• Latest
Trump's price tag for saving Mohammed bin Salman: $450bn

Trump’s price tag for saving Mohammed bin Salman: $450bn

21 November 2018
Islam's three holy cities under occupation

Islam’s three holy cities under occupation

14 February 2019
A Safe Zone in Northern Syria is a Must for Turkey

A Safe Zone in Northern Syria is a Must for Turkey

13 February 2019
Macron: From 'the Mozart of finance' to 'the president of rich'

Macron: From ‘the Mozart of finance’ to ‘the president of rich’

13 February 2019
NATO perspective of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina

NATO perspective of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina

12 February 2019
Under pressure, Pompeo insists US 'not covering up' Khashoggi murder

Under pressure, Pompeo insists US ‘not covering up’ Khashoggi murder

12 February 2019
Enough is Enough in Eastern Syria

Enough is Enough in Eastern Syria

29 December 2018
Turkey's Syria Strategy after the US Withdrawal

Turkey’s Syria Strategy after the US Withdrawal

28 December 2018
Turkey's Operation in Syria as the Determinant of the Local Elections

Turkey’s Operation in Syria as the Determinant of the Local Elections

24 December 2018
Qatar Leaving OPEC is More About Independence

Qatar Leaving OPEC is More About Independence

15 December 2018
Yellow Vest Protests and the Constraints of Modern Democracy

Yellow Vest Protests and the Constraints of Modern Democracy

8 December 2018
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Be a columnist?
  • Contact
  • International Editions
    • Turkish Edition
    • Russian Edition
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Turkey Tribune
  • Turkey
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
  • Turkey
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Turkey Tribune
No Result
View All Result
Home Homepage Slides

Trump’s price tag for saving Mohammed bin Salman: $450bn

Trump's statement on the Khashoggi murder shows that when US values, such as defending human rights and the rule of law, collide with American interests, he opts for the latter

by TT English Edition
21 November 2018
in Homepage Slides, Mideast
0
Trump's price tag for saving Mohammed bin Salman: $450bn

Trump's price tag for saving Mohammed bin Salman: $450bn

Share on TwitterSend on Whatsapp

US President Donald Trump’s latest statement on Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is an extraordinary example of political sincerity – although backed by a completely wrong analysis. Trump departed from the usual empty and generic rhetoric made by former American presidents about Saudi Arabia.

He made it very clear that the US will condone what Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did, i.e ordering the killing of Khashoggi, because the kingdom is containing Iran, purchasing American weapons and is helping to control oil prices in line with American interests.

In other words, when American values, such as defending human rights and the rule of law, collide with American interests, Trump will opt for the latter. In fact, Trump statement confirms indirectly Middle East Eye’s report on the US intention to offer a way out to the Saudi crown prince from the Khashoggi quagmire.

A dangerous place

The first sentence of the statement: “The world is a very dangerous place!” is probably the only one that reflects a correct reading of the current international situation. Of course, the president of the United States skips, or does not care about, the fact that his country carries a significant degree of responsibility for this situation.

Robin Wright

✔@wrightr

In a statement stunning &cold-hearted, #Trump gave #saudiarabia a pass on murder of #JamalKhasoggi. He sounded more like #Saudi lobbyist or defense lawyer than protector of US values. So much for American justice. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-utter-denial-about-saudi-arabia-and-its-crown-prince …

152

6:00 AM – Nov 21, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Trump’s Utter Denial About Saudi Arabia and Its Crown Prince

The President has ignored U.S. intelligence findings and given Saudi Arabia a pass on the grisly murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

newyorker.com

The support provided – so far – to Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen, the bias shown on the Israeli-Palestinian question, the never-ending war in Afghanistan and before that the US’s toxic legacyin Iraq, are just a few examples.

The reasons provided to explain why the world is dangerous follow the usual American position, reductive and oversimplified to say the least: all roads lead to Tehran.

The reasons provided to explain why the world is dangerous follow the usual American position, reductive and oversimplified to say the least: all roads lead to Tehran

The reference to the Yemen conflict is quite puzzling, as well as the proposed solution: “Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians would agree to leave.” Even more puzzling is the president’s vision about the responsibilities for terrorism.

He considers Iran “the world’s leading sponsor of terror” and then he makes a reference to Saudi kingdom’s efforts in this field: “Saudi Arabia has agreed to spend billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism.” Unfortunately, the historical and circumstantial evidence, as far as Saudi Arabia is concerned, point in just the opposite direction.

$450bn price tag

Apart from the flawed analysis, Trump’s statement is an extraordinary demonstration of realpolitik. Because the world is a very dangerous place, the United States will continue to support Saudi Arabia, no matter what. But the real purpose of Trump’s statement on Saudi last night is actually to fix a price for this support.

The hidden message that the statement was sending to the Saudi royal court is that to save himself the Saudi crown prince will be expected to disburse $450bn in investments.

Senator Bob Menendez✔@SenatorMenendez

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. @SenBobCorker & I are triggering Magnitsky Act AGAIN to defend human rights & free press. Now Pres. Trump must SPECIFICALLY determine if Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman himself is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

The astronomical sums discussed during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia last year and Saudi crown prince’s subsequent visit to the US, that so far had remained at the level of a declaration of intent, have to be transformed into binding contracts very soon.

And in case the message coming from Washington was not clear enough for the Saudis, Trump is even perfidious enough to mention possible initiatives by the US Congress going in different directions, hinting at the possibility of examine them: “I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me.”

Translate: hurry up in drafting and signing the contracts!

