Jamal Kashoggi
Beyond the sad tragedy of the disappearance and probable murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey lies a maze of international responses which should reflect our Western moral system, but more probably will reflect our energy interests in the big, oil-fueled theocracy of the Middle East. The general picture at the moment has Khashoggi entering the consulate in order to get pick up a piece of paper which would enable him to marry his fiancee, a Turkish woman, where he was set upon and killed by a team of Saudis. Some speculation has it that it was to be punishment for his criticisms of the relatively young Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (usually known as MBS).
I’ve remarked on MBS before, in connection with his increasing control of the kingdom, and his responsibility for the Saudis’ problems in Yemen. He appears to be foolishly ambitious, at least from half a world away. It’s easy to see a rising panic on his part, as his clampdown on leading businessmen and members of his own extended family generates unexpected backlash, the Yemeni war grinds on endlessly, absorbing precious resources, and the King is known to be afflicted with dementia of some sort. MBS may see the criticisms of a journalist as threatening to an overblown ego, or even part of an existential threat. And keep in mind that Saudi Crown Princes can be changed at the whim of the King. MBS himself displaced a former Crown Prince.
My point up to now is that it’s entirely credible that MBS is ultimately responsible for whatever happened to Khashoggi. So what is to be done, and by whom?
The Turks are not happy, but they’re in a bit of a bind, seeing as their own military was depleted by the putsch following the failed military coup of a few years ago, and the economy’s not doing particularly well. Nor is Turkey an economic powerhouse that can punish the Saudis with much hope of a positive result.
But they may have hopes for the United States, and I noticed that CNN is reporting that an American pastor who’d been held on charges of complicity in that failed coup. Given that Turkey had been intransigent on this issue, it’s interesting that suddenly the pastor has been released. Could the Turks be looking to link their capitulation on this issue with American backing on the Kashoggi murder?
President Trump has reportedly not been responding quickly to Kashoggi’s disappearance, but he’s at least addressed it, with an expected slant to it here:
Q You mean sanctions in that case? You oppose sanctions against Saudi Arabia?
THE PRESIDENT: I oppose — I would not be in favor of stopping a country from spending $110 billion — which is an all-time record — and letting Russia have that money and letting China have that money. Because all they’re going to do is say, “That’s okay. We don’t have to buy it from Boeing. We don’t have to buy it from Lockheed. We don’t have to buy it from Raytheon and all these great companies. We’ll buy it from Russia. We’ll but it from China.”
Money, money, money. That, I think, encapsulates his typically short-sighted approach to foreign relations – let the money flow and don’t worry about what MBS might do, thus encouraged, in the future. And that’s the sticking point, isn’t it? If MBS isn’t punished for this transgression, who might be the next annoying person to be killed as if it were a normal part of doing business?
That sounds like the Soviets, doesn’t it?
And it’s not just MBS, either. Any thin-skinned strongman, or a would-be strongman in a precarious position, will see MBS getting away with murder and figure he can indulge in it for political reasons as well.
Trump observed that Kashoggi, while U.S. based, isn’t an American citizen, and I suspect he’s using that as an excuse. That’s likely to lead to bad consequences.
For my part, I’d prefer a cleaner response, one modeled on the Western response to the Lockerbie bombing. That is, if it is determined the Saudis are almost certainly responsible, demand the Saudis hand over those responsible, and specify that all conspirators be included.
And if that includes MBS, so be it. Let King Salman decide if he’s more interested in keeping his allegedly murderous Crown Prince around, or keeping good relations with the United States. Even if he decides to not deliver MBS, MBS may be removed from the Crown Prince position for incompetence.
And make it clear that if King Salman declines, then we’ll decline implementing any further arms shipments to him, and we’ll begin investigating how to stop all oil shipments from Saudi Arabia.
We really should not reward murderous autocrats, which appears to be a tool MBS wants to use to further his ambitions. It would be much the same as cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face: blood everywhere, people repulsed and pitying, and all that money would have to be shoved up the nasal passageway to stop the bleeding.
Someone should inform Trump that standing firm on moral grounds has more potential for profit than just running frantically after money. After all, turning the world into a shooting gallery may be profitable for the shooters, but not so good for the targets.
