Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) “pariahs” on the international stage for the murder of journalist dissident Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post.
And he smiled and bowed before him, “Fist to fist.” It was a hand kiss. Worse than shaking hands with the murderous tyrant Khashoggi, Biden wanted to avoid. For the director The Washington PostFred Ryan said it “created a sense of intimacy and simplicity that gave MBS the unconditional rehabilitation he so desired.”
Biden’s trip is not going to pay off, except for photo opportunities. In Saudi Arabia, as in other US allies in the Middle East, violations of human rights and international law are common.
The Aljabri case involved Canada
Saad Aljabri, a former senior Saudi counter-terrorism official, has taken refuge in Canada. The Saudis are suing him in the US for stealing $3.47 billion from Sahab Saudi Holdings. Aljabri says he cannot defend himself without revealing the agency’s sponsored covert operations with the CIA.
U.S. Secret Service chief Avril Haines said preventing disclosure of the “state secret” case would cause “exceptionally serious” harm to the United States.
A judge ruled Aljabri could not defend himself without the banned information, a decision the Saudis are appealing.
In parallel cases in Canada, Ottawa has sought a court injunction to prevent Aljabri from disclosing U.S. government secrets here as well in self-defense.
Senior CIA officials have praised Aljabri’s work in the fight against terrorism when he was a senior adviser to former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was ousted by MBS in 2017.
Two children in their twenties from Aljabri and his son-in-law are being held hostage by MBS. No, Biden did not ask him to release Aljabri’s family members and unjustly detained Saudi dissidents.
Compass of the world
His short stint in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian “Royals” was enough to permanently damage the image he wanted to project for himself and his country.
Speaking of the United States, Biden, a reluctant and soft-spoken man, launched into the 2021 election campaign: “We lead by example, not by showing our strength. We are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are a compass to the world. Aha! He’s almost as giddy as Trump!
Be it Russia, China or America, the reason of the state always takes precedence over law and justice. The state is a cold monster, said Nietzsche. Jung said there was no decent way to drive it. Machiavelli, here we come!
