The West's reaction to the apparent death of Jamal Kashoggi has been appalling. Micheal Harris writes:
For sheer, cold-blooded monstrosity, you would have to review the handiwork of Jeffrey Dahmer to find an equivalent to Khashoggi’s end — assuming the Turks have, as they claim, the audio and video evidence to document the moment of his gruesome murder.
The Washington Post columnist entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as a whole person. He apparently left as a collection of pieces in the possession of the 15-person hit squad the Turks believe was dispatched from Riyadh to take his life.
Most of the 15 people who arrived and departed on chartered jets from Riyadh have been identified as having connections to Saudi Arabia’s state security apparatus.
Donald Trump was unfazed:
Trump emphasized that even if the allegations against the Saudis prove true, there wouldn’t be sanctions. Nor would he reconsider the $110 billion arms deal the U.S. recently inked in the wake of the president’s sword dance with Saudi royalty on his visit to Riyadh.
That, he explained, would cost “U.S. jobs.”
Likewise for Justin Trudeau:
Justin Trudeau has been uninspiring in his reaction as well, befitting a politician who signed off on a Harper-era sale of $15 billion worth of Canadian made armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The same Saudis who brutally invaded Bahrain in 2011 and are now conducting a genocidal war against the Houthi in Yemen.
A telling statistic: Although the Trudeau government has deplored the war in Yemen, it has sold $284 million worth of military equipment to the countries that are bombing the Houthis, primarily Saudi Arabia. By comparison, Canada has given the war torn country $65 million in aid. As with climate change, the Liberals say we can have it both ways.
The West is morally vapid. Meanwhile, authoritarians around the world are wrecking havoc:
Police in Dubai concluded that a team from Mossad carried out the assassination of Palestinian Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in a city hotel in 2010.
The British concluded that Putin assassinated former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko with polonium, and suspect that members of a Russian spy unit poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England with novichok, a deadly nerve agent.
As Yeats wrote, The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction."
Image: Scoopnest
14 comments:
One wonders if we can then say that all those full of doubts are thus intelligent and those full of confidence are all stupid, Owen. Whilst the first may be stretching things the second seems to be increasingly more probable!
Ignorance is on the march, Rural. And, when that happens, the outcome is never good.
Trump told reporters this morning that he raised the disappearance in a phone call with "King" Salman. Either Trump doesn't know that King Salman is mentally impaired, likely Alzheimers, but spoke with him anyway or he spoke with the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, and Trump didn't know that he's a regent, not the king.
.. as always, Michael Harris cuts.. no, storms far and away to the head of the class. Its called journalism folks.. and he takes no prisoners. The dull cut n pasters & partisan newsers flounder away, yet receive far far more exposure via Mainstream Media in print, radio, tv and social media such as Twitter & Facebook. Harris is essentially the Patrick Watson on the high seas of reportage.. like a Jon Krakauer type of exemplar, ascendant & incisively going where very very few of us can go.. having neither the talent, courage or understanding of how to get there. We need dozens and dozens like him.. ASAP n lickedy split.
I'm plodding along meanwhile wondering at the 'mystery' of the journalist Khashoggi seemingly 'being disappeared' whereas Michael Harris shakes down the situational ethics & always disappearing courage of our "morally vapid" political animals. I leave that in his admirable hands.. but any of us can see aspects that are astonishing to consider. Do they not occur to our politicians here and south of the border ? They call themselves 'leaders' ?
Well..
1) most astonishing, Khashhoggi enters the consulate, his wife waits outside & he never returns, never a sign of him exiting !
2) the Saudis seem nonplussed, offer dick on a stick as rational explanation, or presumption. Hell, did he fly away on a broomstick out a back window? Get sucked down a toilet?
3) coincidentally, approx 15 Saudis of specialized experience had already arrived via private jet, inc a forensic specialist who does a fab job of quick n dirty autopsies, highly skilled at fast dismemberment of dead people.They have these people arriving at Turtish Customs on video. Fake or real - their passports ? Never seen before by any security agency ?
