes.com/recent-arrests-clear-way-for-reform-of-saudi-arabia-and-its-us-ties-2_2384905.html