Context
Jamal Khashoggi was a reporter for the Washington Post and a United States resident that frequently criticized the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). On October 2, 2018, Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain personal legal documents. However, Khashoggi never left the building (Al Jazeera). In the days and weeks that followed, evidence surfaced of Saudi Arabia’s role in the disappearance of Khashoggi and by the end of the month, President Erdogan of Turkey accused Saudi Arabia of planning his murder (Al Jazeera).
As more damning evidence surfaced, the Trump administration took little to no action in condemning the Saudi’s, once again placing US-Saudi relations over human rights. Donald Trump refused to hear audio recordings provided by Turkey and declined to release a report outlining the role of the Saudi government in the murder (Al Jazeera). While the US ignored the human rights abuse, 29 countries condemned Saudi Arabia at the UN Human Rights Council in September of 2019 (Al Jazeera).
While investigators did not find a “smoking gun,” photographic and communication evidence, as well as the reality that “nothing of significant political magnitude happens in Saudi Arabia without MBS’s authorization,” leave little question as to the influence of MBS and the execution of Khashoggi (Haass).
Biden’s Campaign Promises
On the campaign trail, candidate Biden said he wanted to make the Saudis, “pay the price, and make them in fact the pariah that they are” (my emphasis added) (Sanger). According to the Financial Times, Biden said he would put human rights at the core of foreign policy and hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Khashoggi. Biden claimed he would rescue the soul of America and re-establish America as a champion for human rights as he condemned then president-Trump of “cozing up to dictators” (Gherke). (Trump did admit his “favorite dictator” was Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Mindock)).
Administration’s Reaction
On January 19, 2021, the nominee for US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, during her confirmation hearing, said that the new administration would release the report the Trump administration had refused to approve (Al Jazeera). On February 26, 2021, the unclassified report officially blamed the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Khashoggi (Al Jazeera).
After the release of the report, President Biden, upholding his campaign promise, said, “We are going to hold them accountable for human rights abuses and we’re going to make sure that they, in fact, you know, if they want to deal with us, they have to deal with it in a way that the human rights abuses are dealt with” (Collins et al). “They have to be held accountable,” he said. However, a month later, the crown prince has gone largely unpunished (Collins et al).
While the United States threatened sanctions on top Saudi officials, MBS was left mostly untouched (Atwood et al). Direct punishment of the crown prince, however, is far from practical, from a foreign policy standpoint. As crown prince, MBS will be the top Saudi official for the country in the future. Should the Biden administration place sanctions on the leader of a key US partner in the middle east, advancing US action and interests would prove even more difficult.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken said the administration would “recalibrate” instead of “rupture” the current relationship, citing the importance of policy over the actions “of any one person” (Atwood et. al). Blinken claimed the release of the report served as a punishment as international attention places eyes on the kingdom, indirectly stopping them (at least one can hope) of committing further acts of violence against dissidents (Atwood et al).
US-Saudi Relations
A “critical partner” in the region, the United States relies on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an aid in counterterrorism and a regional counterweight to Iran (Collins et al). According to CNN, “The relationship with Riyadh itself appears too valuable for the Biden administration to abandon altogether by punishing the man who is widely viewed as running the kingdom” (Collins et al).
Later this year, US-Iran talks regarding a renewed peace agreement (after the Trump administration left the Iran nuclear deal), make the US more reliant on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “Biden will need Saudi acquiescence, if not enthusiasm, to sell an eventual deal in the region” Ayham Kamel, the Practice Head of Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, said (Collins et. Al). Additionally, US officials claim MBS has pushed for modernization as well as a limit on the influence of the clergy by promoting religious tolerance and empowering the country’s youth (Collins et. Al). Secretary Bilnken also cited the role of Saudi Arabia in ending the horrific war in Yemen (Atwood et. Al).
Now What?
