In aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi regime, the Vision 2030 wealth fund may be in for some delay. Let’s see who are those persons led by $$$ signs in their eyes instead of the human rights issues of monarchs and dictators in the Middle East. Oil wealth and elites are not by definition the kindest of persons with empathy for critical voices in their kingdom. Fighting the Shia in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain and the ugly war in Yemen. Getting away with it by cozying up to the major suppliers of sophisticated war machines supplied by the US, UK, France and on a smaller scale by a few others. Even The Netherlands supplied once again lethal tools used in the war in Yemen. On the wrong side of history, yet getting away with it due to impunity by breaches of International Law and the Geneva Conventions. The 21st century has turned just as ugly as the 20th century proved to be. After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the 9/11 attacks, the western war machine has gained a lot more speed. No protests on the horizon that endure beyond one or two weeks. Am surprised the black clouds gathered at all over the Arabian desert. Crown Prince Salman is truly writing history as another Arab leader with qualities of a potentate ruler. Some of us were not fooled …
Saudi summit in crisis as Khashoggi case prompts mass withdrawals
The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, said he would not be attending, and the Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC have withdrawn as media sponsors.
Continued below the fold …
The New York Times withdrew its sponsorship of the event on Wednesday, starting a domino effect of withdrawals around the globe. In a short statement, the Financial Times’ chief communications officer, Fiona McDonnell, said the newspaper would not be a partner of the conference while Khashoggi’s disappearance remained unexplained.
Media figures to pull out of the conference include Arianna Huffington, who runs the health firm Thrive Global, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the LA Times, and the CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin. The Viacom chief executive, Bob Bakish, and Uber’s chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, have also confirmed they will not attend.
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Sir Richard Branson has halted discussions with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund about a planned $1bn (£760m) investment in Virgin’s space companies. He has also suspended his participation in two advisory boards.Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, is listed as a speaker at the conference. Jihad Azour, head of the IMF’s Middle East department, would not say if she would attend. “Like most of the people here and everywhere, we are waiting to have more information on this recent development,” Azour said.
The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, has withdrawn from the FII. An editorial in the latest issue contained a rebuke to Bin Salman, stating: “His brutish handling of even mild critics is overshadowing more admirable policies, which include curbing the religious police, letting women drive and encouraging them to work.
“As his regime starts to resemble an Arab nationalist dictatorship – socially liberal but centralised, paranoid and built on fear – his promise of a new, tolerant Saudi Arabia is receding.”
Of course Trump will stand by his business partners to the very end as he has shown throughout his life of cozying up to the wealth of crooks and dirty money investments.
In the shadow of his father King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud …
- “My primary goal is to be an exemplary and leasing nation in all
aspects, and I will work with you in achieving this endeavour …”
[Source: Vision 2030]
Saudi history the House of Saud – the great King Faisal assassinated in 1975.
○ Saudi Palace Coup As Sudairis Consolidate Power
○ Bahrain, Saddam’s Guards and Saudi Military a Sunni Front
