Trump to Host MBS: Diplomacy or Disappearing Journalists?
The optics are clear: another U.S. administration, Democrat or Republican, is ready to overlook the inconvenient truths for 'strategic partnerships.' Remember the Khashoggi assassination, dissected by the CIA as having MBS's approval, as documented by multiple human rights organizations? This isn't just about 'resetting' relations; it's about legitimizing a regime with a documented history of
human rights abuses, including the Yemen war, which killed hundreds of thousands. The New York Times, while reporting the meeting, generally avoids the inconvenient specifics of Saudi human rights records, preferring the euphemism of regional stability. One might wonder if the conversation will include the MBS-backed Public Investment Fund's substantial investments in American companies, or
perhaps the purchase of $100 billion in U.S. arms during Trump's previous term. It's almost as if 'values' are negotiable when oil and weapon sales are on the table. The silence on Khashoggi, on Yemen, on internal dissent, speaks volumes louder than any joint press conference ever could.