How the U.S. should handle the Khashoggi tragedy

“There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia.”

This columnist hammered former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for making that statement back in 2010, for the most basic reason: since when do we elevate Saudi Arabia – or any other country – to equal status with the United States?

We may not approve of how Saudi Arabia conducts itself, but that is their business. The way to change them is not to interfere in their sovereign affairs, but do what we’ve always done: be the beacon of light for the world.

When America leads by example, such as being the freest and most forgiving nation in history, and respecting national sovereignty, others emulate those traits. But when it imposes its values forcefully, hearts and minds harden, often with catastrophic results.

Given the media’s extensive coverage of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey – and demands from some that the U.S. respond with severe punishments – it’s clear many have not learned that lesson.

Let’s piece together this evolving and overblown Khashoggi situation:

This situation is a reversal of the norm. Typically, President Trump is the tail wagging the media dog. But in this instance, given that the Khashoggi story is entirely media-driven, it’s the president feeling compelled to react. That’s a mistake.

Not to seem callous, but why is America being thrust into the driver’s seat instead of dealing with this at arm’s length like every other country? Yes, this is unfathomable for the Khashoggi family and Jamal’s fiancé. And on a human level, we can be angry over what transpired. But foreign policy cannot be built on sound bites and human emotions.

Khashoggi, self-exiled from Saudi Arabia, was a U.S resident – not a citizen. And that is critical. If he were an American, this would be a completely different story. Why? Civis Romanus (“I am a citizen of Rome”) – if harm came to even one citizen, Rome’s retribution would be swift and massive. America should employ the same policy, but only for its citizens.

And for the record, if he were not a Washington journalist with a famous cousin, would this even be a story?

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are head and shoulders above all other Middle Eastern nations in political, economic and military influence. And they don’t like each other – at all. So given that Turkey is having a field day facing off against Saudi Arabia, its actions need to be viewed through the prism of political self-interest.

It’s great that Turkey is taking the moral high ground on the killing of a journalist, but, fact is, it has more journalists imprisoned than any other country in the world, according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom. That saying about those living in glass houses comes to mind.

The president mostly gets a thumbs-up for his handling of this situation. First, he reiterated the oft-ignored innocentuntil-proven-guilty principle, instead of immediately pointing a finger at the Saudis without evidence. Second, he has stated opposition to sanctions, understanding that a non-U.S. citizen’s death abroad does not remotely merit such penalties. Third, he also opposes halting weapons sales, since doing so would hurt American jobs and potentially destabilize the fragile Middle Eastern balance of power.

Love or hate the Saudis, they are invaluable, and not just because they keep the oil spigots open for much of the world (thankfully, America is now nearly energy independent). Just as important, the Sunni House of Saud is the only reliable Muslim check on Shia Iran. Any erosion of the Saudi-American relationship or hiccup in Saudi military procurement could motivate Iran to increase its subversive activities. Alienating the Saudis would push them right into the arms of China and Russia.

That doesn’t mean we should condone Saudi practices, and we can urge reforms, especially with women’s rights, but in the end, world security should always trump human rights violations. Failure to heed that lesson could prove to be an Achilles’ heel of catastrophic proportions.

America should stop talking turkey, await the investigation results, condemn the culprits, and move on. Otherwise, we’ll lose an ally who has a leg up on our adversaries, and once again find ourselves bent over a barrel where crude prices will be anything but sweet.

And that’s no gas.