In response to Just some perspective (Curious)

The region is full of the foreign influence. SA is the western bitch while Iran refuses to bend over.

Saudi Arabia's oil company, Aramco, is supposed go public second half of 2018 (Saudi needs money to try to transition to a diversified economy). Possible valuation: US$2 Trillion. That's a lot of money! Just the fees of the IPO might be in the order of US$1 Billion (New York and London exchanges are both hoping to be given the IPO). Those of you who taught in Saudi Arabia, how do you feel about the diversification: Will it work?

Oil, while being replaced with alternate energy sources around the world, will most likely ran out in the nation soon. This is why SA may go down soon. On the other hand, the SA economic strives out of which the country plans to develop a gigantic mega city (a few times larger than NY) points to attempts to draw reasonable objectives. Taking advantage of oil while it is valuable and around may be feasible for the drying nation.

Such grand plans require Iran to be contained. The first country that trump visited after his inauguration was Saudi Arabia. His attempts to cancel the nuclear deal with Iran and probably start a war with Iran would keep Iran busy and would give more space to Saudi Arabia.

There truly is an example of meddling in the middle east affairs. SA, for good reasons compliant politically with the White House, is one of the largest business partners to the US when it comes to oil and arms trades. Trump's plans to onload the overproduced weaponry on the right state and to go back on the Iranian deal were the reasons he jumped on that plane so quickly. He needed to balance the sheets and cancel as much as possible from his predecessor's work (Obama). Anyhow, we're talking about a largely corrupt issues of the world here into which one man's bitterness about his previous commander in chief is brought in.

Is Saudi Arabia the next China?

Most likely SA is not that nation as it lacks the diversity and magnitude that China has. Moreover, the fact that SA is put against Iran which is the second largest economy in the region may weaken the country more than strengthen it. Iran is not going to slow down for the American sentiments and it has a supporter in China too. The world is splitting in two much bigger parts than before the iron curtain fall and SA, just as Turkey or Ukraine are, is somehow bordering the East and West.