[blackjack21]

In my opinion, only crazy liberals would think we should.

Clearly the guy had to have been a CIA asset and manipulating various Saudi factions. This idea that we should be upset that some Saudi prince killed one of his own subjects that was likely playing against factions of the Saudi government because he was a "journalist" is as ludicrous as the idea that Ansar Al Sharia attacked the US Special Mission/Consulate in Benghazi because of an anti-Islam video on YouTube.

Why do they need the rest of us to be outraged when their own skullduggery results in one of their assets getting killed?

lol, "bad apples"... the Saudi regime is systematic horrible. Have been for many decades.

Yes. So what? They cut people's hands off for theft. That doesn't bother anybody, but when a likely CIA asset with ties to establishment leftists gets butchered, we're supposed to unite and condemn Saudi Arabian princes in unison? Really?

Darn it, now that CIA concluded it I trust it is less true. Thanks CIA for ruining your reputation.

Well, the whole thing is ludicrous. Nobody believes journalists are anything but spies. Honestly? Who the hell gets hot and bothered when a journalist bites the dust? Even those ridiculous movies about some soldiers in a hot zone running to the rescue of an abducted journalist are difficult to swallow. Nobody in their right mind is going to get five highly trained soldiers killed to rescue one errant journalist. It's only done when the journalist (read spy) was put in harm's way by the government to collect intel. I wish they would come up with a new lie to tell just for the sake of novelty.

If nothing else, the various governments are admitting they are routinely bugging one another. Why was the CIA listening in on this phone call? We would be throwing a fit if they admitted it about anyone else.

They record everything to the point of it being ludicrous. I remember as a kid when the US used to condemn the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries for spying on their own citizens. Our country is far worse than the communists ever were. Let's face it. We're ruled by a bunch of arrogant jackasses.

[Ter]

They record everything to the point of it being ludicrous. I remember as a kid when the US used to condemn the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries for spying on their own citizens. Our country is far worse than the communists ever were.

It is like that everywhere. I used to chat about the political situation in the country with editors of newspapers and friends in politics. No longer. We can only chat about food, friends, our health and the Rotary Club nowadays.
(one of my local friends, a former Minister, landed in jail because of a phone conversation he had. The conversation ended up on YouTube next day)

[skinster]

[Hindsite]

Germany ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia is good for the U.S.A.
That just means more money from Saudi Arabia to the U.S.A.
HalleluYah

[QatzelOk]

Germany ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia is good for the U.S.A.
That just means more money from Saudi Arabia to the U.S.A.
HalleluYah

They might need nuclear weapons for their next 911.
Which lucky arms dealer will make that deal?

[Hindsite]

They might need nuclear weapons for their next 911.
Which lucky arms dealer will make that deal?

You have a very poor understanding of the facts. Osama Bin Laden's citizenship was revoked by the Saudi government before 9/11 because he was a bad boy.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Osama-bin-Laden

[QatzelOk]

You have a very poor understanding of the facts. Osama Bin Laden's citizenship was revoked by the Saudi government before 9/11 because he was a bad boy.

What a relief!

I guess that means that 911 didn't happen, and that the arms our nation's arms dealers sell will never be used to kill anyone nice that I know.

[Hindsite]

What a relief!

I guess that means that 911 didn't happen, and that the arms our nation's arms dealers sell will never be used to kill anyone nice that I know.

Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Iran. An enemy of our enemy is a friend.
That makes Saudi Arabia an Ally, especially when they keep our oil prices down.
Who wants to pay more at the gas pump? Not me.
HalleluYah

[Potemkin]

Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Iran. An enemy of our enemy is a friend.
That makes Saudi Arabia an Ally, especially when they keep our oil prices down.
Who wants to pay more at the gas pump? Not me.
HalleluYah

If you're just going to base your political decision-making on materialistic and pragmatic self-interest, then why do you bother with that 'old-time religion' thing at all, Hindsite? What purpose does it serve? Because it certainly doesn't act as any sort of moral compass for you.

[Albert]

If you're just going to base your political decision-making on materialistic and pragmatic self-interest, then why do you bother with that 'old-time religion' thing at all, Hindsite? What purpose does it serve? Because it certainly doesn't act as any sort of moral compass for you.

Who says Christianity is not pragmatic?

[Ter]

I agree with the fact that any enemy of Iran should be our friend.
Call it what you wish, it is a strategically important alliance.

Besides, one can be critical of Saudi Arabia but at least their women are not dressed like sluts, looking for a stray fuck here and there and in the end nobody knows who the daddy was

[Rich]

You have a very poor understanding of the facts. Osama Bin Laden's citizenship was revoked by the Saudi government before 9/11 because he was a bad boy.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Osama-bin-Laden

A symbolic concession by the Saudi government to President Clinton. The Saudi governments underground war against the United States continued unabated. The financial backing and intelligence support to Al Qaeda and numerous other Sunni Muslim terrorist outfits continued. Bill Clinton for all his faults, did start to realise there was a Muslim problem.

