‘The end of an era’: oil price collapse may force Saudis to rein in arms spending

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Saudi Arabia
‘The end of an era’: oil price collapse may force Saudis to rein in arms spending


The world’s fifth largest weapons buyer is eating up its reserves - and its political clout

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Dan Sabbagh in London
@skirchy
Mon 18 May 2020 00.00 EDT

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Saudi Arabia may be forced to forego new weapons contracts and delay already-agreed weapons purchases as a financial crisis grips the kingdom, experts predict.

The expected delay of new weapons deals could have long-term political repercussions for the country under the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler who has waged a bloody war with neighbouring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia is facing an unprecedented budget crunch because of the collapse of the oil markets and the global economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reduced oil demand for the foreseeable future.


“I have no doubt, this is the end of an era. The era of the Persian Gulf having all this money is over,” said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings in Washington and 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, who has served as an adviser on Middle East issues to several US administrations.

Saudi Arabia spent about $62bn (£51bn) in arms last year, making it the fifth largest spender on weapons globally. Although that figure was less than in 2018, it still represents about 8% of Saudi’s GDP, meaning that the country spent a larger portion of its wealth on weapons than the US (3.4%), China (1.9%), Russia (3.9%), or India (2.4%), according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Institute.

US leads arms sales to Saudis, followed by UK, from 2014-2018
For decades, this spending has bolstered the country’s political clout.

“If Saudi Arabia wasn’t by far one of the largest buyer of weapons you probably couldn’t count on the uncritical support of powerful western powers. One of the outcomes of purchasing weapons is that you’re buying relationships,” said Andrew Feinstein, an expert on corruption and the global arms trade.


In the US, Donald Trump has in the past pointed to Saudi’s proposed weapons purchases – and inflated estimates about its impact on US jobs – to justify his administration’s soft response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist.

Britain sells more arms to Saudi Arabia than to any other country – more than £4.7bn since the kingdom began a bombing campaign against Yemen in March 2015 – and Boris Johnson has faced criticism for allowing sales to continue despite concerns that the UK has risked being in breach of international humanitarian law by aiding the Saudi campaign.

But Riedel and others believe the Saudi government will have little choice but to delay military spending, in some cases permanently.


Andrew Smith, at the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “I expect that they may in the short term put off committing to some larger purchases, like a new set of fighter jets, for example, which Britain has been negotiating for quite some time.”

Another expert, Gerald Feierstein, a former US ambassador to Yemen, said it would be easy for the Saudis to delay or cancel new weapons contracts, but that the Saudi government would likely have to continue maintenance contracts to keep its current force operable. Feierstein said Saudi Arabia has in the past sought to renegotiate payment schedules for weapons, stretching out payments over long periods of time.

Yemenis searching for survivors under the rubble of houses in the capital Sanaa after a pre-dawn Saudi-led air strike. Photograph: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty
“Remember when Mohammed bin Salman came to the White House and Trump held up that cardboard graphic with $100bn in sales, that was all aspirational anyway,” Feierstein said. “Most of that stuff has never happened and it’s never been signed, it was just kind of pulled out of the air.”


Prince Mohammed does not only have the financial crisis to worry about. In the US, he is facing the prospect of Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, winning in November. Biden has already said he would curb US arm sales to Saudi Arabia and called the current leadership a “pariah”.

“I do think that the [financial crisis] is going to affect all their spending,” said Kirsten Fontenrose, who served as senior director for Gulf affairs at the National Security Council in the Trump administration.

Instead of announcing cuts in spending, Fontenrose suggested, the Saudis could wait for the results of November’s election and – if Biden wins – for the Democrats to force the spending reductions, which they would “pretend to grudgingly accept”.

“That would be a way for them to escape the political repercussions and maintain some of their leverage with the private sector,” she said.

Meanwhile, Riedel said that among the companies likely to be hardest hit is Britain’s BAE Systems,, given the company’s exposure to Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi fiancee: stop Saudi takeover of Newcastle United or be complicit
“BAE will be hit enormously. There are thousands of BAE employees whose jobs revolve around supporting the Saudi air force in one way or another. Sooner or later they are going to be told ‘we can’t pay your salary anymore,’” he said.


