Saudi Arabia has become a frequently mentioned actor in the international media. The King, “the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” and his troublesome son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) are accused of being involved in many international criminal activities, including the civil war in Yemen and the Khashoggi murder. In 2015, just after becoming defense minister, MbS led many transformational endeavours, both in foreign and domestic policies. Since the infamous Ritz-Carlton hotel imprisonment of many royals, MbS is now trying to pave his way to the throne and is ready for executing a number of Sahwa leaders in the upcoming days.

Historical episode

A decades long history reveals that there is no room for political Islam or any form of it in Saudi Arabia. Further, Riyadh does not want to see any Islamist leader in power across the region. This is because it directly poses an existential threat to the al-Saud family – the ruling elite. Therefore, it is the al-Saud’s strategy to eliminate significant Islamist opposition. The preachers of Sahwa are among those Islamists. They strongly opposed the government during the 1990s, saying that the settling of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia is against Islam. They took their position and began an awareness campaign in society, revolving around the idea that the al-Saud regime has lost its credibility and that they have become servants of Western powers, especially of the U.S.

Since the infamous Ritz-Carlton hotel imprisonment of many royals, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now ready for executing a number of Sahwa leaders in the upcoming days.

During these years, the threat coming from Saddam to the Gulf monarchs was at its peak. To balance this threat, the Saudis invited the U.S. army to deter Saddam. The sheiks of Sahwa, especially al-Hawali and al-Awdah criticized the regime during their preaching. In May 1991, 52 scholars signed a declaratory Letter of Recommendation that was presented to King Fahd, urging him to revise his policies. However, the al-Saud family perceived this as a threat from the Sahwa movement. As the name implies, Sahwa means the “awakening” of society. Therefore, Al-Awdah was sentenced to imprisonment in 1994. After receiving the attention of the opposition, he was released in 1999 on the basis that he remained “moderate.”

Two days before his brutal murder, Jamal Khashoggi warned that al-Awdah will be executed for being moderated. According to UN experts, al-Awdah is considered to be a reformist, and that MbS also sees him as a threat. Therefore, 37 separate accusations were filled against Al-Awdah. Among these accusations include leading a terrorist organization, opposing the blockade against Qatar, cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood, rivaling the success of the government, being in contact with the royal family in Qatar, threatening national security, and provoking violence.

Sahwa: Synthesis of Ikhwan and Salafism

Sahwa is a mergence of Ikhwan, i.e. the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafism. The preachers, scholars and members of this movement are Salafi, but they are not from the traditional current that obeys the Saudi establishment. They differ from the traditional Salafist concept of Islam, which obeys the status quo government –whoever that may be. Therefore, Sahwa is an alternative that goes against the classic Wahhabi ulamas in Saudi Arabia, as they are considered to be Salafists but with Muslim Brotherhood ideas. The connection between the Sahwa and the Ikhwan can be traced back to the 1970s, when members of the Ikhwan, who were under pressure in Egypt and Syria, densely migrated to Saudi Arabia, bringing their ideas to the Kingdom.

Members of the Ikhwan settled in Saudi Arabia and managed to establish a university in which al-Awda and al-Havali were active members. During the reign of King Faisal, they had a chance to meet with several prominent educational institutions. Al-Hawali met with Mohammed Qutb, brother of a prominent Egyptian MB Sayyid Qutb and al-Awdah was educated by Mohammed Surur, who was a significant figure of Ikhwan in Syria. Al-Havali and al-Awdah were impressed by the Sahwa’s ideology.

The preachers, scholars and members of Sahwa movement are Salafi, but they are not from the traditional current that obeys the Saudi establishment.

The Sahva movement was significantly influenced by the Ikhwan political thinkers such as Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid, Muhammad Qutb, and Muhammad Surur. Standing against imperialism and having a plan to implement Sharia in the state system, Hassan al-Banna was an ideal for Sahwa’s proponents. In comparison with Ikhwan, Sahwa has no hierarchical organization with a certain structure, and is rather a loose system.

