Khashoggi, Dynasties, and Double Standards

As 2018 ended, an orchestrated propaganda campaign paralyzed U.S. foreign policy. The trigger was the killing in Istanbul of Jamal Khashoggi, a member of Saudi Arabia's wealthy and politically powerful oligarchy. Mainstream media and misguided, melodramatic politicians hoodwinked millions by portraying Khashoggi as a martyr for press freedom and democracy. The real Khashoggi was nothing of the sort. President Trump's efforts to restore realism to foreign policy must contend not only with Democrats but also with naive Republicans who reject the national-interest realism of Jeane Kirkpatrick, author of 'Dictatorships and Double Standards.'