Assume, for purposes of discussion, that the Saudi government ordered Khashoggi’s murder. Niall Ferguson asks, so what? America has to do business with thugs on a daily basis. Killing a single journalist pales in comparison with the bombing in Yemen. Anyway, the important thing is to keep a unified front against Iran.
As usual, he’s wrong. Here’s why it matters:
- Killing people on foreign soil who have legitimate claims to be protected by other governments is legally and morally unacceptable. How is this any different than Putin and his poisoners?
- This latest episode is just more evidence that MBS has no idea what he is doing. Do we want to back a loser?
- I don’t really accept the argument that it is somehow in our national interest to give unqualified support to the Saudis in what amounts to an Islamic civil war. To the extent that the argument carries any weight, it has to be based on the Saudi government’s willingness to reform and be a responsible international citizen. This episode damages any moral claims they have against the Iranians.