Another distinctive feature of Sahwa is that it has a different ideology from the modernist and liberal Islamists. They differ from liberal Islamist thinkers who are influenced by Western liberal philosophies and who believe that religion and politics must be separated from each other. According to them, the Islamic faith is applicable in all walks of individual and public life, including statecraft and public policy. The political factor is seen as an essential element of Sunni Islam from their point of view. Modernity and secularism are seen as two ideologies that contradict the Sunni Islamic understanding.

While Saudis generally perceive Islamists as a threat in general, the Sahwa scholars are considered as an existential threat.

Another factor that differentiates the Sahwa from other Islamic movements is that it does not urge for violence and revolution as a means to achieve its goal. Therefore, they also differ from jihadist groups that see violence as a legitimate tool in order to achieve religious goals. They believe that political reforms should not be implemented in Saudi Arabia through a revolution. Instead, the Sahwa urge for building a consensus among society for embracing reconciliation between scholars and the ruling elite, which will eventually bring political reform. Therefore, the sheiks of Sahwa are considered as prominent figures for all the Muslim world.

While Saudis generally perceive Islamists as a threat in general, the Sahwa scholars are considered as an existential threat. Therefore, the regime wants to deter society and intends to do this by executing them in order to install an empire of horror, imitating the Egyptian style of treating Islamists. In his quest for the throne, MbS needs to buy legitimacy from outside the kingdom. The traditional role of such leaders is to act as the “warrior against terrorism” and jump on the western ship. However, even if he succeeds in installing the empire of horror, or paving his way to the throne with the blood of Sahwa leaders, he still has to overcome a great obstacle within the royal family. Preventing a coalition between the regime and Islamists can effectively hinder his ascendance to the throne.

The G20 Summit organized in Buenos Aires, Argentina, appeared on the agenda with debates revolving around the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, or known as MbS, who was found culpable by the global media for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. MbS was the media’s focus of attention with his appearance at the Summit despite the accusations against him. His attitude during his meeting with Putin and his expression during his encounter with U.S. President Trump were especially noteworthy. Various comments made on MbS underlined that he had been aspiring to restore his battered image. The Crown Prince undoubtedly kicked off works to clear his image after the world starting pointing at him in regards to the Khashoggi murder. So, his appearance at the G20 Summit must be read as a continuation of this process. In a retrospective consideration, it can be seen that MbS has been exerting efforts for perception management in the aftermath of the Khashoggi murder.

MbS on the front page of Washington Post

The evidence presented by the investigation pursued by Turkey presented to the public that names that were closely allied with the Crown Prince were part of the murder team in regards to the Jamal Khashoggi case. Another allegation published by the New York Times on November 14 revealed the links that directly connected MbS to the murder. According to the news report, shortly after Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, a member of the hit team instructed a supervisor over the phone “tell your boss,” – this boss is believed to be MbS and that his operatives carried out their mission. Also, the Washington Post, a paper that Khashoggi was a columnist of, printed a full-page photo of MbS on its front page with the caption “Demand the Truth,” in address to the U.S. Secretary of State who was heading to Saudi Arabia at the time. This demonstrated that he was held accountable by the global media. Similar claims have also been made by various politicians and journalists from different countries. Consequently, a general agreement can be observed with regard to the Crown Prince’s link to the murder.

Oxygen tube from Trump to the Crown Prince

Even U.S. President Trump, who is one of the closest allies of the Crown Prince, has tried to justify his continuing support to MbS to the world public by listing his financial excuses. With this attitude, he hinted that although he has been defending him, Trump could blackmail MbS whenever necessary. For Trump, the most important point is the payments that are to be made to the U.S. and MbS thinks that he can buy anything. These two approaches complement each other. Due to this attitude of President Trump, the world public was expected to forget the atrocious murder. However, it didn’t really work that way.

