US Designates Oil Dictatorship 'Ally' For Our Freedom
Yes, the same Saudi Arabia that was implicated by US intelligence in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and whose brutal war in Yemen has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The designation, coming just before a 2020 election, was touted as a strategic move. One might wonder if the strategy was less about democracy and more about arms deals – Saudi Arabia was, after all,
the world's largest arms importer from 2016-2020, with the US as its primary supplier. (Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2021) So, an 'ally' for freedom, stability, and human rights, if by 'freedom' you mean unquestioning loyalty to oil profits, by 'stability' you mean suppressing dissent, and by 'human rights' you mean 'they aren't *our* human rights violations to worry
about.' It's almost as if 'ally' has lost all meaning when applied to regimes that conveniently serve our interests, regardless of their actions. What's next, a 'strategic partnership' with Pyongyang for missile defense?