US Draws KSA Scenario: Al-Saud Toppled, US Military Interferes
"What life in America would be like if oil stopped flowing from Saudi Arabia?"
In an effort to answer this question, the US "Heritage Foundation" provided a scenario i.e. according to researchers, " not entirely out of the realm of possibility."
"Were massive social upheaval to strike Saudi Arabia, the conditions could be ripe for the country's oil spigot to be shut off to the Western world," the report added.
The Heritage Foundation scholars devised a hypothetical scenario of what such an uprising would look like, the consequences the world would suffer, and steps the United States could take to avert an economic catastrophe. But because of America's dependence on foreign sources of oil, pain cannot be entirely avoided.
In the Heritage expectations, "reformers in Saudi Arabia would begin to voice their calls for genuine democracy, transparent government, equal rights for women, and greater political, social and personal freedoms."
"Their messages would begin in social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and they would grow into grassroots uprisings on the streets. Shi'a and Sunni religious radicals would join in, the crowds of protesters would swell, and ultimately Saudi forces would clamp down, firing on the peaceful protesters in order to quell the uprising. And this is where all hell would break loose," it stated.
The researchers went on describing the scene as the following:
"Fighting would damage key energy facilities, Iran would stoke the conflict by providing Saudi Shi'ites with money, arms, propaganda support and training, and ultimately the Saudi dynasty would collapse as a new Islamist regime rises to power."
They further warned that "with the loss of skilled workers, all Saudi oil production would cease - along with oil exports," pointing out that "even with tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the United States couldn't compensate for the loss of oil."
"Gasoline prices would jump to more than $6.50 a gallon at current market levels, petroleum prices would climb from $100 to more than $220 per barrel, more than 1.5 million jobs would be lost, and by the time energy markets recover, America would lose $450 billion in GDP."
Heritage's experts warned that, "a crisis in Saudi Arabia would have drastic implications for the United States, its economy, and the whole world."
"The US military must stand ready to ensure that trade through international waters - such as the Strait of Hormuz - can continue," they concluded.
Source: Heritage Foundation, Edited by moqawama.org
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