U.S. implicates Saudi crown prince in journalist Khashoggi's killing

zichi

Trump refused to release the report but now done by Biden. Saudi will now pay the price.

What price? The West remains dependent on Saudi as ever.

By going easy on this, Trump gained the Saudi agreement with the peace process in the Middle East. By destroying all this, the Biden regime behaves like the proverbial bull in the china shop. Welcome to a return to stupid foreign wars.

The report shouldn't had been buried in the first place

The US shouldn't be at the beck & call of the Saudis, especially when the Saudis do something horrendous

"No, they won’t just like with Iran. I hate both countries, but even with this administration not willing to contain Iran."

You seemed to be conspicuously quiet about this atrocity (killing of Khashoggi) when Trump was president.

The way Trump put the brakes on Iran, deeply hobbling that country. All Joe needs to do is hold steadfast.

I will also ad that US trade policies have strengthened the mullahs as people become utterly dependent on the mullahs to facilitate their business both at home and abroad. To the extent the US isolates Iran it strengthens the hand of the mullahs. You probably don't even understand that. Most Iranians were born after the 1979 revolution and hate the mullahs but due to all the sanctions everyone is forced to go hat in hand to them for their survival.

Just me but I see little difference between the governments of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Iran aside from which tradition of Muslim worship the state enforces on its people. One could make a pretty solid argument that Saudi Wahabism has caused the world more death and destruction and is more repressive internally than anything from Iran. And the Shah was not a whole lot better to his people than the mullahs are. People today forget the reasons the people of Iran rose up and threw the Shah out. There is one nation bordering the Mediterranean or to its south that I respect and that's France. The rest including Italy (where the other half of my family is from), Spain, Greece Turkey and Israel plus all the Arab states are corrupt to the core. King Abdullah of Jordan tries so hard but his people are not that advanced and while he fondly wishes for a European style ceremonial monarchy with a vigorous parliamentary government he is stuck with a population that is not interested in this. Tribal and religious loyalties outweigh loyalty to one's nation. Voting against one's tribe is alien even if the candidate is a criminal. It is a problem that afflicts much of the region.

The way Trump put the brakes on Iran, deeply hobbling that country. All Joe needs to do is hold steadfast.

Actually Mr. Trumps policies accomplished almost nothing. Iran is still selling oil to nations who are willing to buy it. They still finance militias and standing armies like Hamas and Hezbollah throughout the Middle East. They still have a nuclear development program. What Mr. Trump has accomplished is to push many nations to look for ways to trade outside the US Dollar outside the US financial system. That is happening now and once this trend grows the US loses all leverage on Iran short of war. The US under Mr. Trump has motivated many nations including some European nations to find ways to trade that the US has no means to apply leverage. They are succeeding too. This weakens the US position.

Biden's mask appears to be slipping because it now looks as if he is only paying lip service to human rights and reverting de facto to the traditional default position of the ruling American establishment which is to hold the nose and turn a blind eye to the most heinous acts of foreign dictators and despots as long as they benefit the economic and geopolitical interests of the administration. I hope Biden's coddling of the murderous MBS by not sanctioning him personally and ensuring that he never becomes king will not become the first mistake (and step to bizness as usual) by Biden who has undeniably compromised bona fides from his past record as a pillar of Washington's corrupt political establishment.

Their support for one of the most brutal and oppressive regimes ever is just one of the many reasons why the United States has no Moral Authority to criticize China, Russia or any other country about human rights.

The murder of Khashoggi is no longer solely a SA issue.

It's now an American issue thanks to President Biden's da-kine inutile inaction !

But stops short. Yeah, money talks.

in the beginning, you posted that America gave dollars to both Saudi and Iran

They did

Now you do a flip flop.

No, I just spoke about commodity exchanges that both sides got something in return, one hand washed the other.

Yes and the Dems have been in bed with the Iranians, both are despicable, but I only support the Saudis because I do want them and Israel to keep the Iranians in check.

The GOP has always been in bed with the Saudis , whether it was Bush’s’ oil interests or donald’s business loans.

Time someone stands up to this medieval minded criminals!!!

Oil yes. Weapons yes. More dollars flow from Saudi into America than the other way.

In oil revenue, but to say the Saudis didn't pay just is laughable of course they did and they made back on that return.

Doesn't matter,

Oh, but it truly does matter.

they bought and invested heavily in the US arms industry.

And we built and supplied them the arms and at a discount, a commodity of supply and demand.

actually, you made my point that Saudi provides more dollars to America

No, I made a point that it's all equally relevant and we go the oil and they got their firearms, perfect transaction.

The primary role of the American weapons development and manufacture is for us by the country.

Doesn't matter, they bought and invested heavily with the US arms industry.

Saudi buys their weapons with the dollars it earns from selling oil.

You keep making my points for me.

Again, no American money was given to Iran.

And yet Obama made a deal behind the backs of Congress with a treaty that is not even binding, he knew it would be ratified, but he chose to bypass Congress because he knew they would have never allowed him to make any shady deals with that country. Why do we have a Congress if the President disregards their legislative power?

It's about time America made a stand for human rights again, instead of coddling these murderous Saudi dirtbags.

democrat so his bones.

Unsure what you're saying. I disagree if you're saying MbS, arguably the most tyrannical of the globe's many autocrats, even more so than Xi and Putin, has even the tiniest hint of anything even remotely connected to democracy. MbS like his fellow authoritarians is doing what he can to undermine democracies.

The USA will be judged on how it handles this case.

Heck, Washington just can't bomb Syria at will for various reasons but at the same time stays blind to what SA does to a journalist Khashoggi.

.

America's very soul is at stake here.

