Posted on 10/16/2018 9:22:22 PM PDT by Innovative
The concerted efforts now underway to derail the improved relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia established by the Trump administration are unhelpful at best and dangerous to America’s national and economic security at worst.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a reformer trying to modernize his country. The steps he has taken so far are unprecedented. Letting that progress fall victim to mistakes by his government and attacks from opponents would be a massive mistake.
The death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi – a critic of the Saudi government, who has not been heard from since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago – was a tragedy. If the facts show the government of Saudi Arabia was responsible for his death it should be held accountable.
But the death of Khashoggi does not outweigh U.S. strategic concerns, which require that we maintain good relations with the Saudi government. We must react accordingly – not as a favor to the Saudis, but in our own national interest.
In the Middle East we must keep our eyes on the biggest threat in the region – the dangerous and virulently anti-American government of Iran, which poses a military danger to its neighbors and our ally Israel.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Not only do they get away with murder (not to mention the spread of the Islamic cult around the world) they are also committing genocide in Yemen. Take a look sometime at the pictures of the starving kids. The US is providing the weapons to accomplish this.
Was there ever a connection of the Saudi govt to the 911 perps?
Serious question.
That’s what I thought.
You seem to forget that all of these groups are funded by or are spinoffs of radical Saudi Wahhabi clerics, who in turn get their funding from Saudi oil money. The Saudi Royals buy their "legitimacy" in the eyes of the pious masses by funding clerics who in turn fund and inspire terrorism. The Royal's attitude is "go forth and blow things up in the name of Islam. Just don't do it here." Think of it as outsourcing terrorism.
Everyone has heard about people getting their hands cut off for stealing a loaf of bread in Middle Eastern countries.
Arabs don't even treat their cohorts all that nicely, I would assume that they take an even dimmer view of being highly critical of their “royal family” on foreign soil in foreign countries. Being Osama Bin Laden’s roomie and working as an advocate for the Muslim Brotherhood who are hoping to over throw the Saudi government probably didn't help much either.
There have been several reports that he may have been working for CIA. That may explain why Trump hasn’t said much.
Don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel about the Sauds in power!:
“Khashoggi was no good, and I’m glad he’s dead. But we are not “allies” with the Saudis because of our national interest. We are there solely because of the petrodollar. So we protect a backwards barbaric satanic feudal monarchy that murdered 3000 Americans and is THE leading cause of islamic terrorism around the world. We let them build hundreds of wahabbist mosques in America and bribe our political leaders from Bush, Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Cheney, Obama, etc. The Saudis are one of the most repressive nations on earth, still has slaves, and makes Iran look progressive”, makes and Assad look like a wild eyed libertarian.”
.………..dang, would have taken me more than a few minutes to write that...…………….thanks!
I would add one thing, when I think “Saudi” (and I’ve been there), I THINK of the NYC woman with young kids at home, skirt blowing, legs showing, flying downward in mid air after choosing to jump from an upper floor of the World Trade Center. So, my loathing for all things Saudi has been simmering just below the boiling point for coming up on two decades. Then Bush helped them get out of town. I’ll stop here.
FReeper sleuths, possible extreme importance (don’t know yet): I am seeing some items online (Twitter and linked items) that suggest the whole Khashoggi thing may turn out to be some weird intel set-up or propaganda ploy...... this does not mean he may not be dead (though we’ve seen no definite evidence of any kind), but that he may well have left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul alive and been kidnapped/eliminated elsewhere by forces as yet unspecified but not necessarily Saudi govt. A lot of this “info” seems kinda sketchy but possibly very revealing of a faked ploy, such as that the only known photo of Khashoggi and his alleged “fiance” waiting for him outside the consulate seems to have been photoshopped to place her into the scene. He may not even have been engaged, according to some online sleuths. Some very intriguing info on the following Twatter feed which I am trying to explore right now. I just post it here in case others want to explore. I view it all as very tentative and as of unknown provenance at this time, but it merits examination:
I don’t yet know whether this analysis is reliable or not, but it certainly raises interesting questions:
https://herald.report/how-to-kill-a-fake-fiancee-the-khashoggi-case/
p.s. I have no interest in defending the despicable Saudis, but US foreign policy should not be manipulated by agitprop and disinformation, if that’s what this case proves to be.
