Strongly dislike is just short of hate. Saudi Arabian prince Mohammed bin Salman is slimy, sketchy and if nothing else, crafty. He knows he is in the driver’s seat when it comes to American politics, finances and partial survival.
Now remember, it was Saudi-backed terrorists involved in the take down of the twin towers (9/11). Of course, deniability is the key word that smooths everything over, or is it?
The move, of course, prompted the 9/11 families to slam the PGA tour as ‘Saudi shills’ after that recent merger.
Too often time heals, or adds to forgetfulness and memory loss of crimes and those who commit them.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Wall Street journalist was brutally murdered by the Saudis in 2018. Sure quasi-fake trials were held passing the blame on 11 men working for the Saudi government, but good old Salman escaped unscathed.
By November 2018, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States had concluded that bin Salman had ordered the assassination. In the same month, the United States levelled sanctions against 17 Saudis over the murder, but did not sanction bin Salman himself.
In January 2019, trials began in Saudi Arabia against the 11 Saudis accused of involvement in Khashoggi’s murder. In December 2019, following secretive proceedings, three defendants were acquitted; five were sentenced to death; and three others were sentenced to prison. Two of the acquitted defendants, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, were high-level Saudi security officials. The five men sentenced to death were low-level participants and were mysteriously legally pardoned in May 2020 by Khashoggi’s children. The results of the trial were criticized by the international community.
The U.S. leadership realized that in keeping good faith with the oil-spigot ruler it was necessary to look away and accept what happened. On November 18, 2022, the Biden administration provided a legal opinion that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman holds immunity over his alleged role in the assassination of Khashoggi.
Ohh, let’s move on. Saudi authorities in 2021 routinely repressed dissidents, human rights activists, and independent clerics. On April 5, Saudi Arabia’s terrorism court sentenced an aid worker, Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, age 37, to 20 years in prison followed by a 20-year travel ban on charges related to his peaceful expression. On April 20, the same court sentenced a human rights activist, Mohammed al-Rabea, to six years in prison on vague and spurious charges related to his activism. Of course, cruel torture for these two and any others criticizing the Saudi leadership.
Hey, but don’t worry, Mohammed bin Salman is seen as a more liberal leader, even to the point of now allowing Saudi women to get driver’s licenses and actually drive cars. He even freed women activists, with certain conditions including never speaking out in the future.
Saudi prison guards describe torture and ill-treatment they witnessed by Saudi interrogators against high-profile detainees in mid to late 2018, including Loujain al-Hathloul and Mohammed al-Rabia. Once again America turned a blind eye to continuing atrocities.
This past week the Saudi oil peeps announced they were cutting back one million barrels of oil per day. They want to keep the price of oil and gas for American vehicles steady and sure.
The Saudis fight (secretly) against the move of the world auto makers to move to electric, knowing full well that within a decade their oil and gas will be passe. The world will move on from fossil fuels and the Saudis will be eating sand.
Last Tuesday the PGA (Professional Golf Association) announced a stunning total abandonment of dealing with the Saudi backed LIV Golf. The PGA Tour announced a partnership with LIV Golf that will result in a new, for-profit entity, a stunning move after more than a year of "saber-rattling" from both sides.
The PGA membership howled in disapproval, but money again walks the talk. The Saudi’s all but bought the PGA.
Of course, this makes sense, due to the shear numbers of Saudis playing golf, especially on the world stage (???)
Perhaps the PGA leadership saw the dwindling numbers of TV watchers since Tiger Woods and other big name golfers have all but disappeared from the tours.
Bottom line cash is supreme whether in oil, gas, politics, golf, human freedoms, or human lives.
No doubt the Saudis and their supreme leader will tremble at media swipes against their policies and injustices, but they well know Americans have short memories. No doubt I would all but disappear for writing this if I was a Saudi journalist.
But Wait! National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday said this about the bilateral relationship: “Saudi Arabia is still a strategic partner, has been for eight decades, will be for the next eight decades.”
We have a tendency to turn a blind eye.
Keep the gas guzzlers going, all but buy golf, ignore human rights... There will be more coming in other avenues of life with Saudi Arabia as long as we look the other way.