In a statement, a BAE spokesperson declined to comment on whether Saudi would reduce arms sales, but said that the company, which generates 13% of group sales from the kingdom, would continue to provide “support and training” to Saudi Arabia through 2022.

Oil prices need to be maintained at about $85 a barrel for Saudi Arabia to maintain its budget, Riedel said. Instead, the kingdom has been siphoning off its reserves, which have dwindled from $750bn to $500bn over the past five years.

Publicly, Saudi Arabia appears to be on a spending spree, even as it recently introduced an unprecedented hike in taxes and budget cuts.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is controlled by Prince Mohammed, is set to acquire a majority stake in the Newcastle football club, and has bought hundreds of millions of dollars in shares of Carnival Cruise ships and in Live Nation, the world’s largest concert and events promoter.


Not every analyst agrees that the Saudis will rein in spending. Kristian Ulrichsen, Middle East fellow at the Baker Institute for public policy, said he believed the Saudis might seek to double down on their investment in defence, despite economic pressure, amid doubts about US commitment to Saudi security.


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[Clutch]

Saudis do not know how to live within their means... That do not know what hard labor means...

Expect political revolutions in a couple years and protests through CIA sponsored "Saudi Spring".

 

[koolio]

These Saudi's have only got themselves to blame for this situation, had they invested in their own R&D and diversified into other industries they wouldn't land themselves in this vulnerable situation, they trusted the West too much for their own needs, now due to the COVID-19 and the development of electric vehicles, Saudi's wealth will never be the same for the foreseeable future.

 

[alphapak]

During a war only thing America and Britain have to do is call back the engineers
and maintanance staff back to ground their Air force.

 

[The SC]

So many BS replies..

First Oil prices are picking up, then these arms companies are also hit..the whole economy of the world is hit..
Saudi Arabia still has one of the biggest sovereign funds in the world and still buying big world companies' shares as we speak now.. it just bought stakes of Boeing and many others 2 days ago..

So..BS article that goes with BS comments..

 

[zectech]

Saudi Arabia is the case of the spendthrift that wins the lottery and goes into debt. They could have used that money to get richer, instead they use it for toys they don't need in conflicts that don't interest them. Does anybody think Iran is going to invade Saudi Arabia anytime soon. Then why spend so much on over priced USA/NATO junk. If they spent this on Chinese arms they would get much more for less if they wanted even more toys.

Saudi Wealth Fund = about 320B USD. Total Saudi debt may be over 200B by 2021. If these low oil prices stay, Saudis as a net wealthy country is on the decline. Extravagant budgets are funded on energy sales.

 

[The SC]

Saudi Arabia is the case of the spendthrift that wins the lottery and goes into debt. They could have used that money to get richer, instead they use it for toys they don't need in conflicts that don't interest them. Does anybody think Iran is going to invade Saudi Arabia anytime soon. Then why spend so much on over priced USA/NATO junk. If they spent this on Chinese arms they would get much more for less if they wanted even more toys.

Saudi Wealth Fund = about 320B USD. Total Saudi debt may be over 200B by 2021. If these low oil prices stay, Saudis as a net wealthy country is on the decline. Extravagant budgets are funded on energy sales.

BS again..
Oil prices are picking up.. and Saudi Arabia is still making profits and even investing in big world corporations.. Adjust your thinking to reality not your wishful thinking..

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Saudis do not know how to live within their means... That do not know what hard labor means...

Expect political revolutions in a couple years and protests through CIA sponsored "Saudi Spring".

What do you know about KSA? Nothing expect headlines in Western propaganda pamphlets such as this "news" from the Guardian of the well-known clueless Bruce Riedel and his usual ignorant drivel. Kindly keep low IQ drivel in the form of useless one-liners to yourself and worry about yourself. You are in a 100 times worse situation. No offense. You are even more clueless if you believe that there will be some "Saudi Arabian Spring", lol.

View attachment 633416
Subscribe
The Guardian - Back to home

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Show caption
Saudi Arabia
‘The end of an era’: oil price collapse may force Saudis to rein in arms spending


The world’s fifth largest weapons buyer is eating up its reserves - and its political clout

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Dan Sabbagh in London
@skirchy
Mon 18 May 2020 00.00 EDT

• 
  
  
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share via Email

Saudi Arabia may be forced to forego new weapons contracts and delay already-agreed weapons purchases as a financial crisis grips the kingdom, experts predict.

