Thread by @sarahleah1

My latest w @Mikeyeis @DAWNmenaorg in @latimes: "the ironic twist to the administration’s high-mindedness — that the sanctions don’t apply to the man with the real power to permanently silence dissidents — undermines the whole enterprise."
latimes.com/opinion/story/…

"The Biden administration’s decision against penalizing Bin Salman exposes the sanctions as a political tool of expedience, unmoored from the merits of who deserves them."

"Well-meaning senior officials & pundits have patiently explained realpolitik & national security concerns that factored into decision to let MBS walk, a determination not to upset delicate balance of power in Mideast by damaging our longstanding alliance w Saudis."

"They should also understand realpolitik consequences of providing cover for a volatile & over-indulged crown prince who has established himself as a destructive and destabilizing force in the region."

"In just six years as defense minister, he has prosecuted an almost four-year blockade against U.S.-ally Qatar and launched a devastating, criminal war in Yemen that has destroyed the lives of millions and caused the largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world."

"Exiled dissidents, including American residents, should have no illusions about what just happened. Given the opportunity to lay down the law for brutal autocrats everywhere who might contemplate sending hit squads abroad to kill dissidents, Biden and his advisors took a pass."