Should We Continue To Do Business With This Barbaric Mediaeval Regime?

[Gromit]

Details are emerging of Jamal Khashoggi‘s murder at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. It was barbaric, like something from the middle ages.

[Distressing reports follow]

// The journalist was killed minutes after he arrived at the building in Istanbul to pick up marriage paperwork on 2 October, according to US and Turkish press reports of what the officials said were audio recordings that prove he was beaten and drugged, then brutally killed and dismembered. //

//
Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, a Saudi military forensics official,is reportedly heard putting on headphones to listen to music as he begins to dismember the body, and encourages other people in the room to do the same.

According to Middle East Eye, Khashoggi was dragged from the office to Otaibi’s study next door, where Tubaigy began cutting up his body on a table while he was still alive. //

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/17/jamal-khashoggi-pompeo-to-meet-erdogan-as-gory-reports-of-killing-emerge

Should we accept Saudi Arabia our ally?
Does our acquiescence of the Saudis make us just as bad as they are?
Is trade (and money) more important than our moral duty?

[youngmafbog]

I would rather we did not, however keep your friends close but enemies closer. Remember actions have consequences, often unseen.

[maggiebee]

Money talks - life is cheap.

[Zacs-Master]

Look out for Trump tweeting some nonsense about sanctions..... blah blah blah.

[jackthehat]

I have long felt uncomfortable about our relationship with KSA. I know that they buy huge amounts of military hardware from us and that there are thousands of jobs at risk if this were to cease.....but I'm not sure that is a position which can continue to be used to justify our apparent 'support' to a country which has exported Islamic fundamentalism, given huge sums of money to Islamic fundamentalists, has an atrocious Human Rights' record and is currently carrying out genocide in Yemen.

[Baldric]

ZM
// On Tuesday, Donald Trump defended Saudi Arabia in the face of mounting allegations that Riyadh was involved in the Saudi journalist’s alleged killing
//

[youngmafbog]

But surely one big problem with isolating them means we dont have so much intel on them?

In this countries case I'm not so sure it is as clean cut as it may appear.

Still leaves a very bad taste in the mouth though.

[Baldric]

This should have been part of 13:21 Post,don't know what happened there
// The US secretary of state’s faith in the Saudi authorities to cooperate with the investigation into Khashoggi’s fate was echoed by Trump, who said in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday night that Riyadh had again denied it had anything to do with the journalist’s disappearance and remained “innocent until proven guilty”//

[spathiphyllum]

The saudis are terrorists and we support that. The conservatives always will

[spathiphyllum]

Remember that buss of kids they blew up with the weapons we provided???

[Gromit]

// isolating them means we dont have so much intel on them? //

We have isolated Iran, and we still get plenty of intel on them, probably more so than Saudi, because we are affraid of poking our noses where a diplomatic friend might not want us to look.

[Gromit]

Baldric
It seems the Turks had the Consulate bugged and recorded the gruesome deed. A high ranking Saudi military officer dismembered and killed the journalist, in the presence of the Consulate General. The King’s own Security team were also there.

There won’t ever be a trial for this murder. The Consulate General has already fled back to KSA. No one will be proven innocent (or guilty) because there won’t be a prosecution.

The Denial by the Saudis is laughable. The willingness of the US to accept that denial is telling.

[Zacs-Master]

'On Tuesday, Donald Trump defended Saudi Arabia in the face of mounting allegations that Riyadh was involved in the Saudi journalist’s alleged killing'

Ah yes, the 'rogue cell' argument (after someone made him wise to the 'trade' benefits of not upsetting the Saudis.

[anotheoldgit]

Pardon me, but isn't this yet another example of what we have come to expect from the ROP?

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

You are beginning to sound a little Far-Right.

[Zacs-Master]

I don't think the killing had much to do with religion, AOG.

[dannyk13]

ymb, Are you suggesting ceasing to do business with Saudi Arabia would make us an enemy?
Spath //The saudis are terrorists and we support that. The conservatives always will//
We supplied them with arms under a labour government too.

[spathiphyllum]

"We supplied them with arms under a labour government too."

How long ago was that? We can only live in the moment Danny, the now with the information we currently have.

[spathiphyllum]

I mean we're talking august this happened danny.. The conservatives have been in power since 2010 and if you count "new labour" as conservative (i do, just look at Tony LOL) they've actually been in power since 79.

[dannyk13]

Spath, we have been supplying them since th 1960s so under more than one labour government.
https://www.caat.org.uk/resources/countries/saudi-arabia

[spathiphyllum]

but my point is they've only recently started to commit terror offences. They didn't in the 60's. In todays current age with the information we currently have this should be a massive cause for concern but it seems the only people concerned are those who care.