Trump’s remarks on the Khashoggi murder, such as that it was the worst cover-up effort he had seen in history and that the Prince may or may have not been a part of the murder, indicates that Trump actually knows the truth but is using it in line with his own interests. Such statements that occupy the global agenda and distract the media work to the detriment of the Crown Prince. It can be contended that the “controlled” statements of Trump function as an oxygen tube for MbS. Thus, MbS, who is aware that an escape corridor has been opened for him thanks to Trump’s s support and Russia’s affirmative gestures, is endeavoring to regain his popularity and restore his tarnished image after the murder. But the methods employed for this goal are quite predictable and familiar. Among them, three methods particularly stand out.

Million dollars and free tickets by MbS for lobbying companies

The first method is to continue funneling money to U.S.-based lobbying companies and to prevent any activity that will keep the murder on the agenda by transferring money to U.S.-based think tanks. In this sense, the comments of Human Rights Watch Deputy Program Director Tom Porteous are worth attention. Porteous stated that Washington-based think tanks abstain from criticizing Saudi Arabia despite the country’s long-standing human rights violations since they receive funds from Riyadh. His statements consolidate the doubts revolving around the continuation of such processes. Previously established relationships based on mutual interests can be said to be behind the strong claims suggesting that Prince Salman kicked off works to adopt a new image through the arms deals and the funds given to global PR companies. Porteous ended his statement by stating that think tanks always agree with Washington on U.S. foreign policy, which alludes to the Trump administration’s ambivalent attitude on MbS.

A PR method used by MbS is to continue funneling money to U.S.-based lobbying companies and to prevent any activity that will keep the murder on the agenda by transferring money to U.S.-based think tanks.

An article titled “Inside the Saudis’ Washington influence machine: How the Kingdom gained power through fierce lobbying and charm offensives,” which was published by Washington Post on October 23, explained how the Saudi administration uses its financial power for PR works and how this situation persisted in the aftermath of the Khashoggi murder. According to this article, 27 million dollars was spent on lobbying activities in 2017. It was also emphasized that MbS used his financial power to develop close relations with influential politicians and business people in Washington, especially Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Within this scope, the Saudi Embassy in Washington is said to be hosting occasional galas and U.S. congress members attend these events via lobbying companies.

MbS used his financial power to develop close relations with influential politicians and business people in Washington, the Saudi Embassy there is said to be hosting occasional galas and U.S. congress members attend these events via lobbying companies.

The article went on to claim that Saudi officials offered Super Bowl tickets and chartered flights to the event. It would be no exaggeration to state that this is linked to the fact that there was not considerable public reaction to the Khashoggi murder aside from the U.S. media outlets that fell out with Trump. An analysis titled “US lobbyists continue working with Saudi Arabia after the Khashoggi killing,” published by TRT World on November 21, also covers some detail showing that the previously signed deals between the two countries have not been cancelled. The analysis points out that there are 36 U.S. firms that are actively lobbying for Saudi Arabia in the U.S. and that these companies are spending millions of dollars in order to impress political actors.

There are 36 U.S. firms that are actively lobbying for Saudi Arabia in the U.S. and that these companies are spending millions of dollars in order to impress political actors.

Putin’s carte blanche to MbS

The second method is to consolidate alliances and initiate large-scale operations that will change the global agenda. The Gaza attacks of Israel, which is the strongest regional ally of Saudi Arabia, are generally evaluated in this context. Decreasing the pressure on the Crown Prince by distracting the attention of the global public stands out as the leading cause. An argument supporting this approach was covered in a news report published by New York Times on December 8. Stating that MbS and Kushner were on a first-name basis, calling each other Jared and Mohammed, the report reads that the two names talked to each other many times after the murder via text message and phone calls. The report titled “The Wooing of Jared Kushner: How the Saudis Got a Friend in the White House,” also states that Kushner is the leading White House figure that favors the Prince after the murder. So, it can be seen that Kushner has a major part in the PR works of MbS.

On the other hand, the acceleration of the operations in Yemen by Saudi Arabia coalition can also be interpreted as another distraction attempt by the Prince. The Prince seems to be in search of compensating the public pressure on him with a victory that could be obtained in Yemen. Besides, the efforts to consolidate the alliance formed during Trump’s Saudi Arabia visit are also notable. In this sense, MbS probably tried to create a positive impression by paying visits to UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Tunisia before heading to the G20 Summit.

Thirdly, as already mentioned above, the Crown Prince regarded the Summit in Argentina as a component of his PR works. It is obvious that the positive statements on MbS issued by both Trump and Putin ahead of the Summit encouraged him while providing him with a ground for legitimacy.

In his meetings with both leaders, MbS behaved in a way to respond to their gestures. While the leaders were taking their seats after the shooting of the family photo, Putin and Prince Salman greeted each other quite candidly and exchanged a high-five. Although the sincerity between them has different meanings for Putin, it was very valuable for the image works of MbS under the present circumstances. A similar case also occurred during the MbS-Trump encounter. Although they did not seem particularly close, the two names gave the impression that they approve each other, which was another crucial acquisition for MbS from the Summit.

Turkey’s conscientious stance regarding the Khashoggi murder

Apparently, the two superpowers did not pay so much attention to the cold-blooded murder of Khashoggi in the Consulate building by a murder team including names from the Crown Prince’s close circle. Both countries seem to be approaching the issue in line with their own interests rather than questioning the names behind the murder. It is clear that MbS is using this opportunity served on a silver platter by the two superpowers to the fullest. Considering the interests of the two superpowers and the other counter-propaganda and lobbying activities undertaken by the Saudi administration, it can be argued that the G20 Summit has been one of the platforms where the Crown Prince continued his PR works.

The investments made in the lobbying works will not be enough to save the Crown Prince. They can  save a little time, but the evidence presented by Turkey to the world public will make MbS confront the truth he is trying to escape.

Still, many cases show that such image restoring efforts will remain insufficient against the bare truth. In this sense, the questions asked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the Khashoggi killing in Argentina, such as the location of the body, the identities of local abettors and the real orchestrators of the murder constitute the greatest impediment to MbS’s efforts for a new image. The image aspired to be created by spending multi-million dollars is backlashing in the face of the naked truth addressed with these questions. Therefore, the investments made in the lobbying works and the two superpowers will not be enough to save the Crown Prince. The efforts will surely save a little time, but the strong evidence presented by Turkey to the world public has the potential to make MbS confront the truth he is trying to escape.

The developments surrounding the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which took place in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, are all pointing to the same direction: the murderer!

After receiving a CIA brief on the matter, on Tuesday, U.S. senators said that they were more than certain that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, was responsible for the killing of Khashoggi.

After the press release of U.S. senators, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that an international investigation was needed to determine who was responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Following the statement of Bachelet, news agencies released another striking headline: ‘Bipartisan group of senators introduces measure saying Saudi crown prince is ‘complicit’ in the killing of journalist.’

6 top U.S. senators from cross-party lines have introduced a scathing resolution to hold the Saudi Crown Prince accountable for the killing of Khashoggi. The proposal states that the Senate “has a high level of confidence” that MBS “was complicit in the murder.”

If approved by the Senate, it would officially condemn MBS for the killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch – a New York based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights – called Turkey to submit a formal request to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to conduct an independent international probe into the killing of Khashoggi.

And finally, a Nordic country, following Germany, Denmark suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia for the Kingdom’s role in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi

Istanbul’s chief prosecutor has filed arrest warrants for the arrest of a top aide to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the deputy head of foreign intelligence on suspicion of planning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Prosecutors say there is ‘strong suspicion’ that royal court adviser chief Saud al-Qahtani and deputy head of intelligence Ahmed al-Asiri were among the planners of the October 2 murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The two names were removed from their positions in October while Saudi Arabia has detained 21 people and says it is seeking the death penalty for five over the slaying, which sparked international outrage. 

“The prosecution’s move to issue arrest warrants for Asiri and al-Qahtani reflects the view that the Saudi authorities won’t take formal action against those individuals,” one of the officials told Reuters news agency.

