The Saudis don’t act very humane, nor do they appear civilized as most people understand that term. Saudi Arabia today continues to engage in slavery (although it’s cleverly concealed and therefore hard to detect), public killings are common, and there continues to exist a society that is comfortable with torture and summary execution. Saudi Arabia is not alone in this depravity, since a casual look at almost every Arab population in the Middle East reveals near-identical barbaric behaviors.
The world may be justified looking upon the disappearance (and suspected murder) of Jamal Khashoggi with abhorrence and disgust, but no one with an ounce of brains should be shocked. The Saudis may be rich beyond our imaginations, but they certainly are not a civilized people. But before we all break out our crying towels, a closer look at Jamal Khashoggi is appropriate.
John R. Bradly, writing for Spectator, tells us that the dissident’s fate tells us a lot about Saudi Arabia and the rise of the mobster state. His article is titled, “What the media aren’t telling you about Jamal Khashoggi.” It is a worthy read.
I certainly do not think we should be cutting people into pieces, but neither do I think that we should be attempting to portray this man as an innocent victim of Saudi mobsterism. He was far from innocent and I am bothered that he was so easily accepted as an ordinary journalist by any American, much less his employer, The Washington Post. More than this, and completely unrelated to the barbarism associated with the alleged criminal activity, why on earth are we selling advanced military technology to the Saudis?
