Equally the West’s history makes it clear that they won’t tolerate threats to capital or the client-state order.

You don’t have to invade anyone to get a healthy dose of Democracy delivered to your front door.

We were in bed with Iraq and Afghanistan, fomented regime change in Iran, celebrated the arrival of Putin and the oligarchs.

Right now the Saudis and other gulf states are useful. They might not always be. If you ever see the mainstream media start getting very worried and offering sustained coverage of human rights abuse in Saudi, with lots of experts from intervention-friendly think tanks appearing on the news every night backing up the government’s statements, you’ll know the winds have changed and they’re about be officially Liberated.