Saudi land forces prepare for a training exercise in this file photo. Some 20 countries are joining a major military exercise in the northern part of the kingdom this year. (SPA)
James Stavridis, Foreign Policy: Was a Fake War in the Saudi Desert a Dress Rehearsal for a Syrian Invasion?
Vladimir Putin’s abrupt Russian departure could open a door for Arab intervention against the Islamic State and Bashar al-Assad.
In yet another surprising tactical maneuver, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday, March 14, that he is withdrawing the main part of his forces from Syria. While it may be premature to assess both the motive and final level of the drawdown, this could be a potential pivot in this seemingly endless crisis.
Moscow is probably feeling relatively confident in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s position and the overall direction of the peace talks and is also increasingly concerned about the high cost of the operation — during a period of a weak ruble and very low oil prices, upon which the Russian economy is dependent.
The interesting question is whether this retreat provides an opening for a significant Arab ground force to be inserted into the conflict. Coincidentally, just as Russia is pulling forces out of Syria, Saudi Arabia is completing a significant military exercise that may prove to have been a dress rehearsal for Sunni Arab engagement on the ground in that conflict. Indeed, just last week in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, some 350,000 troops, 20,000 tanks, dozens of ships, and 2,500 warplanes from 20 countries concluded the largest military exercises ever held in the Middle East.
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WNU Editor: I fail to see how a Saudi "invasion" of Syria will make the situation better. But such is the state of affairs in the Middle East where many are now discussing such an option seriously.
7 comments:
Well why not? It's almost come to the point of whose the next traveling show to come to town.
I can make fairly good answers to the following questions, but they should be asked anyway.
Who exactly is THIS coalition going to fight?
Who will sit at the next peace conference (and there will be one)?
Who will guarantee the next delineation of borders and the security of returning refugees?
If this Saudi/Turkic alliance intervenes, how will NATO address the issue of a member involved in unilateral military intervention?
And last but not least, will WNU beat the local chinese at golf, the world awaits.
Assad = Alawite => Shiite
But majority in Syria is Suni
Saudi Arabia wants to make sure that the Sunis get a good seat at the negotiation table.. now with Russia leaving, they may hope to turn the table
With Russian fighters and Sams gone this intervention just got a whole lot easier. Arab and turkish ground forces supported by us air makes sense. The Saudis need to end Iranian expansion while they can.
Taking this action could Reengratiate Russia with the west. Assad is an ally worth throwing under the bus.
I'm sure the Iranians will be delighted if Saudi Arabia joins the dance. If this happens, all bets are off. We are edging closer to WW3 each day!
"The exercise's official Dira al-Watan (Nation Shield) media channel has not stated how many personnel are involved, but judging by its media releases, the exercise is a modest affair compared to 'Bright Star 2000', which was held in Egypt in 1999 and involved around 73,000 troops from 11 countries."
http://www.janes.com/article/58346/saudi-raad-al-shamal-exercise-looks-smaller-than-billed
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