“By extraditing all suspects to Turkey, where Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered, the Saudi authorities could address those concerns” added the same official.  

According to AFP news agency, the application for the warrants was filed on Tuesday.

The Saudi prosecution has previously acknowledged that al-Qahtani and Asiri were part of the plot to kill Khashoggi. The two men were both high-ranking officials with close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Al-Qahtani is believed to have been Prince Mohammed’s right-hand man.

Meanwhile in the U.S., after a closed-door briefing by CIA Director Gina Haspel on Tuesday, some top U.S. senators have said there is “zero chance” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) wasn’t involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, “You have to be wilfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS.” 

He added that it appeared that the Trump administration does not want to recognize evidence of the crown prince’s complicity. 

Back again in Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made comments to reporters while on a visit to Brussels. The United Nations human rights chief on Wednesday called for an international investigation to determine who was responsible for the murder of the Saudi journalist in Istanbul two months ago.

“We will not hesitate to launch an international probe if the situation comes to a deadlock,” he said.

Turkey has been seeking to extradite 18 suspects, including 15 members of an alleged assassination squad accused of murdering and dismembering the writer.

Last month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said the order for Khashoggi’s killing came from the highest level of the Saudi government but probably not King Salman, putting the spotlight instead on Salman’s heir and de facto ruler Prince Mohammed.

Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder.

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi

Sean Penn arrived in Istanbul to shoot a documentary about the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was brutally murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Sean Penn has already begun filming a document about Jamal Khashoggi. His murder triggered an international outcry and has become an international political scandal highlighting the ‘dirty’ relations between the U.S. President and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

It has been reported that the Oscar-awarded actor, who is well-known for his political and social activism, took footage in front of Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was murdered.

According to reports, Penn was accompanied by 10 people, including bodyguards and a production crew. The 58-year-old is continuing to work with a production team in the area.

After filming outside the Saudi Consulate, Penn was also seen outside the Saudi Consul-General’s nearby residence – the residence that was included in one of the potential areas of where Khashoggi’s remains could have been hidden.

It has been noted that the actor wants to meet Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, during his visit.

While it’s unknown for how long Penn will stay in Turkey for the documentary, he is expected to meet with officials in Istanbul and Ankara in order to obtain first-hand information.

Khashoggi was a vocal critic of the Saudi regime. After entering the Consulate on October 2, he disappeared. While the Saudi government first said that he had left the consulate alive, weeks after the international crisis emerged, they admitted that he was killed, and blamed a “rogue” team for the murder.

Istanbul’s chief prosecutor has filed arrest warrants for Saudi officials Ahmed Asiri and Saud al-Gahtani – two allies of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.  

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is planning to attend the G-20 Summit next week in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This will be a moment of ‘truth’ and ‘dare’ for world leaders, as Salman was initially accepted by international media outlets as the person behind the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The U.S., U.K. and France have maintained their arms sales to Riyadh regardless of the situation in Yemen where 85,000 children under the age of 5 have died due to hunger or disease since the war began in 2014. Even after the international reaction to the murder of Khashoggi, none of these powers considered re-visiting their arms deals.

The U.S., U.K. and France have maintained their arms sales to Riyadh regardless of the situation in Yemen while Denmark and German decided to take a step back from their relations with the Saudi administration.

In opposition to this, Denmark and German decided to take a step back from their relations with the Saudi administration. Germany has imposed European travel bans on 18 Saudi nationals suspected of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and have confirmed an arms embargo against Riyadh. Denmark became the second European country, after Germany, to halt future arms exports to Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

While the majority of world leaders are silent on ‘the Salman question,’ U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his strong support for the Saudi Arabia administration. In an extraordinary public statement against reported U.S. intelligence assessments of the Khashoggi killing, Trump claimed that “King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.” Trump further argued in the same written statement that “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t! That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!”

Having said that, Trump leaves the door open for further investigations as long as these investigations do not hurt American interests: “I understand there are members of Congress who, for political or other reasons, would like to go in a different direction – and they are free to do so. I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America.”

