US 'Human Rights' Talk Only Applies to Certain Dictators
Al-Monitor, citing Reuters, frames Trump's defense of MBS over the Khashoggi killing as a dramatic departure from 'traditional US support for human rights globally.' (Apparently, that 'tradition' excluded Pinochet, Suharto, and the Shah of Iran.) This 'shock' conveniently ignores decades of US administrations cozying up to dictators when it suits strategic or financial interests. This isn't a
'Trump shift'; it's standard operating procedure. The US has selectively applied human rights concerns for generations, often ignoring abuses when the perpetrator is an ally (like Saudi Arabia, which buys billions in US arms) or when it distracts from its own global actions. The only 'shift' is that some are now willing to call it out—when it's politically convenient.