News Review 15/10/2022

US Attempts to Further Entrap Russia through Saudi and Turkey

Catastrophic Russian failures in the war in Ukraine under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin are rapidly exposing the true weakness of the Russian state. Once almost considered a superpower on par with the United States, it is now unclear as to whether Russia will even be able to continue to be counted amongst the world’s great powers. It was America that instigated the conflict in Ukraine, setting the trap for Putin to fall into. But it is unlikely that even America realised at that time the extent of Russian decline. Now, the US is moving rapidly to recalibrate its policies to this new reality. Two key US initiatives involve positioning Saudi and Turkey as Russian allies, as explained below, even though both are firm American agents, thus increasing American leverage over Russia. It appears that, even after falling into the trap of Ukraine, the Russian leadership continues to lack the political sense to realise the further traps that America is setting for it.

US Apparent Conflict with Saudi Arabia over OPEC+

This week the media continues to play out the apparent conflict between the US and Saudi Arabia over the decision of OPEC+ earlier this month reducing oil production thereby allegedly ignoring a US request for lower oil prices before the US Congress’s midterm elections. According to The Guardian:

The relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia continued to worsen on Thursday as the two countries traded barbs over the decision to cut oil production, with Washington accusing Riyadh of coercing other members of the Opec+ cartel, and Riyadh suggesting the Biden administration tried to get the decision delayed by a month.

In reaction to Joe Biden’s declared intention to reevaluate the US relationship with Riyadh, the Saudi foreign ministry issued an unusually long statement rejecting “attempts to distort the facts” about the kingdom’s motives for pushing for a 2m-barrel-a-day cut to Opec+ production.

The Saudi government, the statement said, had explained to the US that postponing the decision by a month “according to what has been suggested” would have led to “negative economic consequences”. A month’s delay would have meant the decision came after November’s congressional elections, so the Saudi implication was that the administration was concerned with the domestic political impact of higher petrol prices, rather than the effect on Russia and the Ukraine war.

“The Saudi foreign ministry can try to spin or deflect, but the facts are simple,” John Kirby, spokesperson for the national security council, responded. “In recent weeks, the Saudis conveyed to us – privately and publicly – their intention to reduce oil production, which they knew would increase Russian revenues and blunt the effectiveness of sanctions. That is the wrong direction.”

In fact, any aware observer of international relations would know that King Salman and his son are fully subservient to US interests. The Saudi royal family do not set their own political direction but have, in turns, only followed the dictation of Britain or America. The world media is viewing the opposition of Saudi Arabia to low oil prices as hurting US President Joe Biden at the all-important US Congressional midterm elections. But Biden is playing a much larger game. Oil prices have already dropped sufficiently within America in the last couple of months from over $5 to under $4 at the pump, so high oil price is not a significant domestic issue just now. Instead Biden has his sight on entrapping Russia by having Saudi Arabia align with it. In the face of Western sanctions, Russia has already trusted some of its oil exports to Saudi Arabia. This dependency is only expected to grow.

Turkey Inserting Itself between Russia and Europe

Only last month Russian pipelines supplying gas to Europe suffered sabotage. According to a BBC report at the time:
‘Nord Stream 1, Russia's largest gas pipeline to Europe, has been closed indefinitely after a number of leaks were found in it and a parallel pipeline, Nord Stream 2.’

While America blamed Russia for the sabotage, it is more likely that the saboteur was America itself. Russia had no need to damage pipelines that carry gas that it itself provides; if it wants to deny gas to Europe it can simply shut off the supply. In fact, Russia did not want the supply to be stopped as it is heavily dependent on foreign exchange returns from its European customers, who have also been deeply dependent for their energy needs on cheap and plentiful Russian gas. Now, Russia and Europe are seeking to restore this supply, but through Turkey.

According to the Associated Press:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey and Russia have instructed their respective energy authorities to immediately begin technical work on a Russian proposal that would turn Turkey into a gas hub for Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has floated the idea of exporting more gas through the TurkStream gas pipeline running beneath the Black Sea to Turkey after gas deliveries to Germany through the Baltic Sea’s Nord Stream pipeline were halted.

Erdogan said Russian and Turkish energy authorities would work together to designate the best location for a gas distribution center, adding that Turkey’s Thrace region, bordering Greece and Bulgaria, appeared to be the best spot.

“Together with Mr. Putin, we have instructed our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the relevant institution on the Russian side to work together,” Erdogan was quoted as saying. “They will conduct this study. Wherever the most appropriate place is, we will hopefully establish this distribution center there.”

Evidently, entrusting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a firm and committed US agent as an intermediary in supplies between Russia and Europe would make them both dependent on Turkish compliance, thereby equipping Turkey’s master, the United States of America with a powerful hold over its great power rivals.

With the permission of Allah (swt) the Muslim Ummah shall soon arise and overthrow their agent ruling class, the custodians of Western imperialism in our lands, that serve the evil agenda of the West instead of the interests of Muslims and their Deen, and in their place re-establish the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) State on the method of the Prophet (saw) that shall unify the lands of Muslims, liberate their occupied territories, implement the Islamic sharia, restore the Islamic way of life and carry the light of Islam to the entire world. The Khilafah State shall, almost from its inception, join the ranks of the great powers on account of its immense size, vast population, extensive resources, unparalleled geography and unique Islamic ideology. The Khilafah State shall work to confront, contain and calm the other great powers returning the world to the general peace and prosperity that existed during the thousand years that Islam was previously dominant in the world. Allah (swt) says in the Noble Qur’an:

(بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ)

“In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.” [Ar-Rum: 5].