It seems that Trump intends to play his cards according to future developments and according to the position of Turkey, as Turkish authorities have not yet revealed all the information they have on the Khashoggi case.

Earlier this week, Ibrahim Karagul – editor of Yenisafak daily newspaper who is close to state authorities in Turkey – claimed that if the full transcripts of the audio of the Khashoggi murder was to be leaked, this will be the ‘end of Salman.’ Serdar Turgut, another experienced journalist reporting from Washington claimed that U.S. authorities have already made this leak and have showed Saudis their ‘Trump card,’ and achieved their goal by holding evidence against Salman in order to have full control over Riyadh. He further argued that Turkish authorities should do the same and should hold their ‘Trump card’ until the ‘right’ moment in order not to lose their pivoting role on the Khashoggi affair.

On Wednesday, AK Party Member of Parliament for Istanbul Numan Kurtulus accused  Trump of trying to turn a blind eye to the murder of Khashoggi, and dismissed his comments on the issue as “comic.”

While not directly accusing the Saudi Crown Prince, Turkey has repeatedly insisted that the order to murder Khashoggi came from the “highest levels” of the Saudi government. As expected, this has been strongly denied by the administration in Riyadh.

The Argentinian government confirmed that Crown Prince Salman is on the list of attendees at the G-20 Leaders’ Summit. Since President Erdogan will also be attending the Summit, it’s natural for one to expect for the Turkish President to use this platform to demand accountability for the Khashoggi murder. However, if Salman attends the summit, Erdoğan and other world leaders would probably have a meeting with him to let their future moves about the Crown Prince’s future and his reaction to these moves. Indeed, the chess game for the future of Middle East will continue to be played in the G20 summit at the end of the month in Buenos Aires.

Crown Prince MbS is still yet to confirm whether he will attend the Summit or not.

On November 20, U.S. President Donald Trump released a statement regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. In this statement, Trump defended the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) amid increasing evidences of his direct involvement in the murder. To an extent, it was so obvious that Senator Bob Corker commented on it by saying he never thought he’d “see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.”

Moreover, Trump carried some of the Saudi official claims against Khashoggi. “Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an enemy of the state and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood,” the U.S. President said. Adding “but my decision is in no way based on that.” Trump tried to cast doubt on the Crown Prince’s role in Khashoggi’s murder by saying “maybe he did –know- and maybe he didn’t!”

In order to justify his position, the U.S. President diluted his blunt defense of MbS by referring to the vast economic and strategic interests tying his country to Saudi Arabia. However, as usual, Trump stuffed his statement with inaccurate information and false facts about Saudi Arabia to support his stance. Here are four myths he presented in his statement.

Trump has gone so far in protecting Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman that Senator Bob Corker stated he never thought he’d “see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.”

Myth No. 1:

“The Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States. This is a record amount of money…..Of the $450 billion, $110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment.”

This is probably Trump’s favorite myth on Saudi Arabia. The U.S. President keeps repeating it every time when the wisdom of his policies towards Saudi Arabia is questioned. Despite previously referring to it many times, no one knows where the number $450 billion has emerged from. It was not officially mentioned neither during Trump’s visit to the Kingdom in May 2017, nor during MbS’s visit to the U.S. in March 2018.

There were previous mentions for opportunities worth $400 billion, but those were only verbal promises over a long period of time. These promises are not expected to be materialized anytime soon if at all. In fact, according to official numbers cited by the U.S. State Department in October 2018, out of the $110 billion Trump always boost in military purchases, Saudis only spent $14.5 billion on defense contracts with US since Trump took office.

Assuming that they will continue on this rate, which is almost impossible, Saudis need at least one and half decade to fulfill their $110 billion promise to Trump. In line with this, Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel, a researcher at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the $110 billion was fake news then and it’s still fake news today.

President Trump keeps quoting a $450 billion Saudi investment in the U.S. when there’s no such thing. Why does he always use the same figure when lying? 

