MbS: From 'Pariah' to 'Partner' in 30 Pieces of Silver
The article suggests MbS has 'reclaimed his place' despite the Jamal Khashoggi assassination. Let's recall: US intelligence reported MbS approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi in October 2018. Yet, US arms sales to Saudi Arabia have continued largely unabated, including during the Biden administration, totaling well over $40 billion since 2017 ( SIPRI Arms Transfers Database ).
Apparently, an inconvenient journalist's dismemberment is a temporary speed bump, easily paved over with petrodollars and geopolitical 'stability.' The transformation from 'pariah' to 'power player' seems less about any genuine reform and more about the price of crude oil and lucrative defense contracts. When Washington calls someone a 'pariah' it's a polite way of saying 'we haven't finished
negotiating their concession price.' How many journalists must be silenced before the 'world stage' decides their seat is truly revoked, or does capital always trump conscience?