But wait, there’s more
Imagine the sheer, historic insanity of an American president handing nuclear capabilities to the very kingdom that produced 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers and the mastermind himself, Osama bin Laden.
That is the surreal reality we are watching unfold. Mohammed bin Salman — the bone-saw butcher of Jamal Khashoggi — has clearly sized up the current occupant of the White House and concluded, correctly, that for the first time in modern history Saudi Arabia is dealing with an American leader whose personal enrichment outweighs every strategic, moral, and national-security consideration.
The result has been a pure bonanza for Riyadh: access, protection, technology, and leverage that no previous president would have dreamed of granting.
What used to be a carefully managed, eyes-wide-open relationship with a problematic ally has been reduced to a transactional free-for-all in which American blood, American graves, and American principles are just more chips on the table.
