Khashoggi’s killing reveals ruthlessness of Prince Salman
Saudi leader once lauded as reformer, Harry Sterling says.
Is it conceivable that there are two Crown Princes in Saudi Arabia, both named Mohammed bin Salman, one lauded initially as a longoverdue reformer in an authoritarian society, the other simply another self-serving leader like many in the Middle East, prepared to eliminate anyone challenging their repressive rule. So what is the truth?
In the beginning, many in Saudi Arabia and the international community were quick to view Prince Salman as a breath of fresh air, someone who would introduce both economic and political openness.
He understandably received positive feedback from much of the international community when he personally ended the long-standing prohibition against Saudi females driving. This shrewd move was followed by other actions to permit greater access to social and recreational functions.
Prince Salman’s action to introduce more openness to trade and investment was well received by the international community, including Canada, which had earlier won an enormous and lucrative contract to build armoured vehicles for Saudi Arabia.
Notwithstanding widespread international praise for the essentially mild changes wrought by the 33-year-old prince, he ominously took steps to enforce his primacy by detaining in a luxury hotel more than a hundred ultrawealthy Saudis, including other privileged princes; many held until agreeing to turn over sizable chunks of their wealth. This audacious action received very little criticism from foreign governments.
Canada itself had a taste of Prince Salman’s dubious actions when he imposed trade and economic measures against Canada for criticizing his country’s jailing of Saudi human-rights dissidents.
To ensure unquestioning support for himself, Prince Salman moved against anyone, including the privileged elite, who questioned his rule. There are reports several journalists have disappeared, the most noteworthy clearly being Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S.-based Saudi-born commentator employed by the Washington Post.
While some uncertainty might still exist regarding the exact details concerning the killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, there’s little doubt that only Prince Salman could have given the go-ahead to kill Khashoggi, especially authorizing two Saudi government aircraft to facilitate the assassination.
Those familiar with Khashoggi see his killing as almost inevitable, because not only was he relatively well known within Saudi Arabia but also had relatively close links with some of the Saudi princes and others within the Saudi system who for various reasons were considered opponents of Prince Salman. (This includes Saudi journalists and other Saudis abroad who now are keenly aware of what could happen to them if they become considered a danger.)
The fact the gruesome killing of Khashoggi took place in Turkey of all places is astonishing because Turkish President Erdogan is no friend of Saudi Arabia and sees that country as a direct enemy of Erdogan’s own scarcely concealed wish to increase his political image throughout the always volatile Middle East region.
Erdogan thus has compelling reasons to publicly expose the blatant killing of Khashoggi, even deliberately acknowledging the Turkish government’s sophisticated spying measures installed within the Saudi Consulate, something which other governments undoubtedly will not ignore, including Western governments, especially the United States.
Conservative Party MP Tony Clement has called for Canada to invoke the new Magnitsky Act to sanction those implicated in the killing of Khashoggi. Others have called for the cancellation of the $15-billion armoured vehicle contract with Saudi Arabia.
However, considering that U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia are vital to the American economy, Trump’s reaction, while vital, remains unpredictable.
There’s little doubt that only Prince Salman could have given the go-ahead to kill Khashoggi.