The expected delay of new weapons deals could have long-term political repercussions for the country under the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler who has waged a bloody war with neighbouring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia is facing an unprecedented budget crunch because of the collapse of the oil markets and the global economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reduced oil demand for the foreseeable future.


“I have no doubt, this is the end of an era. The era of the Persian Gulf having all this money is over,” said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings in Washington and 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, who has served as an adviser on Middle East issues to several US administrations.

Saudi Arabia spent about $62bn (£51bn) in arms last year, making it the fifth largest spender on weapons globally. Although that figure was less than in 2018, it still represents about 8% of Saudi’s GDP, meaning that the country spent a larger portion of its wealth on weapons than the US (3.4%), China (1.9%), Russia (3.9%), or India (2.4%), according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Institute.

US leads arms sales to Saudis, followed by UK, from 2014-2018
For decades, this spending has bolstered the country’s political clout.

“If Saudi Arabia wasn’t by far one of the largest buyer of weapons you probably couldn’t count on the uncritical support of powerful western powers. One of the outcomes of purchasing weapons is that you’re buying relationships,” said Andrew Feinstein, an expert on corruption and the global arms trade.


In the US, Donald Trump has in the past pointed to Saudi’s proposed weapons purchases – and inflated estimates about its impact on US jobs – to justify his administration’s soft response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist.

Britain sells more arms to Saudi Arabia than to any other country – more than £4.7bn since the kingdom began a bombing campaign against Yemen in March 2015 – and Boris Johnson has faced criticism for allowing sales to continue despite concerns that the UK has risked being in breach of international humanitarian law by aiding the Saudi campaign.

But Riedel and others believe the Saudi government will have little choice but to delay military spending, in some cases permanently.


Andrew Smith, at the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “I expect that they may in the short term put off committing to some larger purchases, like a new set of fighter jets, for example, which Britain has been negotiating for quite some time.”

Another expert, Gerald Feierstein, a former US ambassador to Yemen, said it would be easy for the Saudis to delay or cancel new weapons contracts, but that the Saudi government would likely have to continue maintenance contracts to keep its current force operable. Feierstein said Saudi Arabia has in the past sought to renegotiate payment schedules for weapons, stretching out payments over long periods of time.

Yemenis searching for survivors under the rubble of houses in the capital Sanaa after a pre-dawn Saudi-led air strike. Photograph: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty
“Remember when Mohammed bin Salman came to the White House and Trump held up that cardboard graphic with $100bn in sales, that was all aspirational anyway,” Feierstein said. “Most of that stuff has never happened and it’s never been signed, it was just kind of pulled out of the air.”


Prince Mohammed does not only have the financial crisis to worry about. In the US, he is facing the prospect of Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, winning in November. Biden has already said he would curb US arm sales to Saudi Arabia and called the current leadership a “pariah”.

“I do think that the [financial crisis] is going to affect all their spending,” said Kirsten Fontenrose, who served as senior director for Gulf affairs at the National Security Council in the Trump administration.

Instead of announcing cuts in spending, Fontenrose suggested, the Saudis could wait for the results of November’s election and – if Biden wins – for the Democrats to force the spending reductions, which they would “pretend to grudgingly accept”.

“That would be a way for them to escape the political repercussions and maintain some of their leverage with the private sector,” she said.

Meanwhile, Riedel said that among the companies likely to be hardest hit is Britain’s BAE Systems,, given the company’s exposure to Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi fiancee: stop Saudi takeover of Newcastle United or be complicit
“BAE will be hit enormously. There are thousands of BAE employees whose jobs revolve around supporting the Saudi air force in one way or another. Sooner or later they are going to be told ‘we can’t pay your salary anymore,’” he said.


In a statement, a BAE spokesperson declined to comment on whether Saudi would reduce arms sales, but said that the company, which generates 13% of group sales from the kingdom, would continue to provide “support and training” to Saudi Arabia through 2022.

