The Syrian Civil War is more and more a proxy war between various foreign interests each hoping to see a side favorable to them winning. The reality is that those various factions can’t all win, but as the war drags on the various players are trying different methods to shift the situation on the ground.
For Saudi Arabia, this means attempting overt bribery, as reports are emerging that they have offered Russia billions of dollars in concessions in return for a shift away from supporting Bashar Assad.
Details are nebulous so far, but Saudi Arabia would reportedly agree to buy $15 billion in Russian arms in return for Russia reducing its arms shipments to the Syrian military. They would also offer certain concessions on gas exports to avoid competing with Russia’s own export programs.
$15 billion is almost double the usual arms exports Russia gets annually as the US has a virtual monopoly on most of the Middle East. So far there is no indication that Russia is willing to give up their long-standing Syrian alliance for this, but with the bidding open there may be a price that will change their mind.
The same way they bribe the us government, now they are so desperate that they even consider bribing the Russian as well. But the amount is only 14 billion for them to buy military hardware from Russia, if the deal goes through you will see higher gasoline prices in USA, which means within a week they will get their money back and double it with two week time.
Since Saudis support Sunni extremist Islamists and Russia's own fear of extremist Islam I think there is no money that can buy Russia. Saudis openly supported extremists in Russia's Chechnya causing a deep mistrust of Russia.
I doubt the Russians will take the bait. Putin has his boots in Obama’s face and he wants to keep it there until Obama said ‘uncle’.
The Saudis are proxies for the US and the connection seems closest through Brennan to Prince Bandhar. So, the U.S. is desperate to leverage Russia into reducing its support for Assad. So far, Russia and China, though governed by their own national interests, have also taken principled stands in support of the UN Charter and international law, and it is hard to see how Russia will go against these respective interests now. Saudi Arabia has taken a great gamble, and my sense is over the long run it will backfire and not only weaken the royal family's influence, but its survivability.
Saudi Arabia 'royal family' is a threat to WORLD PEACE and must be wiped off the map of the region. The purpose of the family existence is to serve the war criminals in Washington and Tel Aviv. The Saudis elite have killed thousands of innocent people on behalf of US and Israel in Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, and Lebanon and beyond. The reactionary Arab head of states support the US/Israel wars waged against Muslims with oil $$$$$. These puppets are serving Washington’s crimes against humanity by offering $$$$$, people's blood in the form of 'rebels', and their behinds to implement the "New Middle East' project based on sectarian divide. Washington demands their cooperation and they give it to them for survival. Now, the Saudi ‘royal’ thugs want to remove any obstacle against their project, an iron cage, with $$$$ that they steal from Arab people. Down with thugs in Washington and Saudi Arabia. Saudis ‘royal’ family is reactionary and against Arab people’s interest who cooperates with US/Israel against Palestinian people’s interest. Where are the thugs at the ICC?
Saudi Arabia is the 7th largest spender on defense or armaments in the world, their ass was handed back to them by a rag tag militia called Hauthese in Yemen. The only way they can do anything now is to buy it. LEADERSHIP.