Washington Post: After being cast out because of Khashoggi, Trump brings bin Salman back to the international scene

The Washington Post published an article by writers Shane Harris and John Hudson that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi made Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a pariah in the international community, and that Trump helped rehabilitate him and return him to the international arena.

The appearance of Bin Salman in June at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, standing amidst the podium between the US and Japanese presidents while taking a photo of participants at the summit, among other meetings and deals with leaders during the event, is a clear sign of welcoming him. Again, albeit reluctantly, in the international community.

She noted that bin Salman, whose investigation by the United Nations and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was responsible for the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, would not have been welcomed by world leaders if Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paved the way. .

Next Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for the Washington Post, at his country's consulate in Istanbul, which shook the world for its brutality.

The horrible crime
Despite the ugliness of the crime and the many fingers pointing to the responsibility of the Saudi crown prince, Trump did not distance himself from bin Salman, but he and his secretary of state have always stressed the strategic importance of the relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The US president, who previously described the Middle East as a "wicked place" and described the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as an unfortunate incident and saw nothing worth abandoning a lucrative market, according to the newspaper. .

In an interview with NBC News in July, Trump said: "I'm not a fool to say we don't want to deal with them (the Saudis) commercially, and by the way, do you know what to do if we don't deal with them? They will deal with the Russians or the Chinese. "

The writers pointed out that the promises made by the US Secretary of State to investigate the killing of Khashoggi and to hold all parties to prove responsibility for the crime have not been realized yet.

Save Bin Salman
David Ottaway, a Gulf expert at the Arabian Gulf Center at the Wilson Research Center in Washington, said Pompeo's goal from the outset was to save US-Saudi relations and salvage Mohammed bin Salman's reputation in Washington and reintroduce him as an important ally against Iran.

"US and Saudi officials were pinning hopes that the debate over Khashoggi's death would die over time or be covered by other more urgent events, such as the Iranian drone attack and missiles on Saudi oil facilities," he said.

Pompeo has succeeded in salvaging US-Saudi relations and has succeeded in bringing bin Salman back on the international stage after being ostracized by most world leaders for horrific crime.

The newspaper said the Trump administration paid the price for its support for the Saudi crown prince and contribute to his return to the international arena.

American split
There was a split among Republicans in Congress after Khashoggi's murder over US support for the Saudi war in Yemen. Trump was forced to veto a bipartisan resolution seeking to end US military intervention.

According to the newspaper, the Republican position represented a rare event where they stood with Trump during many controversial issues similar before.

Congress has objected to many Saudi policy issues, including the war in Yemen and bin Salman's campaign against his opponents in Riyadh under the slogan of fighting corruption and the embargo imposed on US ally Qatar.

"I think Trump would not have faced such strong opposition in Congress if Jamal Khashoggi's case had taken place," the newspaper said in a commentary by Bruce Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official.

The authors conclude that despite appearances suggesting bin Salman's readiness to return to international forums at the moment, the long-term prospects for such a return are unclear for Saudi Arabia.

An unidentified Saudi dissident was quoted as saying that Saudi Arabia is no longer at the forefront of all US parties but has become tied to Trump's support, and he expected the kingdom to face tough pressure when Trump leaves the White House.