Citing “instability,” Germany is cutting off arms sales to Saudi Arabia, one of its biggest export markets for weapons.  That can hardly be comforting move for the new monarch Salman as he faces an Iran-dominated Houthi regime on his southern borer in Yemen.

France24 reports:

Germany has decided to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia because of "instability in the region," German daily Bild reported on Sunday.

Weapons orders from Saudi Arabia have either been "rejected, pure and simple," or deferred for further consideration, the newspaper said, adding that the information has not been officially confirmed.

The decision was taken on Wednesday by the national security council, a government body that includes Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and seven other ministers, it said.

"According to government sources, the situation in the region is too unstable to ship arms there," added the daily.

The repressive Wahhabism practiced by the Saudis has become highly unpopular in Germany, according to Bild:

A survey carried out for Bild found that 78 percent of Germans believe Berlin should stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia -- and a further 60 percent want to break off trade ties all together -- due to human rights violations.

Germany managed to send its head of state to the Charlie Hebdo march (called by President Valerie Jarrett as “parade”), but is sending only a former president (not that important a position in Germany) to the King Abdullah memorial. In contrast, the US snubbed Charlie Hebdo, but President Obama changed his plans to pay respects to Abdullah. Draw your own conclusions.

The Sauds, a family with thousands of princes enjoying fabulous wealth based on oil, maintain power only because they have bought off the fundamentalist clergy and use their security forces to enforce both sharia and their power. Without the clergy, the danger of popular resistance is greatly feared.

But now, the world is paying more attention to the human rights outrages that are commonplace in the Kingdom, such as the weekly flogging of a blogger (which has been temporarily suspended owing to revulsion overseas) who voiced mild criticism of the clergy.

The instability cited by Chancellor Merkel will only increase. Waiting in the wings are the mullahs, who know that the oil producing regions are mostly inhabited by Shiites. If and when the mullahs make their move and take over Saudi and Emerati oil producing regions, the world will have a new superpower anxious for Armageddon to happen.

We are cursed to living in interesting – make that fascinating – times.

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman