General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBiden Won't Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi's Killing, Fearing Relations Breach
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/us/politics/biden-mbs-khashoggi.htmlBiden Wont Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggis Killing, Fearing Relations Breach
The decision will disappoint the human rights community and members of his own party who complained during the Trump administration that the U.S. was failing to hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable.
By David E. Sanger
Feb. 26, 2021 Updated 3:16 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON President Biden has decided that the price of directly penalizing Saudi Arabias crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is too high, according to senior administration officials, despite a detailed American intelligence finding that he directly approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident and Washington Post columnist who was drugged and dismembered in October 2018.
The decision by Mr. Biden, who during the 2020 campaign called Saudi Arabia a pariah state with no redeeming social value, came after weeks of debate in which his newly formed national security team advised him that there was no way to formally bar the heir to the Saudi crown from entering the United States, or to weigh criminal charges against him, without breaching the relationship with one of Americas key Arab allies.
Officials said a consensus developed inside the White House that the price of that breach, in Saudi cooperation on counterterrorism and in confronting Iran, was simply too high.
Mr. Bidens aides said that as a practical matter, Prince Mohammed would not be invited to the United States anytime soon, and they denied that they were giving Saudi Arabia a pass, describing series of new actions on lower-level officials intended to penalize elite elements of the Saudi military and impose new deterrents to human rights abuses.
no_hypocrisy
(46,122 posts)tonedevil
(3,022 posts)then let the culprit off?
ecstatic
(32,712 posts)LAS14
(13,783 posts)tonedevil
(3,022 posts)to hold onto my obviously false hope that there might be a US leader who wouldn't choose to coddle murderous dictators. Now I'm thoroughly disillusioned and sad that our country displays no moral courage.
JI7
(89,252 posts)stop business deals etc.
tonedevil
(3,022 posts)as a strongly worded letter to The Times.
JI7
(89,252 posts)tonedevil
(3,022 posts)to respond more forcefully than what I'm able to as an individual. The way that Khashoggi was tortured and killed is Nazi level evil and there are zero consequences. I think that is good people saying nothing and enabling evil.
aocommunalpunch
(4,241 posts)GTFOH. Ooooooooo. He's grounded for a while? Whatever.
Seriously? This is some weak sauce. The bastard is SKATING and laughing about it.
triron
(22,007 posts)uponit7771
(90,347 posts)rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)That Saudi Prince is another if not worst than Bin Laden.
stillcool
(32,626 posts)did Biden or Jen Psaki, or some other someone with a name say something?
Klaralven
(7,510 posts)mvd
(65,174 posts)It all came out under Biden. Media glossing over Trumps covering it up.
I am a dove and hope something can be done without starting a major conflict.
tritsofme
(17,380 posts)SWBTATTReg
(22,137 posts)isn't it? The waters between our Countries though, should be tainted with the 'wink wink' knowledge that each of the two Countries knows what the other did, what the other knows now. The relationship has been forever tainted, damaged, the asks and consequent gives in return have been forever altered, and S. Arabia, as long as this thug remains in power (and it looks like it will unfortunately), the relationship is damaged seriously. As it should be. I don't want to do business w/ someone that could put a knife in my ribs later if I displease them in some manner.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)but I don't think that we'll be sending them bucketfuls of arms or giving them quite the "royal treatment" that they were getting under Trump. The price and demands of diplomacy sometimes makes for less than desirable decisions.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,357 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,357 posts)Mr.Bill
(24,303 posts)Make it look like an accident, Joe.
BlueLucy
(1,609 posts)Can someone tell me what the US needs from Saudi Arabia? They were never held accountable for 9/11 and now Khashoggi's Killing.
JI7
(89,252 posts)radius777
(3,635 posts)Our entanglement in the Middle East (and concern about the balance of power thereof) is mostly about oil.
The quicker we move to green energy (which Biden is very supportive of) the quicker we can disentangle from many of these rogue actors across the globe.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)...only about 10% of our crude imports...40%+ comes from Canada.
JI7
(89,252 posts)US and other things.