looking like a warm winter......
Discussion
nicked from the news forum - what do you make of this?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleea...
i'm going to go see what the yanks have in jebel ali port but maybe mr bailey can give us a better picture?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleea...
i'm going to go see what the yanks have in jebel ali port but maybe mr bailey can give us a better picture?
I'm here..!Would the UAE be a likely target for Iran or would it just concentrate its efforts on Israel and any US forces it can find in the area!?
Long been speculated the closer it gets to the US elections the more likely this is to happen, wars win elections and if the US 'has to' step in to keep the oil flowing then be good for votes. The cynical might even say Israel is just waiting for the US to tell them to start it all, especially after the US installed many hundreds of millions of dollars of anti missile systems in Israel earlier this year.
Long been speculated the closer it gets to the US elections the more likely this is to happen, wars win elections and if the US 'has to' step in to keep the oil flowing then be good for votes. The cynical might even say Israel is just waiting for the US to tell them to start it all, especially after the US installed many hundreds of millions of dollars of anti missile systems in Israel earlier this year.
Hitch78 said:
US forces are present in Dubai so the two may mix.
I think the Israelis will do something, as they do, Iran will then retaliate and everyone else will use it as an excuse to kick the s
t out of their infrastructure and surpress them for another twenty years.
Big old place to knock the infrastructure out of! Certainly need a much bigger force than Israel can field, well Israel will struggle to make the initial strike let alone carry out anything after that with the equipment its go.I think the Israelis will do something, as they do, Iran will then retaliate and everyone else will use it as an excuse to kick the s
t out of their infrastructure and surpress them for another twenty years. One major danger is if this happens will it spread, Pakistan is a close ally of Iran and it has publicly said it will defend its ally, very worrying prospect as who knows who controls its nuclear assets, Syria would normally be a worry but it has enough of its own problems and then the usual 2 big players to sit on the fence China and Russia.
Hitch78 said:
I think Israel are pretty well armed. Unfortunately.
As a stand alone force i.e without the US being involved they are very well armed defensively but dont have much in the way of a long range strike force, their aircraft will struggle to reach Iran and return and they lack in flight refuelling. Some of the western targets in Iran are reachable but most of the main sites are deeper inland and out of reach.Thats assuming the US dont 'loan' them in flight refuelling capabilities and other equipment however.
didn't the UAE buy $10bn worth of missile defence systems last year? apparently the UAE air force were pretty handy during the libyan crisis and are the 4th largest spender on arms so hopefully if it does kick off we'll be well defended and maybe the champers will stay cool throughout 
i really do hope israel are condemned if they provoke a war and the uk refuses to back them. if not it's one more reason to be glad i left.
dinner jacket doesn't want war, the clerics don't want war and the people certainly don't want war, dinner jacker or the clerics!
i really do hope israel are condemned if they provoke a war and the uk refuses to back them. if not it's one more reason to be glad i left.
dinner jacket doesn't want war, the clerics don't want war and the people certainly don't want war, dinner jacker or the clerics!
shirt said:
didn't the UAE buy $10bn worth of missile defence systems last year? apparently the UAE air force were pretty handy during the libyan crisis and are the 4th largest spender on arms so hopefully if it does kick off we'll be well defended and maybe the champers will stay cool throughout
i really do hope israel are condemned if they provoke a war and the uk refuses to back them. if not it's one more reason to be glad i left.
Not sure on the UAE's defence capability, not much gets publicised about it! Think the RAF train most of their pilots from what have been told and Libya was probably a practice ground for what may be coming.i really do hope israel are condemned if they provoke a war and the uk refuses to back them. if not it's one more reason to be glad i left.
Regrettably I think the US is the one pulling the strings in the background and Israel is just a front to it.
i doubt that, obama does not seem to want to go to war for israel.
yes RAF trained and there are a lot of expat military advisors/trainers here in the emirates. i am told the extent of their involvement in libya went largely under the radar.
i think skwdenyer's point in the iran thread was most pertinent. israel is a mature country now and should start acting like one instead of engaging in schoolyard antics.
yes RAF trained and there are a lot of expat military advisors/trainers here in the emirates. i am told the extent of their involvement in libya went largely under the radar.
i think skwdenyer's point in the iran thread was most pertinent. israel is a mature country now and should start acting like one instead of engaging in schoolyard antics.
shirt said:
i doubt that, obama does not seem to want to go to war for israel.
yes RAF trained and there are a lot of expat military advisors/trainers here in the emirates. i am told the extent of their involvement in libya went largely under the radar.
i think skwdenyer's point in the iran thread was most pertinent. israel is a mature country now and should start acting like one instead of engaging in schoolyard antics.
Hopefully Israel does whatever it does as a stand alone nation and as has been said is accountable for it.yes RAF trained and there are a lot of expat military advisors/trainers here in the emirates. i am told the extent of their involvement in libya went largely under the radar.
i think skwdenyer's point in the iran thread was most pertinent. israel is a mature country now and should start acting like one instead of engaging in schoolyard antics.
The US loves a war come vote time and this is the ideal opportunity, Iran's bashing of Israel is the ideal front for Israel to attack with the inevitable outcome Iran tries to block the sea passage and the US has to step in to clear it to protect world economies and the flow of oil. Iran wont be a walk in the palk if it comes to it and purely due to the size of the nation could end up being a very long drawn out problem.
Regardless of the reasons behind lets just hope it doesnt happen, but Iran is relentless in its nuclear ambitions whatever they may be and that is the ultimate problem.
shirt said:
didn't the UAE buy $10bn worth of missile defence systems last year? apparently the UAE air force were pretty handy during the libyan crisis and are the 4th largest spender on arms so hopefully if it does kick off we'll be well defended and maybe the champers will stay cool throughout
Not sure about the figure, but there was as I recall a rather large spend on this sort of thing. The RAF and USAF, (latter less so a while ago, but not sure now) do a lot of training of the UAE and Saudi Airforce so I think the locals this side of the water are both well trained and equipped. Personally, I think it will kick off, but not just yet and won't be an open iraq style conflict - no one has sufficient land forces to try that game.
The Syrians have a very significant chemical weapons arsenal and I think in a last ditch attempt to retain power will use it. When/if that happens, (or possibly before), they will throw a few towards Israel - if they are going down, they will take someone with them.
Iran has a significant short to medium range missile capability. We are in range of these, but the best guesses I've heard is that the majority that could be sent in this direction won't get here.
There is too much oil travelling through the straits for anyone to allow a blockade and the UAE would be a sensible base for any coalition to base itself this side of the straits - my reading is that if Iran decides to do significant sabre rattling and close the straits, our biggest threat would be from a stray missile aimed at them.
Lots of Iranians live here, but wouldn't be regarded as 'good' Iranians by their current regime. After all, they are here making money and partying rather than at home following/supporting the government. I've worked with a fair number of relatively influential Syrians here and have met some wealthy Iranians, but the former seem to have more of a handle on whats going on. Several have been moving their families here out of Damascus recently. Massive generalisation, but the Iranians I've met here seem to be here to party, (and make money) whereas the Syrians are here to work, (and make money).
I'm not too concerned just yet..
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