Oil prices need to be maintained at about $85 a barrel for Saudi Arabia to maintain its budget, Riedel said. Instead, the kingdom has been siphoning off its reserves, which have dwindled from $750bn to $500bn over the past five years.

Publicly, Saudi Arabia appears to be on a spending spree, even as it recently introduced an unprecedented hike in taxes and budget cuts.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is controlled by Prince Mohammed, is set to acquire a majority stake in the Newcastle football club, and has bought hundreds of millions of dollars in shares of Carnival Cruise ships and in Live Nation, the world’s largest concert and events promoter.


Not every analyst agrees that the Saudis will rein in spending. Kristian Ulrichsen, Middle East fellow at the Baker Institute for public policy, said he believed the Saudis might seek to double down on their investment in defence, despite economic pressure, amid doubts about US commitment to Saudi security.


Since you’re here...
… we’re asking readers like you to support our open, independent journalism. News is under threat just when we need it the most. Growing numbers of readers are seeking authoritative, fact-based reporting on one of the biggest challenges we have faced in our lifetime. But advertising revenue is plummeting, and many news organizations are facing an existential threat. We need you to help fill the gap.

We believe every one of us deserves equal access to quality, independent, trustworthy journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from readers who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.

The Guardian’s independence means we can set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Our journalism is free from commercial and political bias – never influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders.

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Support the Guardian
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BAE Systems sold £15bn worth of arms to Saudis during Yemen assault
BAE Systems sold £15bn worth of arms to Saudis during Yemen assault
UK reclaims place as world's second largest arms exporter
UK reclaims place as world's second largest arms exporter
BAE Systems shares fall over Germany's ban on arms exports to Saudis
BAE Systems shares fall over Germany's ban on arms exports to Saudis
Saudis shield crown prince as death penalty sought over Khashoggi murder
Saudis shield crown prince as death penalty sought over Khashoggi murder
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Record daily cases in South Africa as India extends lockdown
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Trump accuses predecessor of being 'grossly incompetent' after coronavirus criticism
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Bill de Blasio says residents gathering without masks puts ‘lives in danger’

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Why are you posting laughable propaganda drivel? There are 100's of threads about an imaginary collapse of KSA on PDF already. Suffice to say none were ever proven right.

During a war only thing America and Britain have to do is call back the engineers
and maintanance staff back to ground their Air force.

99.99% of almost all maintenance in KSA is done locally by Saudi Arabian staff (engineers, military etc.).

 

[Clutch]

What do you know about KSA? Nothing expect headlines in Western propaganda pamphlets such as this "news" from the Guardian of the well-known clueless Bruce Riedel and his usual ignorant drivel. Kindly keep low IQ drivel in the form of useless one-liners to yourself and worry about yourself. You are in a 100 times worse situation. No offense.



Why are you posting laughable propaganda drivel? There are 100's of threads about an imaginary collapse of KSA on PDF already. Suffice to say none were ever proven right.

Sorry. I did not mean to undermine the Saudis. I am sure under a different political and cultural structure, they can excel.

However, I have lived in Saudi, their culture and mindset isn't something that enables them to succeed in an open market capitalists competitive system.

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

These Saudi's have only got themselves to blame for this situation, had they invested in their own R&D and diversified into other industries they wouldn't land themselves in this vulnerable situation, they trusted the West too much for their own needs, now due to the COVID-19 and the development of electric vehicles, Saudi's wealth will never be the same for the foreseeable future.

On the contrary, KSA's economy has been growing steadily ever since the fall of oil prices in 2014 with the non-oil sector booming. KSA is one of the most industrialized nations in the Muslim world and developing world. There is not a sector where KSA is not present be it construction, petrochemicals, agriculture, science, education, transportation, mining, you name it. The indigenous arms industry is booming as well. How about you visit the "made in KSA thread" on this very forum or do a bit of research rather than remain ignorant?

Sorry. I did not mean to undermine the Saudis. I am sure under a different political and cultural structure, they can excel.

However, I have lived in Saudi, their culture and mindset isn't something that enables them to succeed in an open market capitalists competitive system.

Is that why KSA is head and shoulders above similarly oil and mineral rich developing countries on almost every front be it education, economic competitiveness, ease of doing business etc. In particular since MBS entered the scene.

