We have no idea (yet) what our IC knew, when they knew it, & who they notified.Trinity wrote:So the Saudis pumping cash into Trump and Kushner properties had no effect on our behavior? Before the event? Now? How could you know? What if Putin weighs in?
The WP had the specifics on the intercept very quickly. That is another already established channel to get a warning to Khashoggi.
The $110 billion in arms sales is based on a LOI signed by the Saudi king in 2017. It's just not all locked in via contracts yet.
Either side can back out. The Saudis already passed up the deadline for a 20% discount on the Lockheed-Martin anti-ballistic missile defense system.
They're already negotiating with Russia for the S-400 air defense system (as is Turkey).
The 120 day clock is already running on global Magnitsky Act sanctions by the US.
Meanwhile, the EU has yet to pass a global Magnitsky Act. If we won't sanction EU companies who are building a pipeline with Russia, it's hard to imagine us sanctioning EU defense contractors for military sales to Saudi Arabia.
It could be a win for Iran because it could block our intel sharing, aerial refueling & precision weapons sales to the Saudis in their war vs Iranian proxies in Yemen,
(...not because the Saudis would try to purchase weapons from Iran).
There's a regional feud between Turkey/ Qatar vs Saudi Arabia/ UAE/ Egypt.
Don't take Turkey's version of events at face value, absent independent verification.
Halting arms sale, discontinuing military assistance, & halting intel sharing meets my definition of blowing up the US-Saudi alliance.
This could be a big deal.