Khashoggi case an inflection point
Re Jamal Khashoggi’s tragic legacy may be to rewrite history, Tony Burman, Oct. 18
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, is delusional.
The Jamal Khashoggi scandal is only the latest in a string of outrageous acts of a power-crazed autocrat.
He has left 14 million Yemenis at the brink of starvation, kidnapped and coerced a resignation from the prime minister of Lebanon, and even made a feeble attempt at a trade blockade with Canada.
He continues his oppressive campaigns without sanction only because of the vested interest of a few patron states.
Bin Salman deludes himself into thinking his patrons are friends and allies. They aren’t. They will abandon him when the oil runs dry and the dollars to buy arms run out. Ali Manji, Thornhill The current president of the United States once famously said he could shoot someone and not lose voters.
Apparently, he also wants to defend a dictator who sent a team to another country so they could brutally murder and dismember a journalist who works for a U.S. paper in the safety of the Saudi Embassy.
I know Americans like to say they have the greatest democracy in the world, but come on.
Is this the best you can do? Russell Pangborn, Keswick The situation regarding Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged murder and dismemberment in Istanbul has the potential to change the world.
It has the potential to destabilize the whole Middle East, Saudi Arabia and to interrupt the power balance in the petroleum industry.
What has happened in Istanbul is 100 per cent atrocious and atrocities have never been given their proper spotlight during the time they occurred.
However, I believe that time has come. This issue is now upon the world stage and we should take full advantage of Kashoggi’s martyrdom.
If we want to see major change in human rights and freedoms, Saudi Arabia should be made an example of. President Trump has been given the opportunity to foster a new age.
Right now the world has a chance to act. The United States may miss out on trade deals with Saudi Arabia, but is that not worth a better world? Russell Samways, Bezanson, Alta.