Expats (majority of non-Arabs) living in KSA don't engage with locals, don't bother to even learn Arabic and hardly ever venture out of their compounds or the city they live in. Basically clueless people by large, cannot be any differently when you cannot even count to 10 in Arabic and never visited/explored the country or interacted with locals. Most often than not they are working in work environments full of other expats (often low-paid expats) as firms, often foreign firms, want as cheap labour as possible. I have met such people in person, no need to tell me about it.

Saudi Arabia is the case of the spendthrift that wins the lottery and goes into debt. They could have used that money to get richer, instead they use it for toys they don't need in conflicts that don't interest them. Does anybody think Iran is going to invade Saudi Arabia anytime soon. Then why spend so much on over priced USA/NATO junk. If they spent this on Chinese arms they would get much more for less if they wanted even more toys.

Saudi Wealth Fund = about 320B USD. Total Saudi debt may be over 200B by 2021. If these low oil prices stay, Saudis as a net wealthy country is on the decline. Extravagant budgets are funded on energy sales.

You do realize that KSA has two enormous sovereign wealth funds with a combined wealth of almost 1 trillion USD!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_wealth_fund

Only Norway is doing better.

KSA/Arabia was always one of the richest areas of the world. There is reason why the Romans and Greeks tried to conquer it several times (failed) and why they called it "Arabia Felix" and why Arabians used to control the most strategic ancient trade routes. Ever heard about the Frankincense Route? The Mar'ib dam? 1 of the 7 ancient wonders? Petra? Mada'in Saleh? Why the Arabian Sea is called the Arabian Sea? Some of the most impressive ancient artifacts/cities in the world. The oldest and largest gold mine in the world during antiquity located in KSA?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahd_adh_Dhahab

That is not even talking about the ancient pre-Islamic civilizations, empires, kingdoms or even the Islamic caliphates and empires that people from modern-day KSA founded (Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid etc.) on 3 continents and who were some of the largest in history (to this date) and some of the most influential. Larger than the Roman empire.

Queen of Sheba, Queen Zenobia etc. all famed for their wealth in antiquity and immortalized in Roman and Greek writings and poetry.

Even to this day KSA is the third richest nation on the planet in terms of hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. Worth trillions of USD. Only 4 times larger USA and 6.5 times larger Russia are richer. However they have respectively 345 million people and 145 million people. KSA has less than 30 million natives.

 

[Clutch]

On the contrary, KSA's economy has been growing steadily ever since the fall of oil prices in 2014 with the non-oil sector booming. KSA is one of the most industrialized nations in the Muslim world and developing world. There is not a sector where KSA is not present be it construction, petrochemicals, agriculture, science, education, transportation, mining, you name it. The indigenous arms industry is booming as well. How about you visit the "made in KSA thread" on this very forum or do a bit of research rather than remain ignorant?

That is true. I even support Made in Saudi products here in Canada if I come across any at my local grocery.

However, a lot of the Saudi industries are manned by foreigners especially the labour intensive work.

Unless you learn to climb the ladder through hard work be it, blue labour work, there is no shortcuts to achieving industrial leadership.

Innovation is through R&D in a free society (China being an outlier with some exceptions). You need a fair labour policy with workers rights and indigenisation of labour.

Saudis cannot achieve diversification where every Saudi just aspires to become manager of Asian Slave Labour.

 

[The SC]

That is true. I even support Made in Saudi products here in Canada if I come across any at my local grocery.

However, a lot of the Saudi industries are manned by foreigners especially the labour intensive work.

Unless you learn to climb the ladder through hard work be it, blue labour work, there is no shortcuts to achieving industrial leadership.

Innovation is through R&D in a free society (China being an outlier with some exceptions). You need a fair labour policy with workers rights and indigenisation of labour.

Saudis cannot achieve diversification where every Saudi just aspires to become manager of Asian Slave Labour.

Man.. if you look deep in the US, Canada and the EU.. you will find that the labour is mostly foreign satisfied with low salaries and the potential of citizenship.. Most managers are locals.. and very few locals as labourers..

 

[Clutch]

Man.. if you look deep in the US, Canada and the EU.. you will find that the labour is mostly foreign satisfied with low salaries and the potential of citizenship.. Most managers are locals.. and very few locals as labourers..

