@mike_kraft the US is basically energy independent, a net exporter post the fracking revolution. but unless we prohibit exports, we are exposed to world pricing, so mayhem in the Middle East means we pay more. it's not Saudi vs not Saudi. the US provides the security architecture for the whole region from the Arabian Penninsula to Egypt through Jordan to Iraq, north through Israel up to but not including Lebanon and Syria. 1/

@mike_kraft withdrawal risks letting the whole region become like Lebanon and Syria in the worst case, or letting rival powers (one of or some combination of Iran, Russia, and China) provide the force-backed stability the US now provides. the status quo is superior in my view to either alternative. one might hope stable, genuinely independent, locally legitimate Westphalian states wld spontaneously emerge in current borders, but I don't think the weight of experience suggests that's likely. /fin