One of the black marks against the Trump administration is its cozying up to the corrupt and totalitarian Saudi Arabian regime. From Doug Bandow at antiwar.com:
Leaders of the G-20, the association of states with the world’s largest economies, will soon be descending upon Riyadh. Hopefully Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman isn’t angry with any of them. After all, he’s been known to slice and dice his critics.
Being a foreign dignitary offers no protection. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Harari found himself unexpectedly detained after arriving on what he expected to be a friendly visit in 2017. MbS, as the heir to the Saudi throne is known, decided that his “guest” should resign to undermine Lebanon’s government, in which Shia Hezbollah plays a major role. Like the Biblical Samson, the young, ambitious, and self-centered crown prince appears ready to bring down the entire Mideast temple while pursuing his grandiose ambitions.
So, who knows what he has planned for members of the G-20!
Why is Saudi Arabia part of the G-20 anyway? The antediluvian monarchy falls within the world’s top 20 economies not because it makes much of anything or does anything else useful. Rather, it is a fuel pump for the world, the incidental beneficiary of geography.
Moreover, Riyadh vies with China as the worst, most oppressive member of the organization. The majority are Western industrialized democracies, with some broadly shared values. Two nations, Turkey and Russia, fail the true democracy test, but both still hold elections, leave some space for dissent, and occasionally surprise their leaders. In contrast, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Slice & Dice accepts nothing less than absolute obeisance.
