The attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities was an act of war, but Trump and the Saudis don't want to say so. At least not yet. There are reasons.

TO WAR OR NOT TO WAR Back in Paris ... Among the major world news stories of the last week, I wrote about the aftermath of the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, a hit claimed by the Houthis using Iranian missiles and drones. It was a clear act of war and the veil of deniability was mighty thin, but both the Saudis and Trump quickly realized they were in no position to respond in kind. So they took the opportunity afforded by Iran's denials to stall, if not indeed to hide, behind a bodyguard of lies. Another big story involved Trump's alleged efforts to extort Ukraine, pushing its new president to "investigate" a bogus narrative about Biden abusing power. How perfect. An abuse of power to create charges of an opponent's abuse of power. Anna Nemtsova reported in an exclusive that Ukraine would only look into this if it received a formal request from the American government. And then there were the global demonstrations demanding action to address climate change, with 16 year old Greta Thunberg taking the lead as a kind of messianic figure. We published Barbie Nadeau's elegant profile of Thunberg and the role Asperger's Syndrome has played in developing her charisma as well as her focus on the issues. (In passing, I could not help but wonder if Joan of Arc had such a condition.) We also re-posted my long, intimate profile of Jacques Cousteau, a great celebrity half a century ago whose prophecies about environmental destruction, unfortunately, went unheeded. Finally, I hope everyone will read this extraordinary article in Esquire by my sister, Bronwen Dickey, about the struggle to identify the dead at the U.S.-Mexico border: The Remains. My appearance Saturday on MSNBC summed up my thoughts on the prospects for war with Iran: https://twitter.com/csdickey/status/1175701685647400961?s=20 My September 16 column about the risks or war: DANCE OF DEATH We're a Lot Closer to War Than You've Been Told CHRISTOPHER DICKEY Published 09.16.19 [Note: This article is available only to Daily Beast members, but I would encourage you to join if you have not already done so. No other paywall is less expensive or a better value.]  An attack on Saudi oil facilities threatens the global economy and practically dares the U.S. to retaliate. If that weren't dangerous enough, Trump is president. ————————————————— My September 20 essay on the utility of lies to address issues of war and peace in the Middle East:  THE TWILIGHT ZONE OF 'TRUTH' Can Trump Lie His Way Out of War With Iran? Yep. CHRISTOPHER DICKEY The president's lies got us into this mess that threatens war, global recession—and his re-election. But the use of "deniability" is something he understands very well. And finally, my long highly personal profile of Jacques Cousteau:   ORACLE Explorer, Eco-Warrior, Spy: The Battles of Jacques Cousteau One of the world's great adventurers—and a Resistance spy—Jacques Cousteau warned me 25 years ago that humans were reaching the point of no return on environmental destruction.   Copyright © 2019 Christopher Dickey, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you were on my personal mailing list, and this is in fact a personal account. But please do feel free to "unsubscribe." Our mailing address is: Christopher Dickey 555 W 18 Street The Daily Beast New York, New York 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

What a long, troubling week.