Balancing human rights abuses with foreign policy interests has long characterized the challenge of US foreign affairs and the relationships between the United States and foreign entities. And while the administration claims a big picture approach will better serve US interests in the long run, Saudi Arabia once again escapes true international punishment for its human rights violations.
I believe we must step back and truly analyze where our interests lie. After decades of endless wars in the Middle East, now is a time as any to take a different approach. Yes, the threat of nuclear war heads in Iran is serious and should not be taken lightly. But what makes Saudi Arabia a better ally than Iran? In a country where women lack basic rights and the Shia minority are largely discriminated against (Hunter), one can only question: why are Saudis treated differently?
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and theocracy with a history of human rights abuses. Saudi Arabia has long escaped international condemnation with a “slap on the wrist,” emboldening them to commit further abuses and “support for terrorist groups without fear of any retaliation” (Hunter). The lack of international action has given Saudi Arabia a “license to intervene militarily in neighboring countries such as Bahrain, undermine the government in Iraq, and engage in the full- scale invasion of Yemen” (Hunter).
Is policy in the Middle East about preserving democracy? Or American interest in oil. Does America truly value human rights? Or simply a barrel of cheap Saudi crude.
Sources
Al Jazeera. “Timeline of the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” Human Rights News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 26 Feb. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/26/timeline-of-the-murder-of-journalist-jamal-khashoggi.
Atwood, Kylie, et al. “Blinken Says Biden Administration Took Actions ‘Not to Rupture’ US-Saudi Relationship but to Recalibrate It.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 Feb. 2021, edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/jamal-khashoggi-murder-us-intelligence-report/h_2da775b3f1c89b543d30c3470545e32e.
Collins, Kaitlan, et al. “Biden Doesn’t Penalize Crown Prince despite Promise to Punish Senior Saudi Leaders.” CNN Politics, Cable News Network, 28 Feb. 2021, edition.cnn.com/2021/02/26/politics/biden–mohammed-bin-salman–jamal-khashoggi/index.html.
Gehrke, Joel. “Biden’s Early Sanctions Fall Short of Campaign Promises to Punish Putin and Saudi Crown Prince.” Washington Examiner, Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2021, www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/early-sanctions-fall-short-campaign-promises-putin-saudi.
Haass, Richard N. “A Realist Reset for US-Saudi Relations.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 1 Mar. 2021, www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-saudi-relations-after-khashoggi-intelligence-report-by-richard-haass-2021-02.
Mindock, Clark. “Trump’s ‘Favourite Dictator’ Comment about Egypt President Met with ‘Stunned Silence’, Report Says.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 13 Sept. 2019, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-egypt-president-sisi-favorite-dictator-meeting-a9104951.html.
Sanger, David E. “Candidate Biden Called Saudi Arabia a ‘Pariah.’ He Now Has to Deal With It.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/politics/biden-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-arabia.html.
This is a great blog and it raises a lot of talking points separate from the death of Khashoggi. I find the issue in Saudi Arabia to be very tricky, and I agree that we need to take a step back and reevaluate. Although there are numerous injustices in Saudi Arabia, I think a strong relationship is necessary and the concept of having strong allies in Southwest Asia is valuable. However, not pursuing justice for the death of Khashoggi shows me weakness on the side of the United States.
I really was unaware about the MBS and his responsibilities in that killing, so reading this blog was very informational and educational for me. Also, why am I not surprised that Trump has openly stated he has a favorite dictator? I see your points and I definitely believe human rights need to be valued and shown that they are valued more than things such as oil, and this needs to be shown with our policies.
It is such a shame that the US continues to place human rights as secondary issues no matter how progressive the current administration is. I recall hearing about Khashoggi and just being dumbfounded at Trump’s refusal to speak against the Saudis. Of course I understand attempting to keep a valuable alliance, but I believe Trump’s motives were a bit dodgy and more selfish. I wonder if we can ever live in a world where human rights come first and foremost when money seems to be at the top of everyone’s issue list.