The rise and fall of Washington will be decided by what Biden does or does not do.

The whole world is watching including PM Suga and the Japanese people where the Bushido Spirit reigns supreme above all.

Re World News

I believe MbS gave the team carte blanche to do whatever it might take. He probably did not specify to murder the guy, and not in the way it turned out and most definitely he did not expect the details to leak out. There is usually a deniability clause built into these things, although DT clearly signed off on the order to take out the Iranian General Soleimani.

he would maintain whatever scale of relations with Saudi Arabia that U.S. interests required

as all politicians, everywhere, always.... and the endless stream of 'news' is nothing more than a distraction....

MBS thought that there was no line he couldn’t cross, that oil would make him untouchable.

So did Saddam. He had a journalist, a US PR no less, murdered for the “crime” of reporting.

He must be held to account in the short-term and in the longer term, the world should move to renewable energy - not just because it would be good for the environment- but also because it would render MBS and Saudi Arabia powerless.

Biden is unsubtly messaging to the world to highlight his different MO to that of his crooked predecessor. Bizness with the oil kingdom must continue, but Biden will never have a warm relation with the murdering Prince Mohamed "Bone Saws", like old "Bone Spurs'" personal emissary, Jared Kushner, had.

This story is as depressing today as it was when it happened. A truly tragic story of how the world's leading democracy ignored this ghastly murder of an honest and decent man.

totally mistaken. The American weapons and arms industry makes massive profits. Like any other, it’s a business. Big Pharma invests billions in new drugs but comes out on the right side of massive profits.

No, no mistake. The exchange for firearms or goods just a different form of commodity, no difference, both sides got what they, we get the oil and they get the firearms, same thing. Although with the Iranians, not sure what we’re getting from these people.

bass4funkToday  09:09 am JST

donald has taken money from the Saudis so he didn’t have the courage to take action, but Biden should!!!

We have given money to both the Iranians and Saudis, not happy about any of it.

Nothing will happen with Sudi Arabia, sorry.

I agree

That doesn't really bother you though, does it? If you think America, or rather rich right-wing American oligarchs, benefits from it you seem to be happy to give the Saudis a free pass to do just about anything.

What is next?

The US hates Saudi Arabia, but just loves its oil. The US helps to create a bogeyman (Iran et al) so the Saudis have to spend a large chunk of their oil revenue on weaponry supplied by the US.

Saudi have spent more than $3 billion on American weapons.

Yes and for the amount it costs us more designing and building these weapons and that’s money right there or commodity that benefits the Saudi government, supply and demand.

The guy sent a hit quad into kill and dispose of the body with audio being recorded in the embassy. I rarely get the chance to say this but well done US!

America under Biden is abandoning its trusted and established allies.

Just a couple of days ago you were worried about "human rights" in Western democracies, but now you are back to normal, attending up for authoritarian and murderous dictatorships.

United States sent about $87.55M in remittances to Saudi Arabia in 2017. In 2019, remittances made up about 0.04% of Saudi Arabia’s GDP, according to data from the World Bank Group. 

https://www.newsweek.com/how-much-us-weapons-sales-saudi-arabia-trump-1167693

"We" didn't give any money to Iran or Saudi. Saudi is the biggest buyer of American weapons

And we make the weapons, that cost money. So sending them weapons or liquid cash amounts to essentially the same thing. Just Semantics.

@ Mr Kipling - The US and its partners (most seriously, Britain) made a mistake choosing Saudi Arabia as a 'love child' long before the 1970s. Oppress. Suppress. Control. Or kill. Works all the time.

donald has taken money from the Saudis so he didn’t have the courage to take action, but Biden should!!!

We have given money to both the Iranians and Saudis, not happy about any of it.

Nothing will happen with Sudi Arabia, sorry.

I agree

The common American cares about gas prices. You make their gas prices increase, you will get an earful. Nothing will happen with Sudi Arabia, sorry.

MBS is a criminal and the mild tone of the message is disappointing.

donald has taken money from the Saudis so he didn’t have the courage to take action, but Biden should!!!

@burning bush, I have three questions for you since you believe that the Saudis are trusted allies. Firstly, do you believe 9/11 was a direct attack on the U.S.? Secondly, do you know that the majority of the terrorists were Saudis? Lastly, do trusted allies attack each other like what happened on 9/11?

Trump refused to release the report but now done by Biden.

The way Trump put the brakes on Iran, deeply hobbling that country. All Joe needs to do is hold steadfast.

Saudi will now pay the price.

No, they won’t just like with Iran. I hate both countries, but even with this administration not willing to contain Iran, the Saudis and Israel will, so that’s reassuring to say the least.

In the race between the exhaustion of Saudi Arabia's oil supplies and slip into geopolitical irrelevancy, and its' efforts to use its' wealth to gain relevancy in other sectors, I hope peak oil wins.

Saudi Arabia is the root of instability in the Middle East. The US and its partners made a huge mistake by choosing it as it love child in the 70's. A brutal dictatorship run by a spoiled man child prince.

Mohammed bin Salman obviously had a hand in the appalling gruesome attack which was in part carried out with a bone saw!

Of course, bone saws are an important piece of kit for Saudi embassies all over the world, aren’t they?

In this case the US is right to call out the regime on such an action.

MbS is another of the globe's 'elite' 'establishment', someone who's too big to fall. When the world stops being so dependent on burning such enormous amounts of oil and gas, authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia and other states whose wealth requires selling fuels will become less powerful. Then - maybe - nations with bits of democracy remaining can begin to shun murderous despots instead of coddling them. Until then expect the US and other weapons selling nations to remain cozy with with MbS etal.