ISIS (aka ISIL, The Islamic State) is a force to be reckoned with, a rebel group that has their sights set on altering the geopolitical landscape forever. They’re just as likely to provoke the US or Russia, but they are probably more of an immediate threat to their neighbors in the region, mostly the countries that border Iraq and Syria.
Saudi Arabia in particular has been threatened by ISIS, because the holy mosques of Mecca and Medina are located within the Saudi borders, and if ISIS wants to establish something that resembles the Caliphate, they will need to take over Saudi territory. ISIS has already destroyed many monuments, both Christian and Islamic, so there is no telling what they might do if they reach Mecca.
Infographic via Graphic News
In an effort to defend themselves from a potential assault, the Saudis have decided to build a state-of-the-art border wall along their border with Iraq. As the infographic above shows, it is a better, more technologically sophisticated version of the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and the imaginary U.S.-Mexico Border Wall. The 600-mile wall and ditch combo is made of a sand trench and two chain link fences 320 feet apart with a concertina fence in between. There will be underground sensors and watch towers with radar and helipads. The defenses also include night-vision equipment, rapid response vehicles, and communications networks, as well as an additional 30,000 troops from Riyadh.
This is not the first border wall that Saudi Arabia has built: They also erected a fence along their 1,000-mile border with Yemen. It is unclear what will happen with this wall, but it could very well be the 21st-century version of the Great Wall of China.
Via The Telegraph