4) a black van enters the private consulate parking compound & leaves later, heads to Saudi ambassador's compound, presumably same van goes to airport. Seemingly the 15 fly away to Egypt I believe.
5) the Turks claim they have recorded media, sound and video of essentially what transpired. The journalist was murdered, cut into pieces and removed from the premises.. perhaps for disposal.
6) the Saudis reneg on allowing access to the consulate
Thus the conjecture & possibilities arise. Astonishingly, the Saudis just don't care what people think. Or.. they blundered & made certain assumptions & the planning & subsequent murder was botched horribly before and after torturing the journalist. A dismembered body can fit easily in a normal size car trunk & the van was simply a decoy. Or the journalist was alive and removed via that van.. ie he was still in one piece (and perhaps still is?) The questions and missing answers are endless.. perhaps the 15 were also decoys.. and the journalist was subdued and removed to Egypt. Was the private jet loaded in a hanger ? Billions of $$ have been and will be won or lost directly relative to this bizzare event. Trump in way over his head & pay rate. The Saudis in this so so deep. Denials here, threats there, mutterings in Congress, Vague posturing in Parliament. Potshots fly in all directions.
Military arms keep flowing - big money there. The stock markets flip flop and gyrate.. but it does seem an Arabian prince's anger was so primitive, so volatile.. this had to happen ? Meanwhile, swimming in dark water is Jerod Kushner, last seen basking in the self importance of being an American princling via marriage. This is Game of Drones in real life.. Saudis & Turks.. the Chinese & Russians on the fringe ? And here comes the Ugly American - Trump finding the 'distraction' he desperately needs.. Trudeau waffles..
Trump's slap dash approach isn't surprising, Mound. That man doesn't lnow what he's doing.
You cover the ground well, sal. There is so much about this that is mysterious and simply inhumane. And our leaders are worried about the money?
For those not paying attention, 9/11 showed the true nature of Saudi Arabia.
The War Nerd pointed out years ago that the roots of the Houthi rebellion was their resistence to the Saudi's flooding their villages with madrassa's, trying to convert their kids to becoming violent Whahabbi terrorists.
Remember, once upon a time, South Africa?
That was a fight, but eventually most of the West grew a backbone.
Now, we are spineless.
We have to try and understand, to practice tolerance. Those Saudis may have been abused as children (gee, ya think?). There must be reasons for this behaviour. We must love them and hate their crimes.
Pave the entire middle east and turn the Vatican into a homeless shelter and be done with all those assholes and their god infested bullshit.
.. seems there is 'breaking news' coming shortly.. I kept thinking 'what if there truly is footage & audio of Khahoggi being tortured & murdered.. what is it worth to the Saudis to stave off its public release, presuming the Turks threatened to do so?' Well the body count will go up by at least 15 and likely far more will be 'silenced' permanently by the Saudis.
And realistically layers and layers of more and more lies will get floated, first by the Saudis, then the Turks, then by Trump, quite likely the 'rogue killers' will be the scapegoats. The media will explode - the public will detonate - the foolish posturing political animals who bought in like suckers in a pond on the tainted fairy tale will huff and puff over their position papers, threats, talking points and add their layers of lies to the murder. Martyrdom if Khashoggi is truly dead.. and not a chance his body or parts will ever be seen again. Even Shakespeare would have trouble getting his head around what may ultimately unfold (partly) .. 'murder most foul'
Western leaders sold their souls for Saudi oil, Jay. And they continue to do so.
Wealth breeds arrogance, Deacon. And arrogance allows people to believe that they can get away with anything.
Most foul, indeed, sal. This is a plot that truly has Shakespearian possibilities.
It should get sorted out when the joint investigation team interviews the fifteen? The Turks seem to be certain of the identities of at least some, if not all, of them. Of course, there’s a possibility that the Saudi investigators might be under the control of or in league with the rogue agents. Trump could help out by providing some appropriate terms of reference and offering the services of the guys who investigated the fake Kavanaugh assault allegations.
The word is, John, that the Saudis are going to say, "Oops!" Apparently, they believe that admitting an error will make it all ago away.
Post a Comment