The CIA report on the murder of journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi was clear: The ultimate culprit is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The response of the Saudi authorities was equally clear: it rejects the report’s findings and insists that action be taken by an independent group of individuals who have been punished.
However, everything indicates that Mohammed bin Salman, as he is also called the crown prince, is behind the murder, but Washington has shown, at the moment, very cautious when it comes to national sanctions or individual penalties such as freezing the accounts of those involved.
America’s correspondent Marek de Vries concluded in the report that Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State, imposed a ban on the entry of 76 other high-ranking Saudis to America, “but Mohammed bin Salman is not one of them.” Radio NOS 1 News This morning.
According to Rob de Wijk, of the Center for Strategic Studies and professor of international relations at Leiden University, these sanctions don’t have much to do. “This is one of the punishments known to annoy people, just as it is in China or Russia. It does not do much, although it annoys the person concerned. You show that you do not agree with them, but of course it’s still very symbolic.”