Myth No. 2:

“It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, tremendous economic development, and much additional wealth for the United States.” 

No, the promised numbers are not going to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S. even if we assumed that they will be materialized anytime soon, which is impossible anyway. Last October, Trump claimed the – “non-existing”- $450 billion deals with Saudi Arabia will generate over a million jobs in the U.S.! He also boosted that the $110 billion military package will generate hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Last month, Reuters published a report which refutes this claim thoroughly. The report concludes that the “500,000 jobs Trump keeps bringing up is at least three to five times higher than what one could expect from the Saudi deal, given the estimates from the companies themselves, plus the most generous use of the indirect multiplier.”

Moreover, another report published by the Center for International Policy, a Washington think tank, says Saudi arms sales account for fewer than 20,000 U.S. jobs a year—less than one-twentieth of the employment boost Trump has claimed.

Myth No. 3:

“If we foolishly cancel these –defense- contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries – and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business. It would be a wonderful gift to them directly from the United States!”

No, this isn’t true either. When it comes to its military strength, advanced weapons, and weapon systems, Riyadh heavily dependent on Washington. The vast majority of the Saudi military hardware comes from the U.S., the rest comes from EU and a tiny fraction from China and maybe from Russia.

In this sense, even if we hypothetically assume that Saudis will drop all their military deals with the U.S., China and Russia can’t be an alternative especially when it comes to the most advanced weapons. Ignoring this fact again, depending on Russia and China means that Saudis will have to transform their military in order to be able to acquire and employ military hardware from these countries. 

Such a process is time consuming and probably beyond even the Kingdom’s financial capacity, it will take more than a decade of time at least, and will cost them a fortune. Even if they managed to do so, which I highly doubt, the results will not be impressive at all. Saudis will be weaker, their military strength will be reduced, and they will be much more vulnerable without a global guarantor for their security. In other words, you can sanction them and they will still come to you because they have no other options. 

If the U.S. cancel their defense contracts with Saudi Arabia this will not benefit Russia and China. It’ll just reduce the Kingdom’s military capacity. 

Myth No. 4:

“Saudi Arabia is a great ally in our very important fight against Iran.”

The Iranian regime is not invincible, however making use of others’ mistakes and employing their wrong policies to its benefit have been one of its best features during the last decades. In this sense, if there is one reason why Iran is regionally expanding and increasing its influence, it is because of the Saudi incompetence and Riyadh’s conflicting and chaotic polices to counter Iran. Such Saudi policies increased notably since the rise of Muhammad bin Salam to power in the Kingdom.

In order to effectively counter Iran in the region, you need to achieve a few basic things: Cutting it off from the regional public support which usually boosts its stance; depriving its regional role from the needed legitimacy by standing for everything the public represents such as the Palestinian issue, Syria etc., and finally countering its economic and military activities by making sure that collective regional efforts are contributing to this aim.

However, while stressing the need to counter Iran, MbS undermined every single aspect of any useful regional strategy to fight against Tehran. Working with the advice of his mentor, the de facto ruler of UAE, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed (MBZ), MbS prioritized an absurd war with the so called political Islam, imposed a blockade on Qatar, antagonized Turkey, initiated political and diplomatic crisis with traditional allies such as the Lebanese Prime Minister, King of Jordan, the Palestinian President, the Yemeni President. His reckless, dangerous policies further destabilized the region and boosted Iran’s regional position in an unprecedented way.

Moreover, by creating a deep rift in the GCC bloc, Arab bloc, and between some Arab countries and Turkey, the Saudi Crown Prince made any regional collective efforts to counter Iran almost impossible and provided Tehran with precious cards not only to unlock its regional isolation but also to be in a better position to utilize the regional contradictions to its benefit.

There is no strategic value in such a partner in the fight against Iran. On contrary, the Crown Prince used the issue as an excuse to consolidate his powers internally and externally. Taking all this into consideration, Saudi Arabia under MbS became nothing but a heavy burden on the U.S. and the allies especially in the fight against Iran.