President Biden on Friday barely announced any punitive measures against the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, despite the release of an intelligence report linking the Kingdom’s day-to-day ruler to the horrific murder of a US-based journalist.
The released report said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved a plot to “capture or kill” Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was lured to the Saudi consulate and killed. The release of the report raises the stakes in relations between the Biden administration and the likely next ruler of the Saudi Kingdom.
The government announced a series of punitive measures against Saudi officials and individuals it said were involved in Khashoggi’s death in October 2018, although it has avoided penalizing Prince Mohammad himself – a move that is likely to put the president in conflict with leading Democratic leaders and human rights groups calling for stronger measures against the Crown Prince.
“The Saudi government in general, and [Mohammed bin Salman] in particular, they have a cloud hanging over them and there is a lot of work to be done to fix this, ”Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told The Hill.
“The question is, to what extent does anyone want this to affect relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia?”
The New York Times, citing senior government officials, said the White House consensus was to avoid visa restrictions or criminal charges against the Crown Prince for concerns that this would undermine critical cooperation with Saudi Arabia in general on counterterrorism-related threats and Iran confrontation.
“The government has signaled some distance from the Crown Prince,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “But this is not sustainable in the long run because the Crown Prince is the most important decision maker in the kingdom and we must have high-level, authoritative involvement with him.”
Prince Mohammed, the heir apparent to the Kingdom who officially holds the title of deputy prime minister under his father, who is the prime minister, is also the minister of defense, among other governing titles.
He is an outsized figure in the Kingdom and on the global stage, enjoying mass popularity for his effort to modernize social and economic culture away from strict Wahhabi Islam and dependence on oil wealth.
Still, he maintained a tight grip on power, leaving little or no space for political dissidents arrested and reportedly tortured. He also instituted a broad round of his would-be political and royal opponents in a mass detention at the Ritz-Carlton in 2017, a few months after he was announced as crown prince.
“All the political changes in Saudi Arabia in the past five years were aimed at strengthening him and ensuring that he was in a position to succeed his father, and there was a huge centralization of power around the king and the crown prince,” said Ibish.
Democrats praised the government on Friday for releasing the disqualified Khashoggi report – which the Trump administration resisted doing – while lobbying Biden for more direct action against the Crown Prince because of his human rights record.
“When finished Donald Trump
Donald TrumpBiden to hold virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican President More than 300 accused in connection with the Capitol riot Trump Jr.: There are “many” rulers who should be challenged MOREto cover up the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, President Biden demonstrated his commitment to transparency and law enforcement, ”said the senator. Robert Menendez
Robert (Bob) MenendezSenate confirms Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador The Memorandum: Biden bets heavily on immigration Biden expands paths to citizenship as the immigration bill reaches Congress MORE (DN.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Commission, said in a statement.
“At the same time, I hope it is just a first step and that the government plans to take concrete steps to make Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally responsible for his role in this heinous crime.”
This was echoed by Rep. Adam Schiff
Adam Bennett SchiffOvernight Defense: Biden sends message with air strike in Syria | US intelligence points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi assassination | Pentagon launches sexual assault commission led by civilian Democrats demanding Saudi Arabian responsibility for Khashoggi’s death US intelligence: Saudi Crown Prince approved Khashoggi’s death MORE (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Chamber’s Intelligence Committee, who tweeted that Prince Mohammed has “blood on his hands” and the repercussions must extend “to the one who ordered” Khashoggi’s death.
“MBS cannot get away with a monstrous murder,” added Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “This new report adds to a growing pile of evidence that the Crown Prince is guilty of Khashoggi’s death and cover-up. A redefinition of relations and responsibility between the United States and Saudi Arabia is urgently needed.”
Khashoggi, a former Saudi palace member who became an outspoken critic of the Saudi royal family and contributed to The Washington Post, was attracted to the Saudi consulate in October 2018 with the impression that he was obtaining marriage documents.
He was reportedly attacked, suffocated and his body dismembered with a bone saw by a squad of Saudi soldiers with close ties to the Crown Prince. The declassified US report, released on Friday, said it had “high confidence” in the identification of 21 people implicated in Khashoggi’s death and who did so with the knowledge and approval of the Crown Prince.
“Since 2017, Prince Heir has had absolute control of Kingdom security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi authorities will carry out such an operation without Prince Heir authorization,” says the report.
Biden took a series of actions in what his government describes as a “recalibration” of the relationship between Washington and Riyadh, including an end to US support for the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen and an end to relevant arms sales. On Friday, the State Department also announced visa restrictions for 76 Saudi individuals who it said were linked to the Khashoggi murder.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions against a former high-ranking intelligence officer, Ahmad Hassan Mohammed al Asiri, who had previously been implicated in the attack on Khashoggi, as well as against the Crown Prince’s personal security detachment, the Rapid Intervention Force .
Human rights groups are asking for more.
“MBS has proved that it is not able to represent the Kingdom on the global stage and we applaud the Biden government for choosing to engage directly with King Salman,” said Human Rights Foundation President Thor Halvorssen in a statement, referring to the Crown Prince by his initials.
“Now the United States and the European Union must urgently impose sanctions on MBS itself, along with those within its direct chain of command who were involved in the assassination.”
Prince Mohammed denied knowledge of the conspiracy against Khashoggi after his death, but said in a 2019 interview that he accepted responsibility for the assassination under his supervision.
Although the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted on Friday with indignation at the release of the report, rejecting the findings that imply Kingdom leadership, it also reiterated its commitment to the relationship of the United States and Saudi Arabia, calling it that of “robust and lasting partnership”.
Regional experts say the Biden government is trying to show a tougher hand while preserving a critical relationship with the Gulf ally.
“There is this agenda that the Biden government has to seek rapid progress with Iran and early progress towards the end of the Yemen war as top priorities,” said Ibish, from the Gulf Arab Institute. “In both cases, Saudi cooperation would be necessary, directly in Yemen and indirectly with Iran.”
Varsha Koduvayur, senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the Treasury’s sanction on al Asiri is an important move to target a key individual and called the visa restrictions announced by the State Department “well-intentioned” .
“Ultimately, the government is signaling that the US-Saudi relationship is too vital to be destroyed,” she said.
The refraining from imposing punitive actions on the Crown Prince is an acknowledgment of the broader US strategy in the region and the important role he will continue to play, added Satloff, of the Washington Institute.
“Threading the needle in foreign policy is challenging, with partners no less than with opponents, and this is a classic example of trying to achieve that elusive goal,” he said.