Trump to Arm Saudi Arabia Because 'Dissent' Is Only Bad for Journalists
So, Donald Trump is ready to arm Saudi Arabia with F-35 fighter jets, fresh off his White House welcome for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The Independent meticulously notes this is MBS’s first Washington visit since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. What they don't dwell on is how this aligns with a bipartisan tradition: condemning human rights abuses verbally, then
shoveling weapons to the perpetrators anyway. It's almost as if the U.S. political class believes the profit margins of Lockheed Martin are more sacred than the lives of Saudi civilians, or Yemeni ones for that matter. This isn't just about an F-35 deal; it's about the U.S. continually empowering regimes notorious for using American arms against civilian populations—see Yemen. It's a stark
reminder that while Riyadh funds lobbyists to rehabilitate its image, U.S. politicians are practically racing to see who can deliver the next tranche of advanced weaponry. How many 'strategic partnerships' involve overlooking dismemberment and indiscriminate bombing? Apparently, as long as the check clears, the answer is 'all of them.'