I recall the weekend in 1989 when the tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square. That Saturday I was playing golf with a friend and as we sat down for a burger and fries in the clubhouse our eyes were glued to the large TV where a most serious international crime was taking place. (I also recall that was the first time I ever had goat cheese—the strange things one recalls decades later.)
I was stunned and angered by the sight of the tanks, knowing that lives were in danger. Lives of students and young people who had dared to take a stand for openness and a different way to view government were in mortal danger.. There were many words of condemnation from around the world and demands from a vocal segment of this nation wishing for our government to take a powerful punch at China.
But there were also others, who while feeling deep anger over the disgusting actions of the Chinese government, knew that making a move which would create a deep and perhaps irreparable chasm in our relations would be a most dreadful outcome to an already truly bad situation. International players have ideals on how the world should operate but all to often need to reside in the reality that a nation must work with the cards that have been dealt.
Which leads me to the very nauseating story that is unfolding in Saudi Arabia. Readers to this blog know I hold a very special place for news reporters and journalists. That regard, obviously, extends to those who are columnists, too.
To say one has deep hurt and outrage over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia goes without saying. To have anyone treated in this manner in a consulate is just not acceptable. To have a journalist killed for his work in this fashion is nothing short of jarring. But there also must be–and this is mighty hard to do–an acceptance that to shun and work to undermine Saudi Arabia, a country too important to walk away from, would be most short-sighted.
I have long felt that more than anything else large portions of the Middle East need modernity. The moves towards that large and seemingly never ending goal is through interaction with others on the world stage. The much talked about “Davos in the Desert” global conference is one such example where not attending works to the advantage of those who seek to have the darker side of religious zealots and tribal instincts triumph.
There must be an international response to the murder of Khashoggi. And I suspect there will be one that meets the needs of making a statement about killing a journalist by a government. But I strongly feel that he would–based on his writings–want the world to work doubly hard at this time to make sure the investments and cultural changes that can occur, and can arch over the large themes of a troubled history in that country, take place so to effect change.
International stagecraft is not for purists–but there must always be a human rights mentality at the center of those who seek change while having the luxury of living in a democratic society. Lord knows our gut response would have been to send a message to China during Tiananmen Square, or to Saudi Arabia now, that would not be in any way confusing. But then reason and long-term goals reassert themselves and we know the path forward must be gradual and limited.
In a world that we can not control that is the only viable path forward. And it does, over time, produce what is best for people around the world.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Sounds like Dekeles agrees with Trump – “We’re not going to jeopardize our business as usual with S.A..” Maybe we can condemn them in the strongest possible terms. That’ll really show them. Meanwhile, get the next shipment of barrel bombs ready for Yemen. I guess Trump hasn’t seen any pictures of children in Yemen injured by the bombing. That seems to be what it takes to get action from him
The conference of which I wrote is not in any way akin to the military sales of which Trump gushes over. The need for modernity in Islam, and within the governments of places such as Saudi Arabia, are key to a region needing calm. International relationships makes such progress possible.
Hopefully Stihl chainsaws and perhaps Menards which sells tarps (since rogue Saudi assassins wouldn’t think of using a Persian rug to roll up a body) will have a presence at the conference to gin up some bidness. It’s all about bidness and engagement, says Jared, the Donald, Mnuchin and Deke. No more hack saws, we need to modernize Islam with diamond tip chainsaws. That the West has no cojones and sends the Olympics to the killer Chinese and Russia and the World Cup so that Putin can sit and glow in the stands. Despots crave recognition and don’t think they don’t play it up to dissidents in their countries. “Nobody cares about you, see?”
The diversification of economies, along with high-tech venture capital exploration drives this conference–so Persian rugs are not an issue. Like you I am livid about the murder of this man. Like you it would feel good to send a message–as I posted–that would not be missed. But that does not solve the larger and much deeper issues that are the forces which need changing.. Islam is going through its own version of a Reformation and we know that is a very long process. We also know how uncertain tech changes are in this country–its impact is greater in places where education is even more in question. Just today i was reading about the angst of shoe makers in the late 19th century in our country and how machines eliminated many jobs. Multiply issues like that (x times) in a nation with an authoritarian government, rigid religious rules, suppression of personal rights, etc and it is not hard to grasp the enormity of what is at stake. For the world to step back lets the base win–the base that loves to recite by memory the Koran but would never let a woman step out of her home without a male watcher for a job that will move SA away from an entirely oil-based economy. That is what is at stake.