In October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist and Washington Post contributor, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and was never seen again. It was later revealed that Khashoggi had been murdered and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents, causing international outrage and leading many to call for accountability for those responsible, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The event seriously tarnished MBS’s reputation.
However, it seems that MBS may be quietly overcoming the stain of Khashoggi’s murder. Despite facing widespread condemnation and calls for sanctions, MBS has managed to maintain his position as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia and has even seen an increase in his international standing.
One reason for this is that MBS has been successful in deflecting blame for the murder onto lower-level officials. In 2019, the Saudi Arabian government released a report claiming that the murder was a “rogue operation” and that MBS had no knowledge of it. This narrative has been widely accepted, despite the fact that many experts believe it is unlikely that such a high-profile operation could have been carried out without the approval of MBS or other top officials.
Another factor in MBS’s ability to weather the storm of the Khashoggi murder was the Trump administration’s continued support.
President Donald Trump, who had a close relationship with MBS and had praised him as a “great ally,” had consistently downplayed the role of the Saudi leadership in the murder and had resisted calls for sanctions. This allowed MBS to avoid significant consequences for his alleged involvement in the murder.
In addition to avoiding repercussions, MBS has also been able to use the Khashoggi murder to his advantage by presenting himself as a reformer. Since the murder, MBS has implemented a number of notable social and economic reforms, including lifting the ban on women driving, allowing concerts and movie theaters to open in the country, and launching a plan to diversify the economy. These moves have been widely praised and have helped to improve MBS’s reputation both domestically and internationally.
Furthermore, MBS has been able to use his financial resources to buy support and silence criticism. The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars on lobbying and public relations firms in an effort to improve its image, and it has also used its wealth to buy the loyalty of other countries. For example, Saudi Arabia has provided financial assistance to struggling countries such as Jordan and Egypt, and it has also invested heavily in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia.
Despite these efforts, MBS has not completely escaped the shadow of the Khashoggi murder. There are still many who believe that he should be held accountable for the murder and that the true circumstances of Khashoggi’s death have yet to be fully revealed. In addition, the ongoing war in Yemen, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and has been widely criticized as a humanitarian disaster, has also tarnished MBS’s reputation.
However, it is clear that MBS has been able to largely overcome the stain of Khashoggi’s murder and has managed to maintain his position as the leader of Saudi Arabia. Whether this will continue in the long term remains to be seen, but for now, it appears that MBS has successfully navigated the crisis and has emerged largely unscathed.
