Current Events > Why doesn't America, the largest powerful country, simply not take Saudia's oil?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I still wonder about this. Here we have the most powerful country with the strongest military that has no qualms about occupying territories around the Caribbean and in Asia, yet it seems to be afraid of taking oil from a desert region, when it could easily stroll in guns blazing and take control of the entire operations.

It's utterly inexplicable.
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because that would be a shitty thing to do?

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

Because it would be a nightmare. We do that and Iran is going to close the strait so we would have to deal with a hostile nation blocking the shipping lane. And I highly doubt the Saudis will just be like ok we surrender here are our oil fields they will destroy all the infrastructure and possibly torch the oil fields. The disruption it would cause to forcibly take the oil fields would fare out weigh any benefit from taking it.
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Fam_Fam posted...

because that would be a shitty thing to do?

Likes that's ever stopped us.
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Um the largest most powerful one is Russia

Dragonblade01 posted...

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

*stares at America's military presence around the world*

At any rate, even if you're some sort of pro-American exceptionalism type, oil is the last resource you should want to fight a war over in 2018.
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Quicksilver posted...

Because it would be a nightmare. We do that and Iran is going to close the strait so we would have to deal with a hostile nation blocking the shipping lane. And I highly doubt the Saudis will just be like ok we surrender here are our oil fields they will destroy all the infrastructure and possibly torch the oil fields. The disruption it would cause to forcibly take the oil fields would fare out weigh any benefit from taking it.

Oh right yeah there's the "if I can't have it no one will" angle to consider, though I do wonder if that's something they (the saudi government) would do?
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hotcegaI posted...

Um the largest most powerful one is Russia

Russia is largest in total land area and number of Adidas tracksuits per capita. That's it.

QwelzaarKane posted...

Fam_Fam posted...

because that would be a shitty thing to do?

Likes that's ever stopped us.

Seriously I couldn't tell if his post was being serious. I'm leaning toward him just kidding around.
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Because Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons and we dont want to start WW3? And that is assuming Russia doesnt get involved as well.
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Saudi Arabia doesn't just sell oil to the US though, right? America would have to deal with the backlash of stepping in on other people's oil supply too
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Antifar posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

*stares at America's military presence around the world*

At any rate, even if you're some sort of pro-American exceptionalism type, oil is the last resource you should want to fight a war over in 2018.

I'm glad people are calling out the (very weird) first 2 replies in this topic, because I was raising my eyebrows at them whilst wondering if they were just joking.

Also, I wonder why they never attempted to do so throughout literally the entire span of the past 50 years when oil was discovered in the mideast. It's literally a treasure trove that some desert nomads were just sitting on ripe for the taking, and usa decided instead to go to east asia to start some shit up with korea and vietnam and what have you.
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They're crucial allies in the Middle East, a place where we have few. That is what comes first and foremost.

It's not a weird reply.

We don't just openly walk into countries and take what we want anymore. That would be an utterly stupid move in the current era.

Perhaps. It always seemed oddly... kind of the western powers to just let them have their oil.
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That's because the American Way is to prop up brutal totalitarian regimes in exchange for diminishing returns all around the world
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Because its stupid to blow our reserves. Theyre there so that if we do get cut off in war we can still function.

Its essentially what we did to Japan during WWII.
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Truth be told we could probably set Venezuela straight if we just did that to them.

Pretty much anything would be better than their current situation and their slowed oil production is definitely not helping.
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Dragonblade01 posted...

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

Uhhh ... yeah, right after Iraq?

Really, though, the US isn't good at, you know, winning wars.

saspa posted...

Antifar posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

*stares at America's military presence around the world*

At any rate, even if you're some sort of pro-American exceptionalism type, oil is the last resource you should want to fight a war over in 2018.

I'm glad people are calling out the (very weird) first 2 replies in this topic, because I was raising my eyebrows at them whilst wondering if they were just joking.

Also, I wonder why they never attempted to do so throughout literally the entire span of the past 50 years when oil was discovered in the mideast. It's literally a treasure trove that some desert nomads were just sitting on ripe for the taking, and usa decided instead to go to east asia to start some shit up with korea and vietnam and what have you.

Because the Middle East wasnt commies
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The United States does not invade sovereign nations to steal their natural resources, despite what some others may suggest. We also certainly wouldn't throw a close ally under the bus like that.
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Dash_Harber posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

Because we decided a while ago that imperialism isn't really feasible anymore.

Uhhh ... yeah, right after Iraq?

Really, though, the US isn't good at, you know, winning wars.

The idea that Iraq was an imperialist venture comparable in any sense to what the TC is suggesting is 100% utter nonsense. Just look at who owns the oil today (hint: not the US).
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Cause it's cheaper

And we have the largest oil fields on the planet, so use Saudi up and sell ours later
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Saudi Arabia is the USAs #1 customer for weapons and military equipment

Invading them would be killing a golden goose in the eyes of the plutocrats
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