Why Saudi Arabia will get away with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Despite the absurdity of such allegations, there are people, among them is US President Donald Trump, who believe the version presented by the Saudi authorities… likely not because they are actually that gullible, but because it is profitable to agree.
The time and place
The killing of Khashoggi in Istanbul is a direct challenge to the Turkish authorities. A person who was under the protection of the Turkish state, moreover, who came into contact with people close to President Erdogan, was killed in a most cruel way. He was dismembered alive by agents of a foreign state while on Turkish soil. This is a direct message to the entire Islamic world that Riyadh does not respect Ankara. It is also a message to all independent forces in the Islamic world not to rely on Turkey, since it is not able to protect those who ask them for help.
The United States, represented by President Trump, supports Saudi Arabia, standing in solidarity with this position. In fact, they give the green light to killing Muslims who disagree with their Saudi vassals. This anti-Turkish gesture looks like a slap in the face of Turkey after the release of Pastor Brunson.
The Purpose of the Murder
In addition to the purpose of intimidating the opponents of the Saudi regime, the elimination of the Khashoggi could have been connected with the secrets that he had kept, but was ready to reveal.
It is well known that, since the 1980s, Khashoggi was in contact with Osama bin Laden, and even met with him, including on the instructions of Saudi special services. Khashoggi was the only non-royal Saudi Arabian who knew of the royals’ intimate dealing with al-Qaeda in the lead-up to the September 11 terrorist attacks. He had been an aid to the head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al Faisal, who resigned a few days before the attacks of September 11, 2001. The journalist could have revealed connections that would damage both Riyadh and the Americans, who have made a bet on the Saudis in the Middle East. His colleagues recall that he wanted to publish a special article on the subject which he had been silent on for too long. «It was a big deal, because in that column he decided to speak up for the first time about why he left Saudi Arabia,” said Eli Lopez, senior editor for Washington Post’s Global Opinions column.
A double standard
There are double standards for Saudi Arabia: it is very unlikely that another country would get away with such a crime. The arrest of pastor Brunson alone led to sanctions and an economic war against Turkey. Suspicions of attempted murder of former GRU agent Skrypal led to US and EU sanctions against Russia. It is terrible to imagine what would have happened if one of the opponents of the regime had been killed by the Iranian special services.
The reason for the double standards is not only the Saudis’ petrodollars, but the important geopolitical position of this country for US domination in the Middle East. It is with the help of the Saudis that the US is trying to push through its plan for the “ reconciliation of Palestine,” which, In fact, will be a rejection of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the Greater Israel project.
Saudi Arabia will be become a deterrent to Iran, the main enemy of the United States and Israel in the region. Alternative centers of Sunni Islam – Qatar and Turkey – turn out to be undesirable competitors in this regard.
What’s next?
Under these conditions, the introduction of sanctions against the Saudis is essentially out of the question. On the other hand, to behave just like them, trying to become useful to the United States in order to secure their interests, is a failed strategy for any other country in the Middle East with the exception of Israel.
Saudi Wahhabi Islam is convenient for the United States, it lacks a metaphysical dimension and genuine cultural basis, being essentially a product of Western intervention in the middle east. The masters of Saudi Arabia are easily manipulated and controlled, they have no complaints about civilizational sovereignty. But Iran has such claims, and Turkey has them. Even Qatar, which demonstrates a more sophisticated policy than Saudi Arabia, is becoming too clever for their own good, and therefore dangerous for the United States. Saudi Arabia does not offer any alternative to the West, but the luxury of the royal family and the intolerance of clergy create a negative image of Islam helping the West to divide and rule.
The only way out lies in sovereignty, and therefore in the construction of alliances alternative to those dominated by the US or their Saudi pawns.