Some Disturbing Predictions About Oil, War, and Democracy What a long, troubling week. It began with Trump's tweets about Camp David accords with the Taliban that he planned to brand as a triumph, then called off before anybody had actually heard of them. And this just days before the anniversary of 9/11. Then came word that the CIA had had to exfiltrate one of its best-placed assets in the Kremlin in 2017, possibly because Trump has trouble keeping secrets. The White House headlines continued with the firing of John Bolton. And the week ended with Iran's Houthi clients staging a massive attack on Saudi oil facilities that cut the Kingdom's oil production in half, raising the prospects of a new Middle East war and hastening the slide toward global recession. I lost count of the number of times I went on MSNBC to talk about all this, so I'll just post here the articles I worked on, and links to a couple of appearances.   OPTICS ILLUSIONS Trump Wanted to Boast About His Own 'Camp David Accords' How could Trump snatch a declaration of victory from the jaws of de facto defeat in the Taliban peace deal? That was the question. SAMI YOUSAFZAI, CHRISTOPHER DICKEY ---------------------------------------------- EXPOSED Putin's Murderous Mole Hunt The Russian daily Kommersant on Tuesday published the name and biography of a man living under his own name with his wife and children near Washington, D.C. AMY KNIGHT, Christopher Dickey contributing ----------------------------------------------- With Brian Williams on Friday night, we were discussing off camera the disaster that is Boris Johnson and I told him I thought we were witnessing the death of democracy in Britain, potentially in much of Europe, and indeed in the United States. When the segment began, he asked me to expand on that theme. The following morning with Phililp Mena, after news broke about the drone attacks on the enormous Saudi refinery at Abqaiq, I reflected on Trump's world of trouble. And I then wrote this column: TIRED OF WINNING As Saudi Arabia Burns, Pompeo Blames Iran—and Trump Makes a Lame Claim About Killing Bin Laden's Son From Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan and North Korea, Trump's tough guy credentials are being tested big time by the world of troubles he has helped to create. By Sunday afternoon, it was obvious to me that we are fast approaching disaster in the Middle East, but much of the press has failed to focus on the gravity of the situation. So I minced no words in my conversation with Kendis Gibson. We are looking at the very real possibility of a new Middle East war and global recession. Copyright © 2019 Christopher Dickey, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you were on my personal mailing list, and this is in fact a personal account. But please do feel free to "unsubscribe." Our mailing address is: Christopher Dickey 555 W 18 Street The Daily Beast New York, New York 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

"Trump likes to say he thinks with his gut—and I believe it." - Christopher Dickey on MSNBC

"Trump likes to say he thinks with his gut—and I believe it."

In my latest appearance on MSNBC on Saturday with Phillip Mena we talked about several recent articles in the World section of The Daily Beast, including those by Ankit Panda on Korean launch preparations; Erin Banco about the Kushner meetings in Saudi Arabia excluding embassy staff (btw, meetings in the UAE did as well); and my updated article on Trump plans to turn traditional, powerful U.S. alliances into protection rackets.




These discussions in the new early-morning weekend show on MSNBC get pretty animated. Usual time, 6:30 am on Saturday. Sometimes Sunday. You might want to set your Tivo, or whatever. And if you agree with these points, do feel free to share widely. There is also an extended thread about this broadcast with links to the relevant stories on Twitter @csdickey


Some relevant quotes:

On possible reaction to North Korea preparations for a rocket launch: "This is a president who never has a credible Plan B. He likes to say he thinks with his gut—and I believe it."

Note: "Fire and fury" was never a credible Plan A or B.

The administration's denial of an Erin Banco report that Jared Kushner excluded embassy staff in Riyadh from his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman: "Our reporter is right and the administration is lying, as usual. ... 

"We don't have a Middle East policy, we have an MBS and Bibi Netanyahu policy."

Might Kushner have been talking about sharing nuclear technology?

Of course that's possible, I noted, and questioned whether it is wise to share weapons and technology with a regime that chops up and incinerates journalists: 

"These are not ethical people, the Kushners, the Trumps. These are not people who stand by the U.S. ... This is all just about venal efforts to collect money from Mohammed bin Salman and his efforts to buy American loyalty, which he has done very effectively."

Regarding Trump's reported desire to turn powerful alliances into sordid protection rackets:

"It's a complete insult to every member to France, Germany, Great Britain and every member of NATO to say that the reason we are in Europe is because we want them to pay us as mercenaries. If that's not a racket, I don't know what is."

Recent writings on Khashoggi, Paris Terror, Qatar, and London Bridge

The 'Pirate' Who Became the First Truly Famous Arab Tycoon

At his peak, Adnan Khashoggi was a billionaire arms dealer whose lifestyle was so lavish and scandalous it was turned into a best-selling novel

Europe's Resilience in the Face of Terror

A young man attacked a policeman outside Notre Dame Cathedral—but Parisians were not cowed. Call it the new Age of Resilience in the West.

Where Does Saudi- Qatar Death Match Leave Trump's Troops?

Saudi Arabia just drastically cut ties with Qatar—leaving the Trump administration and American troops in the MidEast in an awkward position.

Can Attacks Like London Bridge Be Stopped?

Must we live our lives in fear, or behind walls, or both? Britain will likely become the testing ground for a new wave of tough counterterror measures.