By Anonymous –
There are limited political murders that are as well recorded or as frightening as that of Jamal Khashoggi. Strangulated, mutilated and most likely dissolved in acid in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Saudi Arabia’s leading commentator was brutally lead to his death on 2 October aged 59. After weeks of lies, aided by Turkish intelligence and audio recordings, the Saudi government admitted the guilt of its assailants. The only question which remains is whether the young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, personally ordered the hit. And even if he did,why is the death of this particular journalist significant?
Who is Jamal Khashoggi?
For decades, Jamal Khashoggi was considered as having strong relations with the Saudi royal family, even serving as an adviser to the government. He covered major stories for various Saudi news organisations including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as well as the rise of Osama Bin Laden. This work put him in the princes’ good books for some years.
However, as his journalistic career went on, he fell out of favour with the Saudi government. Giving voice to the opposition, he was fired from Al– Watan twice and later banned from Twitter, where he had built up a following of two million people. Consequently, he went into self-imposed exile in the US where he wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post in which he criticised the policies of the Crown Prince. In fact, his very first article expressed fear at being arrested in an apparent crackdown on dissent overseen by the prince. Later, he went further to accuse the Prince of selective justice, impulsiveness and even likening him to Vladimir Putin.
However, he strayed away from being defined as a dissident. In his own eyes, he was merely advising the Prince to be progressive and modern-minded.Indeed, he even described the idea of regime change as “ridiculous.”
“The people being arrested are not even being dissidents, they just have an independent mind,” Jamal told the BBC’s Newshour programme three days before he disappeared.
Significance
If you are studying Middle East politics one of the first books you read is Dialogues in Arab Politics by Michael N. Barnett. Barnett tells the story of how at certain points in time and following certain incidents, actors have the opportunity to redefine and reconceptualise international relations.That is exactly what this moment is and that is precisely what Turley seeks to do. Turkey has sensed that this is an opportunity to re-define the relationship between Ankara, Washington and Riyadh. Turkey is the third player in the relationship that dates back to the 1950s and is wanting to reassert itself on the regional stage, and this is an opportunity to do just that.
This viewpoint becomes particularly forceful when remembering Turkey a state among those most responsible for detaining journalists and opposition movements all over the world. Turkey has a long track record of doing so. To frame this as Turkey attempting to protect a journalist misses the fundamental point here. This is in many ways a political stint being used by Ankara to exert more pressure on Washington and Riyadh. Whether this will work is another point entirely.
Well, the international community minus a few. Most notably, the Unites States. President Donald Trump appears not to recognise the significance of the incident, and crucially,the significance of the Crowned Prince’s role in it, emphasising instead the“steadfast” relationship that the US intends to maintain with Saudi Arabia. He continues to uphold the kingdom as an important ally, preferring to see the use of the kingdom in relation to the sale of American weapons and low oil prices, rather than breaches of human rights.
However, glossing over the murder of a critic that barely meets the label of dissident, has deeper repercussions for the US. Indeed, in Trump’s absence of even the pretence of balancing moral values with national interests, the US moves away from its ability to use a tool that has long served its favour- its role as a model of democracy.
Conclusion
If it is found that the Saudi Crown Prince ordered the murder of Khashoggi he will cement himself as a rogue rather than a reformer.However, this conclusion would not be altogether surprising. The prince has locked up thousands of activists, notably detaining both a sitting prime minister of Lebanon and a women’s rights campaigner, among many others. Yet, the murder of a critic on foreign Turkish soil would certainly be an escalation of this bleak trend. It would also certainly overshadow the Prince’s more commendable policies that include allowing women to drive and restricting the religious police. Whilst it may never be truly known that Mohammed bin Salam ordered the murder of Khashoggi,what appears undeniable is that his regime is moving away from promises of tolerance towards one embodying paranoia and fear.
