I get a lot of letters, and read them all. Sometimes I get one so smart that I wan to run it on the site as an article. Of course, we have “Backtalk,” our letters-to-the-editor column, but perhaps I’d better start excerpting the smartest, most interesting letters, as I get them, such as this one, responding to today’s column:
“Obviously, the Sunni-Shia conflict in Iraq is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with US troops attempting to act as referee even as they fight both sides (and commit atrocities of their own). Saudi Arabia, as the richest Sunni state, is likely the main financial backer of the Sunni insurgency.
“Since the end of WWII, the Saudi Arabian regime has accepted the US Dollar as the reserve currency for oil transactions in exchange for US protection. The Saudis may be wavering on this now as part of a test strategy. As of 7/13/07, the US Dollar is in free fall against the Euro, Pound, Canadian Dollar, and oil.
“This past week, a US “counterterrorism official” met with Saudi government officials, according to news reports.
“Has the U.S. cut a deal with Saudi Arabia to stop financial support of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq and continue accepting the US Dollar as the reserve currency for oil purchases, in exchange for a US attack on Iran? A drop in US casualties this past week may indicate this is the case, or it may just be a lull. Watch the oil and currency markets over the next week or two. There may be a lag time for the strengthening of the dollar.”