Karen Young | The Washington Post
Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman now faces a real political and economic crisis of legitimacy with the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. What happens next in Saudi Arabia will affect the regional economy for years to come.
In an address to members of Turkey’s ruling party this morning, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected Saudi Arabia’s explanation for the Oct. 2 death of Jamal Khashoggiand said “strong signs” pointed to a planned operation to kill the journalist. Erdogan said a Saudi team of three showed up in Istanbul just a day before Khashoggi’s death to conduct searches of nearby forests where authorities have subsequently looked for the reporter’s body. “Saudi Consulate cameras were removed and all footage was deleted from hard drives. Camera footage shows Khashoggi did not leave the consulate," Erdogan said. "This is a political murder," he added. Though Erdogan believes Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud will cooperate with the investigation, the Turkish leader called on Riyadh to reveal the identity of a local agent who allegedly helped hide the body and called for the trial of 18 people arrested by the kingdom to be held in Turkey. Erdogan said that he told the Saudis that Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi was negligent and incompetent. Otaibi has been recalled to Riyadh and relieved of his duties. Read More
Emma Ashford writes: But it was just that — a marriage of convenience. With changes in the oil market and regional security, the rationale for the relationship has been diminishing for years. […]But the shock of Khashoggi’s death has created an opening to reassess this alliance, highlighting that Americans have no shared values with Saudi Arabia, and perhaps, fewer shared interests than they thought. – War on the Rocks