The Fall of Jamal Khashoggi

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Some men have been put on trial. What is likely to happen to them? MBS himself has denied that he had anything to do with it, though I think Trump said to Woodward that I save that guy's ass on this particular subject. The magnitude of the crime makes one believe with certainty that it could not have happened without some serious orders from above. And the Saudis would not allow an independent investigation. They refused from day one, and they regarded that as an infringement on their sovereignty. But sovereignty or no sovereignty, you commit a crime abroad on the premises of your consulate. That does appear ... Well, that does appear...

In 2018 journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi regime operatives, shocking the world and drawing widespread condemnation. Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom’s young crown prince, denied any involvement in the killing but his reputation as a moderniser was tarnished. Bin Salman had tried to build an international reputation as a reformer by allowing women to drive and permitting concerts in Saudi Arabia for the first time, but the brutal killing reminded the world that the kingdom was still one of the most repressive societies on earth. In December 2020, Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Saudi dissident and author of the new book The Son King, came to Intelligence Squared to describe what she sees as essentially a con-trick: a purported programme of reforms that mask a new regime of oppression. In conversation with the BBC’s Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen, she discussed the Saudi regime’s new online strategy of disinformation intended to promote a progressive image to the outside world, while cracking down on diverse critical voices—religious scholars, feminists and dissident youth at home. Al-Rasheed will also challenge what she calls an Orientalist view of despotism in the West, that sees dictatorship as the only pathway to stable governance in the kingdom. To find out more and order the book click here: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-son-king/

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