It’s not just the oil, and this is kind of the key point. It’s also the defense contracts. SA is a huge buyer of American weapons. So the back door deal making has always been a thing. Selling them arms has always been a thing. There’s actually almost nothing that SA and the US agree on ideologically. Of course Trump inserted his own interests into the picture and found a way to enrich himself, and that is truly a new low, and utterly despicable. But let’s not knock him for giving arms to the Saudis as if that’s some new thing. Look, he’s arming a Chinese ally! I mean, come on.
Kind of ironic too because as evil as they are, SA are absolutely an American ally as well.
But an ally ideologically (until trump). Previous governments just supported them because of oil.
It’s not just the oil, and this is kind of the key point. It’s also the defense contracts. SA is a huge buyer of American weapons. So the back door deal making has always been a thing. Selling them arms has always been a thing. There’s actually almost nothing that SA and the US agree on ideologically. Of course Trump inserted his own interests into the picture and found a way to enrich himself, and that is truly a new low, and utterly despicable. But let’s not knock him for giving arms to the Saudis as if that’s some new thing. Look, he’s arming a Chinese ally! I mean, come on.