Mohammed bin Salman took his first trip abroad after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The journey is difficult. However, the Saudi crown Prince has a few trump cards in Hand.
The magnificent reception: crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a guest at the king of Bahrain, 26. November 2018
No, a guest of the members of the Tunisian journalists do not want to see the Association in your country. “No warm Welcome for Bin Salman in revolutionary Tunisia” is on a banner in front of the headquarters of the Association.
To see the image of a man is there as well, dressed in a traditional robe, with a large chainsaw in Hand: an allusion to the fact that the body of Jamal Khashoggi is allegedly dismembered after the Saudi Journalist was murdered in the Consulate of his home country, in Istanbul. The American secret service CIA, the Saudi crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in short, MbS, knew about the murder in advance.
Swear in Tunisia
Now this crown Prince has taken up by several Arab countries, leading travel. On Tuesday of this week he is making in Tunisia, the Station for the local Association of journalists, a simply “unacceptable provocation”, the journalists in an open letter to the Tunisian presidential office. “The visit of the Saudi crown Prince constitutes a danger to the security and the peace of the Region and the world as a serious threat to freedom of expression.” The visit, the journalists Association, was “a blatant blow against the principles of our Revolution.”
“No warm Welcome in revolutionary Tunisia” Banner in front of the headquarters of the national Tunisian journalists ‘ Association
Tunisia and Saudi Arabia have been linked since the Arab revolution of 2011, in a tense relationship to each other. After the beginning of the Revolution in Tunisia fled Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the former, autocratic ruling President of the country, after Saudi Arabia, in that country, the Revolution since its beginning with the determination to fight.
While Tunisia has developed from 2011 and continuously in the direction of a democratic constitutional state, in Saudi Arabia, an authoritarian Regime that responds to demands for democracy and civil rights with prison and the death Kashoggis it suggests – apparently the use of violence.
Fraternization in the Gulf
This course is not, however, condemned throughout the Arab world. Prior to his upcoming trip to Tunisia MbS Station made in the two friendly countries in Bahrain and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In Bahrain, the crown Prince of king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was received. The two men, quoted the Bahraini state television from an official paper, had spoken of “the deep-rooted and historical ties between the two brotherly countries and peoples and the latest regional, Arab and international developments”.
Earlier, the Prince of Abu Dhabi had made. In a Statement, MbS praised then, “the excellent and particularly brotherly relations that bind our two countries and fraternal peoples to each other” and the “common desire to deepen the cooperation in all fields under the leadership of king Salman”.
Against players: Ali Khamenei, “Supreme leader” of Iran, and the Saudi crown Prince Bin Salman
Bin Salman’s trump card: opposition to Iran
Statements such as these suggest: many States in the Gulf, Saudi has to fear Arabia continues to be no criticism. Many of the governments in office in the aversion unites against the secular opposition movements as well as the common opponent on the other side of the Persian Gulf, Iran.
Especially the opposition to Iran is the topic about the Saudi Arabia is likely to try a number of others, to recommend to the West, close to the States as a Partner, is suspected of the political scientist, noble Jutiar of the Salahaddin University in Iraqi Erbil. Besides, Saudi Arabia could also put more unifying themes – such as its role in the middle East conflict or the war in Yemen.
“The Saudi crown Prince is trying to gather the Arab States behind this Agenda and to win its support for the Saudi policy. You should keep in mind, what is the role of pragmatism in international relations plays and also the policy of the Arab States”, Jutiar.
In all three fields and MbS can throw some in the pan. Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as a solid counterweight against Iran – and is therefore also interesting for the US. The fact the US had pointed out, the President of Trump in the last week. The relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia are also likely to be only partially susceptible to interference, because of the murder of Khashoggi for Trumps electoral base is not a Central topic of performing, said Norman Ornstein, an Analyst at the conservative Think Tank “American Enterprise Institute” (AEI) of the DW.
Faith as a means of political pressure? Scene from the Hajj 2018
Points in the middle East conflict
Clearly Saudi Arabia has positioned itself in the middle East conflict. A few days ago it was announced that the UK States free Palestinians now Visa refuse. This is true not only for job seekers, Palestinians, but also for those who want to participate in the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the Holy sites of Islam. The Hajj is one of the five basic religious duties in Islam, the need to comply with the doctrine, according to every Muslim. Of the new scheme, around four million Palestinians are affected. Thus, the Saudi government exerts pressure on those Palestinians who have retained their refugee status yet.
It is going to make you citizens of a state – for example, in Jordan, says Abu Arar of the Islamic movement in Israel, in an interview with the Internet magazine “Al-Monitor”. This step, could, in the decades of unrest caring the issue of the Palestinian refugees would be if not de facto, but nominally from the table. This would mean that the Palestinians, a weighty Argument would be in the fight for their rights: Who is not a refugee, has no right of return. This logic, as fragile as it may be, from the Saudi Arabian point of view, an enormous advantage: it is in the spirit of Trump Administration, which has positioned itself in the middle East conflict is clearly on the side of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pragmatism versus outrage
Through such initiatives, Saudi could cools Arabia to converge on the detour via the USA, at least some of the Arab States again-trusting that the outrage over the alleged murder of Khashoggi glows at the moment and very hot in sight but. In the long term, the calculus, are likely to at least remain a number of Arab governments in a sober interests policy. The had, for example, the containment of Iran, the termination of the middle East conflict, and not least a continued predictable oil price.
Still, however, MbS is not the end of its journey. The last Station is the G-20 Meeting in Buenos Aires. How will the gathered heads of state and government of the murder, order the Suspect to receive, how to behave, when it comes to Photo shoots? Not least also due to the fact is likely to decide the political fate of the MbS.