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NikolaiFyodorov · 4055 days ago · link · · parent · post: [48 Hours] Q: Is Putin Really Planning To Bomb Saudi Arabia?
The purpose is brinkmanship. Putin almost certainly won't bomb Saudi Arabia. Everyone knows he almost certainly won't bomb Saudi Arabia. But he doesn't want Obama to intervene directly against Assad. By showing himself as capable of considering an attack on Saudi Arabia, Putin raises the potential perceived cost to the US of becoming militarily involved (I say "militarily" because there's no doubt the US is already active on the covert level).