Not true at all. Except for farm labour and some low-end janitorial work in certain markets... If you go to rural or outside the major cities ... Even the majority of non-union labour is done by native or established White communities.

Besides, I was talking in reference with a ladder to those high paying less labour intensive jobs.

Even the Whites went through that progression. There is no immediate position to the top.

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Not true at all. Except for farm labour and some low-end janitorial work in certain markets... If you go to rural or outside the major cities ... Even the majority of non-union labour is done by native or established White communities.

Besides, I was talking in reference with a ladder to those high paying less labour intensive jobs.

Even the Whites went through that progression. There is no immediate position to the top.

Saudi Arabians are some of the most educated people in the entire world in fact. I am not kidding, take a look at the statistics. The vast majority of Saudi Arabians have a university degree. Women outnumber men at universities yet women barely make up 25% of the combined workforce. The challenge/problem was never hard work (to live and thrive in an environment and geography like the Saudi Arabian - you have to be a hard worker by nature and the history speaks for itself whether pre-Islamic or Islamic), education (not anymore, it was the case like everywhere else in the developing/non-Western world decades ago), talent etc. but an ineffective system and private sector (hence why you have highly educated Saudi Arabians that cannot find a job in the private sector because cheap foreign labour is preferred) and a colossal public sector whose size is not viable long-term, hence the need for the ongoing restructure of the entire system.

There are 10's millions of undocumented workers in the US that helps keep the economy alive and who mainly do all the low-paying jobs that help keep the wheels running. Not much different in the EU, expect you have millions of EU citizens moving abroad, mainly a South to North/West movement and an East to West/North movement. Scandinavia is flooded by cheap workers from the South of the EU and Eastern Europe. UK was that as well/is that to this day.
As well as a horde of specialized people (foreigners and highly educated people) and a constant stream of those foreigners arriving. (USA that is and Europe as well).

That is true. I even support Made in Saudi products here in Canada if I come across any at my local grocery.

However, a lot of the Saudi industries are manned by foreigners especially the labour intensive work.

Unless you learn to climb the ladder through hard work be it, blue labour work, there is no shortcuts to achieving industrial leadership.

Innovation is through R&D in a free society (China being an outlier with some exceptions). You need a fair labour policy with workers rights and indigenisation of labour.

Saudis cannot achieve diversification where every Saudi just aspires to become manager of Asian Slave Labour.

Happy to hear that. I prefer to buy products from Muslim countries if possible as well if they are of a similar quality.

Saudi Arabia as of 2020 is not the same Saudi Arabia of the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. Prior to those eras and given the oil boom and population boom that occurred, KSA's native population was not large enough or specialized enough to withstand all the massive (gigantic) changes that occurred. Moreover in a country the size of an entire continent (Europe) with harsh geography (heavily mountainous and large desert areas as well as huge geographical areas between south, north, west, east, center). So foreigners (mostly Westerners) ventured to KSA, not out of love, to help establish those industries like they did everywhere else in the Muslim and developing world, sometimes successfully other times not so much.

Now today, there is not a lack of an educated native workforce. Nor is KSA lacking indigenous people. The fertility rates are healthy as well. If KSA wanted, the government could naturalized the millions of Arabs and non-Arabs that have been born in KSA and lived here for generations to further increase the population. Millions of Arabs and Muslims would love to live in KSA.

What you write (overall theme) is a correct one but you are writing fallacies not really relevant to the actual ground realities. Just the usual ignorant drivel of "every Saudi Arabian is driving a Ferrari while having an entire harem of women from the entire world and a bunch of slaves" kind of drivel.

 

[Nasr]

It isn't the end of an era for the saudi yuppies spending on military hardware in the billions of dollars. Rather the is near for the pathetic, utterly devoid of any credibility, saudi regime. Their claim to be "Khadimul Haramain" is as good as israel's claim to be a legitimate and legal state. And the one to hasten the total destruction of the saudi regime, is none other than that mindless buffoon, bin Salman. Otherwise known as MBS. The fact that this imbecile actually killed the oil market, single handedly. Goes miles to show what a complete confounded idiot he really is, in believing that the zionist owned america, britain, france and the rest of the west, would ever support it till the end.