«Storm in the desert»

Translated "Avante!"article by Jorge Cadima, Member of the International Department

Khashoggi’s sordid assassination in the consulate, in Istanbul, brought about a pro-American fierce dictatorship in Saudi Arabia. Indignation has spread.

But for decades there existed official silence before one of the most brutal dictatorships, that never pretended not having freedoms, elections, parties or trade-unions. That always used repression, torture, whips, decapitated and killed with impunity. For three years it has carried out a murderous war against Yemen, and its 30 million inhabitants are confronted with a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Indignation was not present when the Lebanon prime-minister, a Saudi ally (!) was sequestrated in Saudi Arabia and obliged to read his stepping down speech on TV, last November.

Nor even when “ hundreds of influent business men - many of them members of the royal family – were imprisoned by the government in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel, till they delivered all their belongings, “ and at least 17 were hospitalised for body abuse and one died under detention with […] maltreated signs” (in New York Times, 2018.03. 11). News gaped with indifference. And when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) visited the USA, United Kingdom and France, things were otherwise. Amid the USA, he met with the whole elite (acrimonious), from Trump to the Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Walt Disney CEO’s and even Oprah Winfrey. He purchased many weapons in order to proceed with the war against the people of Yemen and Syria and prepare a war against Iran. Enthusiastic TV’s, guaranteed the young prince was a “ modernizer” that even allowed women to drive and opened up cinemas.

“Modernization” seemed to be extended to the techniques used within the consulate, in Istanbul. The” tyranny troika”, as stated by the USA National Security Counsel – and TV – is elsewhere in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba (in Fox News, 2018.11.01).

The agreement was not but business. The Gulf petro-dictatorships always played a key-role in imperialist policy. In the 70’s they agreed to trade oil exclusively in dollars, allowing the USA to withdraw from the gold standard but maintain the dollar as international reserve currency. In the 80’s, the USA Congress forbid its government to finance subversion. As in Afghanistan, Syria and many other countries.

Currently, waters are troubled, with cleavages that , all over, break up the capitalist world. The assassination was announced by the Turks, irritated by the coup d’état attempt, the USA egoistic courtship regarding the Curds and the Saudi attacks against Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The recording that allegedly exists, but not divulged for the moment, is supposed to be used in a sordid horse-trading, of unpredictable outcome. The CIA, dodging uncomfortable responsibilities, now accuses MBS (in New York Times, 2018.11.16) and declares to desire another Crown Prince. But Gina Haspel, the CIA head director, was named after having directed a torture centre, in those kind of “ Istanbul consulate” archipelagos, the CIA has spread all over the “ free world”. And Plan B is always there: amid the infamous Middle East map, published by the Armed Forces Journal, in 2006, in which Saudi Arabia ought to have been divided into five parts.

  • Articles and Interviews
  • Chronic International