Timbo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:01 pm
I honestly can't make my mind up about him. I'm leaning towards thinking that it probably takes a brutal, ruthless bastard to take on the clerics, his own family, and the entrenched conservatism of many of his subjects. He seems to have thought this whole thing out carefully, and neutered all potential opposition before even ascending to the throne.
I'm also of the mind that it's probably better in practical terms to have him in our camp rather than Russia's. From what I can gather, their contribution to our intelligence-gathering efforts is substantial.
Let me paint it as I see it.
The country today is an Absolute Monarchy, Theocracy and a Dictatorship rolled into one.
Let's imagine Mohammed Bin Salman delivers his programme.
The country will be an Absolute Monarchy, Theocracy and Dictatorship with a few urban women drivers.
The new look super soaraway Guardian might hail that as a victory.
The half million South East Asian maids and construction workers won't notice a jot of difference.
The Yemeni civilians being bombed won't notice a jot of difference.
The security service will continue to play their 2 faced game of chicken.
But the beheadings might get moved somewhere private.
The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead. Aristotle