Saving bin Salman

Trump is aware that the CIA has probably reached different conclusions on the responsibility of MBS in Khashoggi’s murder: “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

Certain sectors of the CIA still regret losing the excellent cooperation they had with the former crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, and they could complicate Trump’s plan to save the current crown prince.

There is a risk that this affair will also turn into another struggle between the White House and the intelligence agencies as happened with the Russiagate. Trump has questioned the analysis of US intelligence agencies according to which Russian intelligence hacked the Democratic party and voting systems during the US presidential elections in 2016.

To make matters worse, on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Trump, triggering an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

The letter, written by Republican Senators Bob Corker and Lindsey Graham, and Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Patrick Leahy, called for Trump to investigate Khashoggi’s disappearance under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The Magnitsky Act allows the president to impose sanctions on a person or country that has engaged in a human rights violation. “It is a delicate situation when we have a longtime ally that we’ve had for decades, but we have a crown prince that I believe ordered the killing of a journalist,” Corker said in an interview.

In other words, saving Mohammed bin Salman will not be an easy undertaking, especially if further leaks from Turkey on Khashoggi’s murder should emerge with the smoking gun trail leading directly to the Saudi crown prince.

Hence, the Khashoggi saga is likely to go on.

– Marco Carnelos is a former Italian diplomat. He has been assigned to Somalia, Australia and the United Nations. He has served in the foreign policy staff of three Italian prime ministers between 1995 and 2011. More recently he has been Middle East Peace Process Coordinator Special Envoy for Syria for the Italian government and, until November 2017, ambassador of Italy to Iraq.

MEE

Tags: MBSMiddle EastTrump
Tweet8SendShare13Share3Share2
Previous Post

UK foreign secretary warns of 'First World War risk' in Middle East

Next Post

Fighting words: The risks of loose talk about a “European army”

TT English Edition

Turkey Tribune is an independent institution. Our primary target is to present news, reports, analysis, evaluations, opinions and comments about matters that are related to Turkish Republic. Turkey Tribune is a window through which you can look into Turkey and also you can look at the world from the Turkish perspective.

Related Posts

Islam's three holy cities under occupation

Islam’s three holy cities under occupation

14 February 2019
A Safe Zone in Northern Syria is a Must for Turkey

A Safe Zone in Northern Syria is a Must for Turkey

13 February 2019

Macron: From ‘the Mozart of finance’ to ‘the president of rich’

13 February 2019

NATO perspective of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina

12 February 2019

Under pressure, Pompeo insists US ‘not covering up’ Khashoggi murder

12 February 2019

Enough is Enough in Eastern Syria

29 December 2018
Next Post
Fighting words: The risks of loose talk about a “European army”

Fighting words: The risks of loose talk about a “European army”

Discussion about this post

Turkey Tribune

Turkey Tribune is an independent institution.

Our primary target is to present news, reports, analysis, evaluations, opinions and comments about matters that are related to Turkish Republic. Turkey Tribune is a window through which you can look into Turkey and also you can look at the world from the Turkish perspective.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us on: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram

  • 163
    Hospitals for Medical Tourism in Turkey  Read More  http   j mp 2ojqOfs ------ 47 medical facilities in Turkey are accredited by the Joint Commission International  April 2017   This is the largest number of accreditation that any country in the world has ever achieved  Only this number actually exhibits how strong Turkish medical infrastructure is
  • 58
    Referendum Results in Turkey  This is only the Beginning  http   j mp 2p7HPNN  According to the initial number of votes counted  Turkish referendum for constitutional change ended with the victory of the    Yes    camp  Around 50  of voters said    Yes    to changes   The results will be officially confirmed after all votes will be counted   This was one of the most crucial turning points in Turkish political history  There is a lot still to be done  If Turkey is to become a strong and powerful country  each and every individual in Turkey  both who voted    Yes    and    No    for this constitutional change have certain duties to be fulfilled   We have to make sure that democracy prevails under any circumstances   The result of the referendum in Turkey should be an important step taken towards democratization of the country  We must find ways of living peacefully together in a democratic environment   Governmental system should remain  secular  In other words we must make sure that the  religion and politics are separate  The governmental system in Turkey  should keep equal distance towards all beliefs   The most outstanding change in this constitutional change is regarding the  balance of powers  In the existing Parliamentary system in Turkey  legislation and execution  government  were in the hands of the same people  Individuals forming the government were the same individuals who were at the same time making the law in Turkish parliament    After this referendum a more strict separation of powers  checks and balances system  is restored in Turkey   The second and the most outstanding change is the empowerment of the execution in Turkey  Execution is becoming much stronger  Powerful president  like that of United States of America   As the president will be taking executive decision with a team that he she will select the executive power will not be divided between prime minister and the president   What will be the result of this  Determination  stability  predictability  and strong will in political system will boost economic growth  We can expect a more active and assertive foreign policy   It is claimed by the  makers of this constitutional change  that    For the first time the
  • 50
    Will World War III Start  - A Special Report by Political Analyst Ahmed N  YILDIRIM - Turkey Tribune http   j mp 2pnHbIb
  • 17
    Probably they worked on those masks for weeks    Hilariously Realistic Masks of Donald Trump  Vladimir Putin   Kim Jong-Un  Tell us what you think   More Global News at https   www turkeytribune com  globalnews  turkishnews
  • 37
     InvestTurkey  TurkeyTribune  InvestTurkey  BusinessTurkey  istanbul
  • 28
     Turkey  TurkeyRussia
No Result
View All Result

Get more stuff

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

  • Be a columnist?
  • Contact
  • Turkish
  • Russian
No Result
View All Result
  • Turkey
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Politics
  • Local Editions
    • Turkish Edition
    • Russian Edition

International Voice of Turkey

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In