[Albert]

I agree with the fact that any enemy of Iran should be our friend.
Call it what you wish, it is a strategically important alliance.

Besides, one can be critical of Saudi Arabia but at least their women are not dressed like sluts, looking for a stray fuck here and there and in the end nobody knows who the daddy was

Worse, they get an abortion and kill your child. Then they demand respect even though they kill their own children.

[Potemkin]

Worse, they get an abortion and kill your child. Then they demand respect even though they kill their own children.

[albionfagan]

At last we have the cold honest face of Western politics, rather Trump's admission of not caring about murders committed by those they need as allies than the pitiful sidestepping by successive UK governments.

[Zionist Nationalist]

At last we have the cold honest face of Western politics, rather Trump's admission of not caring about murders committed by those they need as allies than the pitiful sidestepping by successive UK governments.

it doesn't make any sense for him to care about it

especially since this guy was a Muslim brotherhood member

[Hindsite]

A symbolic concession by the Saudi government to President Clinton. The Saudi governments underground war against the United States continued unabated. The financial backing and intelligence support to Al Qaeda and numerous other Sunni Muslim terrorist outfits continued. Bill Clinton for all his faults, did start to realise there was a Muslim problem.

The following report on Saudi Arabia and terrorism was issued under the Obama administration:

Understanding Saudi Arabia’s relationship with terrorists, however, is far more difficult than assessing Iran’s backing of terrorism, which is open, extensive, and state-sponsored. Much of Saudi support is done by non-state actors. Yet being “non-state” does not absolve the Saudi government of responsibility. These non-state actors enjoy a range of relationships to the Saudi regime. Some receive or did receive official patronage. Others, particularly those tied to leading clerics in the Kingdom, are embraced indirectly by the regime’s self-proclaimed role as Defender of the Faithful. And still others are truly private, acting independently of the government and in times in opposition to it.

Washington’s ability to influence the Kingdom is limited, however, given the Saudi domestic sensitivities of these issues. U.S. pressure under the Bush and Obama administrations has moved Saudi Arabia away from many dangerous activities and has helped transform Saudi capacity in fighting terrorism. Even if the key motivation was the change in the perceived threat to the Kingdom itself rather than U.S. influence, these are considerable successes that deserve recognition.

Although the United States has sold the Kingdom almost $100 billion in arms during the Obama administration, the Saudi media remains critical of the president as unreliable and hostile to the Kingdom. Riyadh, moreover, is frustrated with U.S. policy regarding Iran in particular, but also in the region in general. Saudi Arabia backed the coup in Egypt, in opposition to U.S. policy, and Saudi leaders were previously outraged that the United States abandoned the Mubarak regime. The Obama administration has largely abandoned criticizing the Saudi regime on human rights grounds, but it is important to remember that most Saudis do not share U.S. values regarding women’s and homosexual rights, religious liberty, and other basic freedoms that are fundamental to American society.

Quiet pressure is almost always best when trying to change Saudi policy. The small circle of decisionmakers in Saudi Arabia does not take well to public embarrassment, and they believe strongly in the value of close personal relationships. To be effective, U.S. pressure must involve top officials, including the president. Otherwise, it will simply be ignored or may even prove counterproductive.

Saudi Arabia is a vital partner in the struggle to defeat the Islamic State, al-Qaida, and other groups. But it is not a friend. Demonizing Saudi Arabia does not help advance U.S. interests, but nor should critics of U.S. policy in the region see Washington and Riyadh as fully aligned given the profound difference in values.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2 ... ism-today/

Our change in policies under President Trump, especially concerning Iran, is more in line with the Saudi kingdom now. So it is not a good idea to mess that relationship up now, by making such a big deal over them taking out one of their own that they saw as a threat for some reason. Russia, China, and many other countries commit human rights abuses on their people very often and we are not going to change that quickly. The Trump administration has already put sanctions on those that have been clearly identified as involved in the murder. Taking the extreme actions that mainly the liberal Democrats want would be like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

[Rich]

At last we have the cold honest face of Western politics, rather Trump's admission of not caring about murders committed by those they need as allies than the pitiful sidestepping by successive UK governments.

Why in God's name do we need Saudi as an ally?

This is not in the slightest bit honest. Israel and its Jew worshipping lackeys need Saudi, we don't. Breaking up Saudi would be easy. Iran is not a major threat because Shia only make up 15% of Muslims. Much of the Iranian population has a secular outlook. The revolutionary energy of Iran is not what it was. If America wants to take out Iran's nuclear programme, fine, I have no problem with that, but just get on it with you pathetic cowards, stop talking about it. And we absolutely don't need Saudi as an ally to contain Iran.

Shia regimes in Iraq, Yemen and South Lebanon are not a problem for us. They are not serious threats. The Twelvers are 90% Muslims. The Sunnis know this. Any growth in Shia power just increases animosity from the Sunni majority.

[albionfagan]

Where did I say 'we' need them as an ally? Trump and May are not people I consider to be my friends in any respect whatsoever.

[skinster]