Jason Buttrill

I think that would be amazing if the Middle East for once decided that they were going to take care of their own backyard instead of relying on us to do it.

The problem is they just historically have never been able to do that or never been willing to do that.

They are kind of had the same, I guess, mindset as Europe did with us protecting all of Europe from the Soviet Union and then Russia.

They're fine with us.

spending all of our bodies and equipment and dollars so that they can spend all of that money doing social programs and doing all that other stupid stuff that they do.

Now, the Middle East is very similar.

They're fine with us protecting all of their interests, but when it actually comes to the nuts and bolts of securing their own backyard, they very rarely do it.

So when you see a joint statement...

a sternly worded letter that usually amounts to public support for whatever we're doing to protect them, but rarely their own means of providing that protection for themselves.

So we'll see if that's still the case.

The Gulf Arab nations not getting along?

Yes.

I don't know unless he just wants to maintain control and be the one that is primarily in charge of what's going on here.

I'm not sure.

Maybe there would be a power struggle with who actually...

Does, you know, A, B and C, you know, and securing the Straits of Hormuz?

I don't really know.

But I think the I think the best case scenario for this would be a united front, maybe in the form of like the Abraham Accords, something that includes Israel with the Gulf of Nations.

But being the primary prime, they would be the primary, you know, executors of the security.

Yeah, exactly.