A month after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, an international consensus is emerging about how to respond: deplore the crime, demand justice, but don’t cut ties with the kingdom. In particular, don’t cut off Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the man widely believed to have ordered the killing …
Continue reading Mohammed bin Salman: Too Big to Fail
The US proposed that a UN-brokered Yemeni peace process begin by December. This suggestion caught some observers by surprise who hadn’t counted on the US contradicting its Saudi ally after Riyadh’s almost five-year-long insistence on achieving a “total victory”, but the recent worsening of relations between the two Great Powers after Jamal Khashoggi’s killing made …
Continue reading Russia Can Help Secure Saudi Interests Within the US-Run Yemeni Peace Process
In the last few weeks, numerous articles and analyses have been produced relating to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. However, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States has not been questioned, and the reason for this has not yet been explained. Nixon’s decision in 1971 to withdraw the United States from …
Continue reading The Untouchable US-Saudi Relation Is a Core Element of US Imperialism
Mohammed bin Salman's universe is shrinking quickly. After a prolonged absence in London, his uncle and nemesis, Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, returned home to a hero’s welcome. Senior princes have flocked to greet him, at the airport and receptions held afterwards. The welcome includes heavyweights like former intelligence chief Khaled bin Bandar, former deputy defence minister Khaled …
Continue reading Why Mohammed bin Salman Is Now Circling the Wagons
Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, has returned to Saudi Arabia after a prolonged absence in London, to mount a challenge to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or find someone who can. The septuagenarian prince, an open critic of bin Salman (MbS), has travelled with security guarantees given by US and UK officials. …
Continue reading Senior Saudi Prince Flies Home to Tackle MbS Succession
A fascinating FT article suggests Western intelligence agencies have now dumped Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman after he's been personally accused by world leaders — foremost among them Turkey's President Erdogan and US President Trump — for ordering the brutal murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Implicit in the article, rich with quotes from current and former US …
Continue reading Regime Change in Riyadh? The CIA has Just Publicly Dumped MbS
Stalin said that the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of a million a statistic. And the death of one man, Khashoggi, at the hand of Saudi assassins in Turkey has reinforced that axiom. One man’s death has set the whole complex Middle Eastern political vortex spinning. The first effect of his …
Continue reading Understanding the Khashoggi ‘Game’ Being Played Out by Erdogan
Merkel said that her country won’t fulfill its contractual commitment to provide the Saudis with hundreds of millions of dollars of arms this year until Riyadh responsibly answers all the questions pertaining to Khashoggi’s killing, which she even termed a “monstrosity” and promised that she’ll pressure her other EU allies to follow suit. For as …
Continue reading Germany’s Arms Suspension to Saudi Arabia is Shooting the West in the Foot
Amid a chorus of condemnation directed against his leadership following the slaying of controversial journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – popularly known by the moniker MbS – condemned Khashoggi’s murder in no uncertain terms on Wednesday, calling the deed a “heinous crime that cannot be justified” and promising “justice” for those …
