The fate of Khashoggi might come as a shock to many Americans, but it’s nothing new. A U.N. report reveals that over “3,000 allegations of torture were formally recorded” against Saudi Arabia between 2009 to 2015, according to The Guardian, with the report also noting a lack of a single prosecution of an official for the conduct.
I have been attempting to expose this for many years. Others in the U.S. government know it, but either won’t admit it or attempt to brush it aside. It’s a fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest sponsor of radical Islam on the planet, and no other nation is even close.
.. Since the 1980s, over $100 billion has “been spent on exporting” Wahhabism (the brand of Islam that controls Saudi Arabia and is most prevalent in madrassas). According to Foreign Policy Magazine, an “estimated 10 to 15 percent of madrassas are affiliated with extremist religious or political groups,” while the number of madrassas in places like Pakistan and India has increased exponentially – from barely 200 to over 40,000 just in Pakistan.
Even the State Department noted during the Obama administration that Saudi Arabia was the “most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide,” and said Qatar and Saudi Arabia were “providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups.”
.. Of course, this isn’t new, as the previously classified 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission report can also tell you.
The Saudis have exported this radical ideology worldwide. They have also committed war crimes in their Yemen war – a war for which American taxpayers are being used as unwitting accomplices.
The Yemen war, fought with American weapons and logistical support, has killed tens of thousands and, according to The Washington Post, left 8 million more “on the brink of famine,” in what it calls “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
.. There is ample evidence of mass incarceration, indefinite detention, torture, and a complete lack of the rule of law and due process within Saudi Arabia. As a matter of understatement, this is antithetical to American ideals.
Saudis Plan To Pin Khashoggi Slaying on ‘Rogue’ General
.. from the top down. Trump’s favorite publisher, American Media Inc., issued an obsequious glossy magazine pushing MBS’ allegedly transformative, enlightened vision onto American supermarket shelves. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, among other journalists, portrayed MBS as an Arab reformer Americans had longed for.
That rapturous reception, along with MBS’ consequence-free decimation of Yemen – one of the most extreme humanitarian crises on earth – and the crown-prince-to-prince relationship with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner that MBS cultivated may help explain why Riyadh believed it could get away with murdering Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry made sure to tweet out a photo of MBS and Pompeo, all smiles.
.. Bin Salman “pledged that the work of the Saudi public prosecutor will produce a full and complete conclusion with full transparency for the world to see,” Pompeo said in a statement late Tuesday, adding: “My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia’s senior leaders or senior officials.”
Earlier Tuesday, Trump tweeted that MBS, with Pompeo present, “totally denied any knowledge” of the grim events in the Saudi consulate on October 2. And that followed on Trump’s stated reluctance to cut off substantial and long-standing Saudi arms deals with the U.S., though The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that the administration is considering some measure of punishment over the Khashoggi disappearance, potentially including sanctions.
Riedel said much depended on the willingness of the Trump administration to accept whatever explanation the Saudis end up offering for the killing of a dissident.
“The key to this cover-up is it puts a delta between MBS and the crime,” he said. “The argument MBS didn’t know doesn’t pass the laugh test.”
Turkey, Saudis Spar Over Missing Journalist Probe as U.S. Eases Pressure
But Mr. Pompeo stressed the existence of “lots of important relationships” between the U.S. and Saudi governments and businesses in both countries, particularly on countering Iran.
“We just need to make sure that we are mindful of that as we approach decisions that the United States government will take when we learn all of the facts associated with whatever may have taken place,” he said.
He also praised Saudi Arabia as a “very important ally” who had been vital to the U.S. efforts to counter Iran in the Middle East. He also said the country is a “tremendous purchaser of not only military equipment but also other things” from the U.S.
Mr. Trump said he would receive a “full report” from Mr. Pompeo once he returns from his trip. He also said he expects results of results of an investigation by the end of the week, and said he wants any audio recording that may represent evidence in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance “if it exists.”
Turkish officials have an audio recording proving that Mr. Khashoggi was beaten, drugged, killed and dismembered by operatives inside the office of the Saudi consul in Istanbul, minutes after walking into the consulate, say people familiar with the matter.
.. Ankara wished to extend its search of Saudi diplomatic buildings in Istanbul to Mr. al-Otaibi’s residence, but had yet to receive authorization from Riyadh.
“That was the purpose of the visit—in that sense, it was incredibly successful,” he said. “We received commitments they would complete this and I’m counting on them to do that.”.. Mr. Pompeo’s trip was the latest sign that the U.S. is rowing back pressure on Saudi Arabia over the incident. President Trump initially threatened the kingdom with reprisals if proof emerged of Riyadh’s involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance... But Tuesday, Mr. Trump resisted calls to cut back U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, saying the $100 billion in U.S.-Saudi arms deals are important to American companies and workers.On Monday, Saudi authorities weighed whether to declare that unauthorized operatives killed Mr. Khashoggi during a botched interrogation, in a bid to defuse growing diplomatic pressure on the kingdom, according to people familiar with the situation. It isn’t known whether they are still considering that.
Lindsey Graham Calls for Sanctions on Saudi Arabia Over Khashoggi Disappearance
While he described Saudi Arabia as, in the past, “a good ally,” Mr. Graham said “there is a difference between a country and individual. The MBS figure to me is toxic. He can never be a world leader on the world stage…This guy has got to go.”
.. Mr. Graham said he “can never do business with Saudi Arabia again until we get this behind us.” Mr. Graham described the crown prince as a “wrecking ball.”
While he described himself previously as Saudi Arabia’s “biggest defender” in the Senate, Mr. Graham said the alleged murder of Mr. Khashoggi made him “feel used and abused.”