The crown prince thinks he can get away with anything
View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book.
[The New York Times](
[The New York Times](
Sunday, October 14, 2018
[NYTimes.com/Kristof »](
[If a prince murders a journalist, thatâs not a hiccup](
[An activist holds an image of the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.](
An activist holds an image of the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Osman Orsal/Reuters
Maybe we shouldnât write columns when weâre angry, but I [canât help myself](. Iâm beside myself that Saudi Arabiaâs crown prince, MBS, seems to have overseen the torture and murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who contributed to The Washington Post. Iâve known Jamal for more than 15 years, and Iâm horrified â at the idea that he was murdered but also at the tepid Trump administration response and at the way so many Americans have fawned over MBS. [Hence my column](.
We donât have all the facts, and Iâm still praying that Iâm wrong and that Jamal somehow reappears. But if he was indeed murdered, then letâs be clear that MBS would not have undertaken such an operation if he hadnât already absorbed the idea that he could get away with anything. He had kidnapped Lebanonâs prime minister and bombed Yemeni school children, and was still hailed as a reformist hero, so why would he think he couldnât murder a journalist? [Hereâs my column]( on what we should think about our relationship with Saudi Arabia and what we should do next.
Readers sometimes ask for behind-the-scenes glimpses of how we journalists make decisions, so let me offer one. In [my column]( I thought about referring to published reports that MBS had bragged that Jared Kushner had given him a list (presumably from U.S. intelligence) of Saudis who were disloyal to him. I spoke to the White House about it, trying to figure out if this was true and whether Jamal was on Kushnerâs list. It was an intriguing nugget, and it seemed plausible. But in the end the reports all seemed to be traceable to a single article on The Intercept from the spring, and I couldnât find anyone else who could confirm it (although some have tried). Unable to verify it, I felt it just wasnât fair to amplify something that I couldnât be sure was true, so I left it out. Iâm a little hesitant even to mention it in this newsletter, but I do want to be transparent about how I go about writing my column.
Iâve read two great books lately that I recommend to all. Steven Pearlstein, a Washington Post business writer, published â[Can American Capitalism Survive]( and itâs an incisive, highly readable exploration of how America took some crucial wrong turns over the last half century. Fox Butterfield just published â[In My Fatherâs House]( a page-turner about how crime runs in families, told through one particularly troubled family. And if youâre looking for a long novel, Steven King has [a rave review]( of Tana Frenchâs latest thriller, â[The Witch Elm]( Iâm a Tana French fan, although I havenât yet read this latest.
The percentage of American children under two years of age who have not been vaccinated for anything [has quadrupled since 2000]( and I find this deeply alarming. Parents are jeopardizing not only their own kids but also others. When I travel to Ethiopia or Bangladesh, I see parents walking for miles to get their kids vaccinated, to save their lives, yet here in the United States parents keep their kids from getting vaccinated. Girls are actually twice as likely to be vaccinated against HPV in Rwanda as in the United States.Â
My colleagues Dan Barry and Jeffrey Singer have [a powerful long read]( A look at a young Chinese woman who tried to build a new life for herself in New York City, ended up in the sex trade, and killed herself when she faced arrest.
And now [hereâs my column]( about Jamal Khashoggi, the way so many people enabled MBS, and why we need a coordinated international action to hold Saudi Arabia accountable. [Read!](
ADVERTISEMENT
Recent Columns
[The âGreatest Hoaxâ Strikes Florida](
Denying climate change doesnât stop its devastating effects.
[Justice Delayed, With a Life on the Line](
Gov. Jerry Brown is still reviewing a murder case that advanced DNA testing could settle.
I welcome suggestions for what to include in this newsletter. You can connect with me on [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google]( [Instagram]( and [Pinterest](. If you have friends who might enjoy this newsletter, forward this email; they can [sign up here](. Send feedback or tech questions to newsletters@nytimes.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
FOLLOW NICHOLAS KRISTOF
[Facebook] [FACEBOOK](
[Twitter] [@nickkristof](
[Instagram] [nickkristof](
Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](
|
Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »](
ABOUT THIS EMAIL
You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Nicholas Kristof newsletter.
[Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise](
Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company
620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018