The Biden administration’s release on Friday of a classified report on the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 is morally satisfactory. Whether it promotes American interests or even human rights in the long run is another question.
The report, which was delivered to Congress in declassified form, places the duty on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the kidnapping and murder of Khashoggi. The report provides no direct evidence of the order; it bases the judgment on the Crown Prince’s control over decision – making in the Kingdom and the involvement of a key adviser and members of his personal security detail.
News of the classified report was leaked at the time, in part to embarrass Donald Trump. The former president regarded the crown prince, known as MBS, as an ally and did not want to endanger Saudi-American ties. He accepted the denial of MBS without nuance or moral condemnation, which was his habit. President Biden is downgrading the tires, or what he calls a ‘recalibration’, which will play well on Capitol Hill with progressives and isolationists wanting to distance the US from the Saudis.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken also announced on Friday what he calls a ‘Khashoggi Ban’, a new visa restriction policy for individuals who “apparently engage in serious, extra-territorial anti-dissident activities.” The US will impose the new ban on 76 Saudis, and it could give a warning to foreign officials that they and their families could be banned from the US if they act against opponents abroad. Do not underestimate how many foreign leaders want to send their children to Stanford or Duke.
But note that the US did not apply the sanction to MBS, who is the Saudi defense minister and probably the next king. Democrats and the media already call it inadequate and want MBS banned if it is not charged. The Biden administration seems to appreciate that it would lead to a more serious breach in US-Saudi Arabia relations that would help opponents in Tehran, Moscow and Beijing.