My thoughts on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi

I have mixed feelings on this story. On one hand, we cannot allow something like this to stand and on the other, do we really want to risk losing the Saudi’s as allies?

It really doesn’t matter now, as the Saudi’s are talking turkey now, as it were: (Via The Washington Post)

Quote:

RIYADH — The Saudi government acknowledged early Saturday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying he died during a fistfight, but the new account may do little to ease international demands for the kingdom to be held accountable.

The announcement, which came in a tweet from the Saudi Foreign Ministry, said that an initial investigation by the government’s general prosecutor found that the Saudi journalist had been in discussions with people inside the consulate when a quarrel broke out and escalated to a fatal fistfight.

The Saudi government said it fired five top officials and arrested 18 other Saudis as a result of the initial investigation. Those fired included Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri.

The announcement marks the first time that Saudi officials have acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Ever since he disappeared on Oct. 2 while visiting the mission, Saudi officials have repeatedly said that he left the consulate alive and that they had no information on his whereabouts or fate. He had gone to the consulate to obtain a document he needed for his upcoming marriage.

The Saudi statement comes as the kingdom is facing unprecedented political and economic pressure to disclose what happened to Khashoggi, a critic of the government and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. But it is unclear whether the Saudi explanation — which clashes with details provided by Turkish investigators and makes no mention of the crown prince — will be enough to satisfy foreign leaders, global business executives and U.S. lawmakers pressing for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Turkish investigators had concluded days ago that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul. U.S. officials have said that Turkey has audio and video recordings providing evidence that the journalist was interrogated and killed and his body cut into several pieces.

Khashoggi’s body has not been recovered, and the Saudi statement did not address what happened to it.

President Trump said Friday night that the arrests were a “great first step” but that he wanted to talk further to the Saudis about the investigation. He added that if sanctions were imposed on the Saudis over the killing, he would prefer they didn’t include arms sales.

Something tells me that this issue is going to mop itself up and disappear in the media really quick. You can bet that there is some big pressure behind the scenes.

Others:

Vox, CNN, TheDrive, Patterico’s Pontifications, Political Wire, The Guardian, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Joe.My.God., Committee to Protect …, Mediaite and The Week ,New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money and VICE News, more at Mediagazer »

Video: The Blaze’s Buck Sexton says that the “Fit is about to hit the shan” in the middle east

A very interesting video via the Blaze:

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Stay tuned to this one here; I believe we will be hearing more about this. Also too, love the dig at Bill Kristol. 😀

Uh-Oh: Turkey is getting involved in the Syrian conflict

This is not good, not matter how you slice it.

Via NYT:

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Turkish prime minister announced on Wednesday night that Turkey had fired artillery at targets in Syria, in retaliation for Syrian mortar fire that fell in a Turkish border town and killed five Turkish civilians. It was the first instance of significant fighting across the Turkish-Syrian border since the Syrian uprising began last year, and raised the prospect of greater involvement by the NATO alliance, to which Turkey belongs.

“This atrocious attack was immediately responded to adequately by our armed forces in the border region, in accordance with rules of engagement,” said a written statement from the office of the prime minister, carried by the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency. “Targets were shelled in locations identified by radar.”

“Turkey, in accordance with the rules of engagement and international law, will never leave such provocations by the Syrian regime against our national security unrequited,” the statement added.

NATO said it would convene an urgent meeting on the issue Wednesday. Before firing into Syria, Turkey contacted the United Nations and NATO to protest the killings and express its “deepest concern.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was “outraged” by the mortar attack in Turkey.

There is no two ways of looking at it; whomever wins this election, is really going to have their hands full come the day they start work. I would not want to be in their shoes for no amount of money.

If I were some sort of partisan hack, I would be blaming Obama for this; but I am not. Obama has zero to do with this at all. He did not order these people to go to war with their own Government. Also too, he cannot really takes sides either. So, on this one, he is doing the right thing and letting the UN handle it.

I just have a sinking feeling about it; I mean, Turkey just got finished with its own little problem and now, they have this, plus Iraq is still an issue, plus Iran. It is all a huge mess and I would not want to be in Romney’s or Obama’s shoes either one. Sometimes the World around us, is just one big huge mess. Some would blame Bush and the Iraq war for destabilizing the region. There is some merit to that; but to be quite honest, I believe these uprisings would have happened no what who was in power or what the status was in the region.

BBC: Turkey hits targets inside Syria after border deaths

Roundup:

The Agonist, Race 4 2012, The PJ Tatler and Taylor Marsh