clarification: it is not that the allegedly faked photo is of any scene near the Saudi consulate, it is that (the allegation goes) the photo was faked for the MSM circulation (starting with CNN and WaPo) in order to try to support the claim that Khashoggi and Hatice were engaged.
Some ppl who claim to know more say that while the two were acquainted at least via Twitter, there is zero public info before this case to say that they ever were engaged or that Khashoggi was so close to her at all.
THAT is why if the sole photo of the two of them together as a “couple” turns out to be faked that would be highly suggestive.
The MSM story runs that Hatice his fiance was waiting for him near the Saudi consulate and that he never emerged.
IF it turns out that she and Khashoggi were not even engaged and/or that her role in this is suspect somehow, then of course many questions open up for examination.
Account from Hatice, allegedly the fiance of Khashoggi. Of course, if her account is accurate and sincere then this is all a horrible thing that has been done to him/them.
BUT it must be considered whether all is as she claims or not. SHE is Turkish, evidently. They “met” only months ago according to her own account. Might she turn out to be some kind of intel agent or tool for the Turks? I don’t know, but I’m certainly not ready to accept her word about everything without strong corroboration.
So far we seem to have ONLY her word that he never emerged from the Saudi consulate and ONLY her word that they were even engaged (strange for any couple to have a secret engagement, though they might be living secretive lives for one reason or another).
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/opinion/jamal-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-fiancee-mbs-murder.html
Whoaaa.... OF COURSE the “couple” photo is faked!!! Look at the author’s photo of Khashoggi used in WaPo more than a YEAR ago (Sept. 2017): same hat, shirt, beard, complexion, and smile as in the “couple” photo, yet according to Hatice they did not even MEET until May 2018. Someone needs to get hold of the original photo submitted to WaPo for that author’s photo, because it obviously did not include Hatice to be cropped out in Sept. 2017 when they did not even meet until May 2018.
Your theory is a definite possibility. But proving it would be extremely difficult.
But maybe people will start to consider the various possibilities, rather that just swallow the propaganda.
Well I don’t yet even hold it as a definite plausible theory, as opposed to provocative speculation, as it is something that needs to be further explored... BUT I am seeing indications that the “couple” photo was indeed faked, and if THAT turns out to be true then it might be incredibly significant.
After all the sophistry, we are merely whoring out our nations honor, and pretending it is for high minded reasons.
Best succinct analysis I've seen on the subject.
Jamal Khashoggi, and his billionaire uncle Adnan Khashoggi, have been players in the Intel Community for decades.
We will never know for sure all the details of what went on with him. That is how it is in that world - story on top of story, with opposed professionals planting and spinning endlessly.
But there are big things afoot, which could prompt some Foreign Intelligence Services, or foreign leaders, to make some particularly extraordinary efforts.
- We are entering a critical period for the elections in the USA, and Trump is really shaking up the status quo for a lot of (all) big players. The Left wants to avoid prosecution/gain power, and China wants to maintain its trade revenues.
- Days before that election, full sanctions hit the Iranian regime - the biggest existential threat to that regime since its founding.
- Saudi Arabia is nearing an epochal transfer of the all-powerful kingship to a new a generation, which will effect the direction on the country, it huge fortune, and its influence on the world, for decades to come. Some competing interests would strongly want something to keep MBS from the throne.
The stakes are exceptionally high - long term, strategic stakes. It is the high point of risk and opportunity for senior Intelligence officials around the world, to influence events in their favor - the greatest battle in the career of some of them.
Risks will be taken, and lots of resources will be available to confuse the issue.
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