For all those who have poured scorn on me for “defending the indefensible,” let me say the following:
Many of you don’t give a damn what happens to Saudi Arabia, my country, either out of ignorance or malice toward the country or out of hatred for Trump, and you see this tragic event as a convenient weapon to use against the president.
Jamal was murdered in a horrific fashion by people who should be and will be treated as criminals, having carried out a stupid, botched operation that should have never been attempted in the first place.
The cover-up was ill-advised and incompetent, but more-sophisticated leaders in the West have also made such mistakes.
To expect Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), a young leader with only a few years of experience, to have handled such a political calamity with the virtuoso performance of a seasoned, wise, experienced Western politician is unfair and malicious.
For him to have the courage to come out now and admit to what has happened, to make a 180-degree turn in the narrative, frankly shows more courage than most politicians who have initially fallen into the cover-up trap.
MBS probably authorized a rendition, which, if so, was ill-advised, but leaders and governments make mistakes, sometimes horrible ones (e.g., the US invasion of Iraq, which killed, maimed, and orphaned tens of thousands).
Many today on their high horses of self-righteousness supported that war and never were held accountable, either legally or professionally, or had their “credibility” questioned in the aftermath.
Many of MBS’s key advisors have been fired, and the government has learned a hard lesson, but if anybody thinks that the whole line of succession should be altered because of one horrible crime carried out by Saudi intelligence, they are crazy.
Stability and continuity are absolutely paramount. And MBS is going nowhere. A change in leadership would put the country, already surrounded by peril, into inconceivable turmoil, giving rise to political jockeying and possible risk of collapse.
At present, the Saudi government has been humbled and chastened and has learned some lessons the hard way. Going forward, it will be a better government for it. But one horrible murder cannot and will not be allowed to put the country further at risk.
God bless Jamal’s soul. He is surely in heaven looking down on us. I have known him for decades and believe even he would not have wanted his country’s safety and security to be put at risk from this.
Even in death, Jamal has served his country, in that this horrible event will bring a level of political maturity and caution to Saudi Arabia that is clearly needed.
