MBS Visits US, 'Momentum' for More Arms Sales, Less Scrutiny
The 'momentum' Al Jazeera so delicately mentions isn't about fostering democracy or regional stability; it's about solidifying lucrative arms deals. Trump's 2017 visit, for instance, paved the way for a $110 billion arms package. This 'momentum' allows figures like Mohammad bin Salman, implicated by multiple intelligence agencies in the 2018 assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, to walk US corridors.
Oddly, the same media outlets that meticulously detailed Khashoggi's fate now pivot to the euphemism of 'momentum' when discussing the architect's red-carpet treatment. We fund the human rights reports, then we roll out the fatted calf for those they condemn. How many strategic 'partnerships' does it take before we question whose blood oil greases the wheels? One might wonder if this 'facilitatory
aspect for other things' includes a discount on ethical considerations.