"Unrest In the Middle East" - a valid headline for over 2000 years.

[Mongrel]

I keep ending up posting Mideast stuff all over the place. Figure since we already have individual state or country threads, we might as well localize this too.

Anyway, the topic of the moment is Jamal Khashoggi. The latest update being that the Saudis are supposedly close to "admitting" that Khashoggi "died during interrogation." (via CNN)

That's one way of putting it, I guess.

[Yoji]

Right, right, right. Interrogation. Sure.

So, could you please explain that bone saw?*

*do not explain that bone saw

[Mongrel]

The news is all over the place this afternoon, but there's some articles in credible newspapers stating that a Turkish official has spoken to AP, saying they found specific physical evidence Khashoggi was killed. I guess we'll see what comes up when someone finally decides to confirm something.

Well, apart from the fact that MBS turned out to be a grossly incompetent supervillain who thought he had a green light to go on a rampage. But we kinda already knew that.

[Thad]

Whether MBS actually faces any repercussions whatsoever for this is still very much an open question. We're talking about a country that faced no consequences for 9/11.

My guess? Global industry largely boycotts Davos in the Desert, waits a couple news cycles, then resumes business as usual.

[beatbandito]

we'll bomb a neighboring country over it

[WingSounds]

This is how I see it.
Sure, it's unlikely MBS faces global consequences, but given the way politic goes inside the Kingdom, I wouldn't be surprised if this forces him to rely more on people who'd previously owed favours to him. Compare the way he intrigue'd himself into his current position, right?..

I'm the opposite of an optimist, but the best thing you can do is remember things, and take chances when they come.
My belief is this'll go dormant after a potential admission of guilt, and come back in roughly 1.8 years or so.

[Mongrel]

we'll bomb a neighboring country over it

Are there any left besides Israel which haven't already been bombed? I guess there's the Emirates or something...

[Mongrel]

Just saw this headline in passing: "America’s Dilemma: Censuring M.B.S. and Not Halting Saudi Reforms"

YEAH, OKAY BUD. WEW.

[WingSounds]

Just saw this headline in passing:

... Because token reforms only grow under the nutritious mulch of your political enemies' corpses.

Yeah, that's the NYT for you. :/ I remember them being idiots in the past, too, but they've kind of doubled down on it compared to the heights of Gulf War II-palooza. There's a lot of WHATABOUT going on, these days.
Also it's an op-ed; also it's Friedman.

Sometimes I wanna fantasy draft columnists into one paper, but that's probably even lamer than fantasy politics draft...

[Mongrel]

Yeah, that's the NYT for you.

Speaking of which...

Albawaba: NYT has consistently been praising Saudi "reform" since 1956.

Bahahaha.

[WingSounds]

My reaction is your signature image. Except, instead of Superman, it's me.
So, not at all like your signature image.

Related, but I do feel there are great journalists embedded at the NYT; just like I feel there are still good writers within the WSJ (seriously).
But then, you get something in your field of confidence that just makes you want to slam your head into your palm until it's meat gravel, and... That happens a lot, these days.

[Mongrel]

Now, this is the New York Post, so take it with a massive chunk of salt, but supposedly Audio reveals details of Jamal Khashoggi’s torture, decapitation

Any of that could be suspect, especially the bit about the Consul ordering the killing, so I guess we'll see what does or doesn't get released.

[WingSounds]

Anyone who prefaces the NYPost with that disclaimer is good in my book; I think I saw similarly in the Guardian and Al Jazeera...

I'd like to revise my earlier cynical pessimism, actually. There are a lot of corporate people getting nervous because of just how gruesome (not that that it should surprise them, unless they're all blind and deaf) the Kingdom is. They'll probably keep paying in, at the end, but all it takes is a few nervous hands in the water to start a ripple.

Maybe MBS really did overplay his hand, here. If anything, I expect Turkey to leverage that audio if they have it, but wonder how they can.

[Mongrel]

Let he who is without sin cast the first solid-fuelled Theatre Ballistic Missile.

[WingSounds]

Truly, 'tis.

And I should like to punctuate this with a very fitting song from a dear old friend.
The song starts at 2:04, but I think the opening patter does quite a lot for it.

[Mongrel]

So the Saudis have finally admitted that Khashoggi is dead and their explanation is essentially "Stop resisting! Stop resisting!".

[WingSounds]

Elections Afghanistan start today. And yes I know, bla bla Mideast...
If I have to start dividing things into 'The Levant' and the 'Fertile Crescent' and 'Persia' and 'The Graveyard of Empires' I will probably eat an entire burger, but angrily. For now, I shall just hope for peace and continuance and call it a day.

[Mongrel]

Jesus.

Also, as an Arabic-Canadian points out in the comments, "no one would dare to see the king" with clothes in such a dishevelled state. Either he was searched roughly or straight-up dragged there.

[WingSounds]

I cannot comprehend that.
My stomach would be a pit of rage, to say nothing if I was searched or 'coerced.' What was it? 'Value-added interrogation?'
...

[Mongrel]

Globe: Changing story again, Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi’s killing was ‘premeditated’

YA HUH

EDIT: One small thing caught my eye:

King Salman, who has delegated the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to the crown prince, on Saturday ordered a restructuring of the general intelligence agency.

Innnnteresting.