Saudi special forces soldiers with G36C assault rifles. Saudi Press Agency
Ben Brimelow, Business Insider: Saudi Arabia has the best military equipment money can buy — but it's still not a threat to Iran
* Saudi Arabia has some of the greatest military equipment money can buy, but its military is still not seen as a threat to its longtime rival Iran.
* Saudi Arabia's military has not proved capable of effectively fighting back Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
* Its arsenal is designed for a large conventional war — not proxy fighting.
In the past few years, Saudi Arabia has led an intervention in Yemen's civil war, been the driving force behind a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors, and involved itself in the politics of Lebanon.
All of these things appear to have one common objective: to push back against the influence of Iran.
But experts say Saudi Arabia's ambitions are limited by its military, which is considered an ineffective force even though the kingdom is one of the world's largest spenders on defense.
"The fact is, Iran is better at doing this stuff," said Michael Knights, a Lafer fellow at The Washington Institute who specializes in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf.
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WNU Editor: This remark from a military and security expert on the region is very telling ....
.... "There's nobody in the Iranian General Staff that's afraid of Saudi Arabia on the ground," Knights said.
The above remark reminds me of what was the mindset of Hitler and the German High Command on the eve of invading the Soviet Union. They were not afraid of the Soviet Army, and were confident that Soviet institutions would collapse once the invasion started. What they refused to understand is that once they had committed to their actions, those who would oppose them would organize, and backed by unlimited manpower coupled with military supplies from America ... quickly become a force that was able to counter-attack and drive the Germans back .... which they did. In the Middle East today Iran is committed to the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. It supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and Shiite groups in the Gulf States. They .... like the Germans in World War II .... feel confident that they can project their power with minimal opposition, and when opposed .... be able to destroy the enemy. I think for Iran .... to be pursuing this policy .... is a strategic mistake. The Sunni Arab world should not be underestimated, they have the numbers and they are backed by the U.S.. The only thing that is missing from this equation is the Sunni Arab population being motivated to wage all-out war against Iran instead of waging proxy conflicts that are now in play. For the moment .... the will to escalate the war is not there .... hence the condescending view from Tehran. But everyone has a breaking point, and Iran is certainly testing those boundaries.
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