THREATS AND EMPTY THREATS

An earlier post on this subject I asked "Who'll Blink First?" Now we know, and the answer is:

Britain Surrenders to Saudi Blackmail

"A Serious Fraud Office investigation into a multi-billion pounds arms deal has been abandoned 15 days after Saudi Arabia issued an ultimatum. The Saudis gave Britain 10 days to call off the inquiry or lose a 10 billion-pounds deal for Typhoon Eurofighters," the Daily Telegraph reports.

Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, said the SFO was "discontinuing" its inquiry into alleged fraud involving companies linked to BAE Systems in relation to the Al Yamamah Saudi defence contract. He said: "It has been necessary to balance the need to maintain the rule of law against the wider public interest. No weight has been given to commercial interests or to the national economic interest." A question-mark over 50,000 British defence jobs has now been removed.

The Saudis were said to be "outraged" by the investigation into alleged illegal payments made to members of the Saudi royal family and their agents.

The question-mark over the jobs was not removed, it was simply placed over the British commitment to survive the next Saudi Threat. The threat is predictably available any time, in the event of another attempt by the British to maintain their culture and independence.

The issue for us isn't what the Brits do or don't do.....rather it's illustrative of a successful way to deal with those who offend us. Saudi diplomacy worked. Deal with it; learn from it.

Blackmail, withdrawal of financial or military support, actions that degrade the quality of your opponents lives, ultimately threatening war....they're all threats, but they're called "diplomacy." Threats work only when your opponent believes you; if he doesn't believe you, they're called "empty threats." The Brits believed the Saudis, and accepted their threats as real.

Our opponents don't believe us. We're considered weak, risk averse, unreliable, unwilling to fight if it means either killing or dying, and our threats, our diplomacy, are empty. Huge numbers of Americans, detached or unthinking and indifferent to consequences, are now demanding we quit the fight. A "Study Group" recommends surrender by a different name. Everyone knows this. Osama knows it, and is counting on it.

Whatever change in our "course" comes from the current reviews being conducted by the President and his staff MUST be accompanied by a change in our WILLINGNESS to fight and to resist. There's no doubt anywhere of our capacity. There must be no question of our intent or will. Rules of Engagement for our troops must be changed. Our enemies, in Iraq, Iran, Syria and elsewhere must be forced to believe us. More troops...to do what, more Social Work? More on this later.