Death of Jamal Khashoggi and Matters Arising

Jamal Khashoggi, murdered Saudi journalist

Accra, Ghana, October 20, 2018//-The death of Jamal Khashoggi has exposed the dark side of intelligence.

Saudi State television has just announced hours ago confirming that, Jamal Khashoggi is indeed dead.

He disappeared after visiting the country’s consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, 2018 but the news cited preliminary findings from an official investigation announced on State television on Friday as saying, a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to the death of the reporter.

Nothing could more more bizarre and farcical.

Khashoggi, is a US permanent resident who wrote for the Washington Post. He visited the consulate and disappeared moments after entering the facility leaving his fiancée outside. His body was allegedly cut to pieces and evacuated to conceal the dastardly act. What will warrant this barbaric conduct if he indeed died out of a conflict with embassy staff?

One interesting piece of information emerging is that, moments after his disappearance, the Turkish authorities boldly announced to the word that the journalist was murdered and they had the evidence in audios and videos which they were prepared to release later.

Donald Trump, who has strangely chosen to describe Khashoggi as a Saudi citizen, has so far refrained from making very direct statements that commit the US government to actions against the Saudi Authorities. He instead is shifting the responsibility to Congress, citing the special relationship between the American government and Saudi Kingdom.

War Business And Politics

America hasn’t been to war in a long time and certainly needs one now, to test their latest capabilities in real war as a possible dress rehearsal of some rhetorical gambit against North Korea and China.

Trump desperately needs to boost the American economy with businesses for the upcoming elections.

Military deals with a puppet state like Saudi Arabia often comes across as the easy deal.

Trump speaks “I do not want [to walk away],” he said to FOX Business’ Stuart Varney.  “And frankly they have a tremendous order, $110 billion, every country in the world wanted a piece of that order — we got all of it.”

This is an order that potentially produces 500,000 jobs for the American economy.

It will someday emerge from the declassified files that, Khashoggi’s killing was a botched intelligence operation between the American government and Saudi Arabia, aimed at implicating the Republic of Iran or Syria as a pretext to heighten the tension for military action in the Gulf region. The purpose of this is to bring businesses to the Republican war mongers in terms sale of obsolete but refurbished American military hardware to Saudi Arabia.

Never discount how a war, even if unjustly provoked and brutally fought by American forces in an Arab or Muslim country will feed into and enhance the domestic electoral chances of the Republican Party, now led by Donald Trump.

Immediate Casualties

The Saudis say they have set up a commission that will investigate Khashoggi’s death with one month to release a report.

The Saudi Press Agency says 18 Saudi nationals have been detained pending the investigation.

By a Royal order, Major General Ahmed al-Assiri has also been relieved of his duty as the deputy of the intelligence services.

 Implications for Ghana

That, the Turkish authorities have clear evidence in both audio and videos should let us sit up and begin to think.

Whereas we should congratulate the Turkish government for this, it begs the question; how did they obtain the information?

Jubilee House (Presidency of Ghana) was financed and constructed by the Indian Government as aid to Ghana during the Kufour regime. The facility is due for maintenance and the same Indian government is back again with a budget ready to do the renovation/maintenance.

What is buried in the walls of the Jubilee House that no other contractor must discover by _mistake_ ?

Remember, there’s never anything called Free lunch or aid. Everything has a purpose.

If Saudi Arabia with all of its wealth and sophistication is that vulnerable, then Ghana is clearly naked right from the presidency including all our missions, abroad.

By SULLEYMAN ABDUL-WAHAB,

Public Policy Expert,

Development Finance Major,

Certified Public Private Partnership (PPP) specialist

awahabgh@yahoo.com

abdulwahab.sulleyman@yahoo.com

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