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Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

bbc.com

11–20 of 186 posts

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#11
If we object to a foreign country killing their own citizens, we can invade the foreign country and overthrow the ruler to make them stop killing (or threaten to invade unless they stop the killing). If we don't want to do that, we could try to put sanctions on them. If we can't do that either, there's not much we can do.

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#12
post #2

We want to be green so we're trying to stop drilling for oil. But we also need oil because our society runs on it. This guy has oil. This guy can therefore do whatever he likes. This is obviously way better than drilling at home.

The United States is the largest producer of oil in the world. We just don't nationalize it. We give it away to foreign owned oil corporations who then gouge us at the pump.

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#13
post #2

We want to be green so we're trying to stop drilling for oil. But we also need oil because our society runs on it. This guy has oil. This guy can therefore do whatever he likes. This is obviously way better than drilling at home.

America runs a close import/export balance now for oil.

Please stop repeating twitter talking points until they become truth.

https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#14
Well, America’s superpower status rests on being the reserve currency for petroleum imports so, in reality, KSA has America in a vise.

The US can’t do anything to antagonise KSA because the direct result will be KSA accepting currencies other than the dollar for petrol, which will lower the global demand for dollars, leading to devaluation of the USD leading to economic calamity.

I’m sure MBS, Biden, Trump, Obama, Putin, Xi, and every world leader knows this.

The green economy is going to upend the world order for reasons other than simply reducing dependency on fossil fuels, imo.

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#16
post #2

We want to be green so we're trying to stop drilling for oil. But we also need oil because our society runs on it. This guy has oil. This guy can therefore do whatever he likes. This is obviously way better than drilling at home.

The most controversial thing in recent times (here in Canada too) isn't even drilling, it's moving oil efficiently over pipelines vs via dirty trucks and busy rail lines.

There's much more opportunity for political activism when pipes go over lots of small pieces of land vs drilling one big piece of land.

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#17
Misleading headline by the BBC, as is tradition. He wasn't given anything, it's simply the status quo - whether we like it our not. It's also not a US thing but an international convention: https://www.justsecurity.org/68801/head-of-state-immunity-is...

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#19
post #12
post #2

We want to be green so we're trying to stop drilling for oil. But we also need oil because our society runs on it. This guy has oil. This guy can therefore do whatever he likes. This is obviously way better than drilling at home.

The United States is the largest producer of oil in the world. We just don't nationalize it. We give it away to foreign owned oil corporations who then gouge us at the pump.

The US is (and has been for a long time), an exporter of refined petroleum products such as Gasoline.

In 2021, it also happened to be a net exporter or petroleum overall, but usually it bounces around.

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-produc...

Saudi Arabia is key in keeping global energy prices lower by increasing global supply, and is also a key ally in a historically unstable region which impacts those prices.

Re: Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

#20
He was not given immunity, he has de-facto immunity due to his position.

Imagine if that didn't exist? Biden visits Qatar and gets arrested for dis-respecting their leaders? I can see that all working out.

The truth is, I doubt there would be much decent evidence that would hold up in Court. It's like Russians being murdered outside of Russia, "of course" Putin would have had to order it but "of course" wouldn't cut it in Court.

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