Saudis are said to have lain in wait for Jamal Khashoggi

No, they have been getting worse for a long time. Ask anyone in MCain's campaign.

Look, if you know this little about this topic, you should probably stop talking about it.

 

Thank you ... that was my impression, but I don't have a lot of independent information/experience with respect to the Middle East with which to make a judgement, and it's always too easy, when someone writes a well-referenced book, to just assume they're correct. I recall that what he had to say about the overthrow of Mossadegh in Iran, about which, but I did know a bit, brought new information to me which I had not seen anywhere else.

Don't you think that this apparent murder, and the blatant way it was carried out, runs against the grain, or at least is not in the style of, of the new Crown Prince who is trying to modernize the place? Not that he is any sort of liberal, as he's been pretty hard on rivals there, but it's just not the way smart people like him deal with critics. Could this be some murky plot by his enemies to discredit his rule?

There are liberalizing rulers in these countries who, to try to neutralize reactionary critics, do or say illiberal things. The new guy running (notionally) Pakistan, Imran Khan, appears to be a case in point.

 

Good Lord! Don't be silly. In the first place, who do you think would carry out these arrests and assassinations: the FBI? the CIA?

C'mon! Don't be like the ridiculous people who claim Hillary murdered Vince Foster and several others. Someone can be a repulsive political leader, but not be a murderer. (I'm talking about our own country. Plenty of our leaders, Democrats and Republicans, have aided and abetted murder, including mass murder, in other countries.)

 

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I don't have a clue about this Khashoggi mess.Maybe they were trying to kidnap him and killed him in the process. IMO, Its a major screw up.

 

if it comes to that which it has not so far, possible just a little word from Academi will do the trick.

 

If the Saudis did this -- as looks likely -- they should be subject to every kind of reprisal possible. Of course, our governments will twist and turn to avoid anything serious, but maybe public opinion can push them a bit further than they would like to go.

But ... I wouldn't immediately conclude that MBS (the new Crown Prince who is in charge there) is automatically guilty. It goes entirely against his interests, and his style, to do this. I wonder if this isn't some initiative by friends of his enemies to discredit him. We will see.

(Of course, the usual loons will blame the Israelis.)

 

Academi???? Who dat?

 

Blackwater's replacement. The Christian Right have their private army if required.

 

I am suspecting there's a whole lot more to this including some shady dealings between Jared Kushner and the Saudis. https://theintercept.com/2018/03/21/jared-kushner-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman/

I'll paste exerpts of that article from last March here.

Saudi Crown Prince Boasted That Jared Kushner Was “In His Pocket”
In June, Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman ousted his cousin, then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and took his place as next in line to the throne, upending the established line of succession. In the months that followed, the President’s Daily Brief contained information on Saudi Arabia’s evolving political situation, including a handful of names of royal family members opposed to the crown prince’s power grab.

In late October, Jared Kushner made an unannounced trip to Riyadh, catching some intelligence officials off guard. “The two princes are said to have stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. several nights, swapping stories and planning strategy,” the Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported at the time.

Crown Prince Mohammed told confidants that Kushner had discussed the names of Saudis disloyal to the crown prince, according to three sources who have been in contact with members of the Saudi and Emirati royal families since the crackdown. Kushner, through his attorney’s spokesperson, denies having done so.

On November 4, a week after Kushner returned to the U.S., the crown prince, known in official Washington by his initials MBS, launched what he called an anti-corruption crackdown. The Saudi government arrested dozens of members of the Saudi royal family and imprisoned them in the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, which was first reported in English by The Intercept. The Saudi figures named in the President’s Daily Brief were among those rounded up; at least one was reportedly tortured.

It is likely that Crown Prince Mohammed would have known who his critics were without Kushner mentioning them, a U.S. government official who declined to be identified pointed out. The crown prince may also have had his own reasons for saying that Kushner shared information with him, even if that wasn’t true. Just the appearance that Kushner did so would send a powerful message to the crown prince’s allies and enemies that his actions were backed by the U.S. government."

I believe there's a lot more to this than a Saudi journalist being murdered and chopped up into pieces. The Saudis have a lot of influence using unlimited billions to spend on those they choose to influence, I believe Kushner was one of those who they influenced.

 

Issue: Will Trump take a stand against the Saudis over this? So far, it seems not. Trump is at issue, because he has a rich history of refusing to condemn certain foreign governments and leaders despite their obvious, proven guilt.

 

Exiled to the US for being critical of Trump, one fewer 'enemies of the people'.

 

I was reminded of that just now, listening to what he was saying about this case.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics...o/playlists/saudi-journalist-jamal-khashoggi/

"... I don't like it with respect to reporters. It's a terrible, terrible precedent. We can't let it happen. ..."

From the guy who has long been at war with reporters and has repeatedly called them the enemy of the people. Chalk it up to Trump statements that I find rather difficult to take seriously. He has been kissing Saudi feet ever since taking office, just like his predecessors.

 

I'm confused. Did Obama's flexibility help, or hurt the Russians during his term?

 

Are you kidding? Trump admires them for this. Even the transparent, weak comments he has made are obviously forced.

 

We need to nuke Saudi Arabia.
Find a new friend in the ME.
Saudi isn't our friend anyways. ( Taquyyia)

 

You sure are.

 

This is going to be increasingly difficult for him.

Khashoggi was murdered, Saudis did it, leading Republican says

Washington (CNN)A leading Republican senator said Thursday that he believes Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and that "there is no question the Saudis did this."

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker told CNN that the "intel points directly" to Saudi Arabia for the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and said the Saudis need to "produce" the 59-year-old father of four to dispel concerns.

Corker's comments highlight a growing tension between Congress, which is calling for action on Khashoggi, and the White House, where President Donald Trump has indicated he's aware of Saudi responsibility but signaled that he's unwilling to take punitive steps, particularly ending arms sales to the kingdom because of the US jobs they generate.

...
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/11/politics/trump-saudi-arabia-journalist-corker/index.html

It will be interesting to see how it develops. Will other Republicans get tough on this? Will Trump be forced to acquiesce? I imagine this will depend on what polling tells them.

 

We always have Israel. At least until everyone else forms a powerful enough coalition against them and us in the region, and we're forced to the point where Israel is no longer useful and we have no rational choice but to back out.

 

And the moment the Trump cult falls in line with their dear leader in this (and they will), these terrified, spineless republicans will meekly shut up.

 

Oh hell,

They got away with 9/11.

What's another murder.

 

Israel will always be there.

We depend on them, and they depend on us.

 

So his flexibility DID help the Russians hack the election during his term?

I appreciate your clarification.

 

Enjoy talking to your mirror....hey, someone will finally tell you that you make sense!

 

I understand your blind devotion for Obama, but this makes a lot of sense too: