Consider the source

Another website has weighed in on that Saudi arms deal; the Brookings Institution is calling it "fake news."  Apparently, some aspects of the deal were originated with the Obama administration and, so far, nothing has come of it except some letters of intent.  We'll see what happens.

I don't know what to make of the attacks on Qatar, the home of a major US military base.  I recall Qatar was important back in the day when Norman Schwarzkopf was romping and stomping during Desert Storm, but I could be wrong.

The Sunni/Shia conflict continues to be intriguing.  I didn't realize the Shia faction is only 15% of the Muslim population; the rest are Sunni.  Saudi Arabia is the big home of the Sunni, and Iran is the big home of the Shia.  One thing often overlooked is the sub-group of Wahhabism, also centered in Saudi Arabia.  Although small in number, they have a big influence on the goings on in that area, and are considered too extreme for many mainstream Muslims.  One of the Wikipedia sources I found had this to say: The majority of mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims worldwide strongly disagree with the interpretation of Wahhabism, and many Muslims would denounce them as a faction or a "vile sect".

A recent YoutTube video sheds a little light on the Saudi/Iran conflict,and why the US supports one and the other is the enemy; it looks like the chickens have come home to roost.  In the 1950s. Iran was a democracy until the CIA (along with the British) helped put the Shah of Iran in power.  That situation lasted until the Shah was deposed and the Ayatollah Khomeini became the big cheese, another unintended consequence of the fight against creeping communism.

Here's a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu7rap9jVqs&t=211s

I haven't decided how credible The Young Turks news channel is.  They describe themselves as "progressive independents," but they sound a little screwy sometimes, even if they do cover some stories that the mainstream media is ignoring.  Their assessment of other news outlets is quite harsh, which is fun to see.  They are relentless in their opinions.

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Although The Economist is a good magazine I don't think it's always worth the expense.. There are plenty of other legitimate online news sources that can give the same information or analysis, and I wonder if it's really worthwhile to be on top of things.  Being well informed comes at a cost; giving too much thought to matters beyond your control can be depressing and not a good use of time.  It does make for some lively bar conversation, but nobody likes a know-it-all, do they?