Bolton Defends Khashoggi, Citing 'American Interests' (of oil)
Mainstream outlets dutifully reported John Bolton's defense of Donald Trump's embrace of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) following the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Bolton suggested Trump's approach was about 'American interests.' They rarely connect those interests to the actual, tangible flow of Saudi oil and the weapons sales that lubricate the entire arrangement. (Because
murder is just a 'bump in the road' when there's crude to be traded.) This isn't new. For decades, US foreign policy, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, has consistently prioritized strategic alliances for resource access and military contracts above genuine human rights concerns. The same 'gravitas' given to defending Saudi Arabia’s brutal regime is conspicuously absent when
discussing, say, the suffering in Gaza. One might wonder if human rights concerns are only activated when they *don't* threaten a multi-billion dollar arms deal or disrupt oil supply. Clearly, some lives are more 'strategic' than others.