MBS isn't making claims on his neighbors territory for his own.

I think he's literally in the process of invading and subjugating a neighbor, actually. The Saudis might not call what's going on in Yemen an invasion, but it sure looks like it from here.

Yemen and the treatment of Khashoggi and many others by the Saudi govt could eventually yield a case for helping their neighbors resist them. Yemen is pretty horrible. We are stuck with oil dependence for now.

> We are stuck with oil dependence for now.

We produce more oil domestically than we consume.

Yes, but it's a global market and there is not a barrier to oil at our border. SA increasing or decreasing world oil supplies affects the oil prices here. There's a separate discussion about the refineries in the US affecting the price of gas at the pump much more than the price of the oil. But let's focus on the fact that SA can increase or decrease the price of oil form them, it's a world wide commodity, and their actions affect the price people pay for oil in the us, because it's a world wide commodity.

what the fuck are you on about? Just because situations are analogous doesnt mean they're the same. Both China and Taiwan are problems of global importance. Saudi Arabia is not.

Lets use an analogy. Say you're playing a team chess match. Each board has a different prize associated with winning it. My question to you is how you should organize your team as a function of those prizes.

I don't think Yemen should be the one to stand up to China for precisely the reason that i dont think america should be the one to stand up to the saudis. Our resources are better invested elsewhere, and in particular, in confronting the tyrannical leader of China.

Engage with less vitriol :) it's in the spirit of the guidelines.

What is the standard that we use for deciding what leader is worthy of intervention against? Is it the level of support among their own population? Is it how much they seek to export their ideology and take over other countries?

I understand the analogy you're making with Chess. But perhaps you could also view it another way: MbS is a terrible dictator (with even less legitimacy than the still-illegitimate Chinese political process). The US could easily crush him, compared to do anything to seriously confront China's CCP domestically.

Given that our resources would have a direct impact on people's lives in Saudi & Yemen, whereas we don't have much ability to have any impact in China, why is it better to invest our resources in fighting Xi Jinping?

> Both China and Taiwan are problems of global importance. Saudi Arabia is not.

Do you know what OPEC is

> what the fuck are you on about?

Whoa - you can't post like that to HN, regardless of how wrong someone is or you feel they are.

Please stop posting flamewar comments generally - I already replied to another case where you did that in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33266456. We ban accounts that take HN threads into flamewar, so if you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules, we'd appreciate it.