Jamal Khashoggi is an Arab journalist who moved to the United States after becoming critical of the Saudi Arabian government and its prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for persecuting activists, writers, and businessmen inside the country. Khashoggi continues to debate about the Saudi government as a writer for The Washington Post Global Opinion section.
On October 2, Khashoggi went in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to get papers proving his divorce so that he could remarry. After eleven hours of waiting, his fiancee reported him missing when the consulate closed.
It is currently unknown how Khashoggi disappeared. Turkish authorities claim it was ordered from Saudi Arabia’s royal court, but others state the Saudi state is not the blame. If Saudi Arabia is found responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance or death, the U.S.-Saudi relationship could overturn.
In May of last year, a $110 billion USD arms deal between President Donald Trump and Prince Salman was signed to modernize the kingdom and its economy. The media and Congress are pressuring Trump to halt arms sales with the kingdom, but Trump is reluctant to do so in fear of hurting the United States' economy and jobs.
Questions:
- How should the U.S. government respond to this?
- Should President Trump cancel the $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia?
- Should repercussions on the Saudi Arabian government be guaranteed if they are found responsible for the disappearance of Khashoggi?
- https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/did-the-saudis-murder-jamal-khashoggi
- https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-jamal-khashoggi-turkey-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-murdering-reporter-2018-10
- https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/12/us-saudi-relations-are-imperiled-by-journalistjamal-khashoggis-disappearance.html
I believe the US government should respond by spending money to find this man such as hiring investigators. President Trump should temporarily suspend the arms deal with Saudi Arabia till the whereabouts about this journalist is discovered. I do believe that the Saudi Arabian government be guaranteed to have repercussions if found responsible for his disappearance because these types of actions should not go unpunished. If they do, then everyone would be doing crimes such as this.
ReplyDeleteI think the U.S should cut its tie with the Saudi Arabia. Why would we want to be "allies" with a country who treat their people like that. Since the U.S won't cut off ties with Saudi Arabia,does that mean we can just ignore the inhumanity actions they made or will make in the future. I'm curious how much resource would we lose by cutting our relationship with Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDelete-Allica
President Trump should cancel the $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The US can't risk being associated with a government that does things like this. The Saudi Arabian government should have consequences if they are found responsible for the disappearance of Khashoggi.
ReplyDeleteIf the Saudi Arabian government is found responsible for the disappearance for Khashoggi, I think there should be repercussions because they crossed the line. Especially after making the arms deal with the US, this would be considered betrayal by the Saudi government for killing an American. I'm not sure if Trump should completely halt the arms deal because like he said, he's worried about the economy and jobs, which is important. I think there should be more investigation to find out exactly what happened in the building that Khashoggi disappeared in. -Angel Hermawan
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US should look into the allegations to determine where he might be, or if he is even still alive. However, I don't think action should be taken until there is solid evidence that he was attacked by the Saudi government. President Trump should not cancel the arms deal, but should consider delaying it until a formal investigation has been completed. If they are found to be responsible, I believe that the arms deal should be fully canceled, but I don't think there should be more serious repercussions than that.
ReplyDeleteI think there should be repercussions on the Saudi Arabian government if they are responsible for the disappearance of Khashoggi, but completely halting arm sales with Saudi Arabia seems a bit extreme. If the US were to completely ban sales, it would harm the economy in the long run and it would put people out of jobs. -Michelle
ReplyDeleteI think the U.S. government should be involved and investigate this situation. I think the arms deal between us and Saudi Arabia should be postponed until everything is sorted out. The Saudi Arabian government should have repercussions if they are responsible for his death.
ReplyDeleteI think that people should not jump to conclusion before finding out what really happened but if Saudi Arabian government was responsible for this then U.S. should cut ties with them then. Su Zin
ReplyDeleteI think the U.S Government should at least address the issue to the Saudi Arabian government for the journalist's disappearance. If the Saudi Arabian royal court had taken part of the journalist's disappearance, I don't think Trump should cancel the arms deal after this one instance, but if something similar happens again, Trump should take it into great consideration to cancel the deal.
ReplyDeleteI think the United States should definitely cut ties with the Saudi Arabian government and halt the arms sales, and if it is proven they should face serious repercussions. When a government specifically acts on an individual without trial or justice it should be considered a crime against humanity and they should face an appropriate response. Also, the fact that the United States is waging war and being incredibly racist against most Middle Eastern countries while keeping a good relationship with specific countries just for economic benefits is being hypocritical and selfish.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting approach to how the U.S. should respond. It definitely would hurt the whole idea of humanity if Khashoggi was tortured for an unjustified reason, seeing that he is an important journalist.
DeleteI think the United States favoring specific countries over others is also a bit unjust, and it seems like the government enacts things from a business-focused perspective. Yes, they are trying to defend and protect their own country while making sure its economy is running smoothly and all, but I don't think it is truly necessary for the U.S. to be super cautious about partnering with other countries besides those that can provide benefits.
This is actually scary to know that someone "disappeared" out of nowhere. I think the US government should at least put some efforts into finding this man. nothing but prayers out to this man
ReplyDeleteI find this story particularly disturbing, as just a few months ago the Saudi Arabian crown prince visited the U.S and impressed many government officials and business leaders with his talks of reform. Western news outlets and leaders praised his progressive views regarding his statements on women's rights and modernizing the Saudi Arabian economy. I feel like this narrative of a modern and westernizing Saudi Arabia has taken a major hit with the possibility that the government is carrying out assassinations of political dissidents.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump should at least halt the arms deal with Saudi Arabia until Khashoggi can be found. I find it funny that not more than a few years ago, Saudi Arabia was praised for seemingly changing its direction to a more progressive approach such as giving women the right to drive. All these past positive praises would be undermined if Khashoggi was indeed found to be captured by the Saudi government.
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