Here is further proof that US foreign policy fact is stranger than fiction: one day after the Orlando shooting where some 50 patrons of a homosexual bar were gunned down, US Secretary of State John Kerry sat down to dinner with with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, D.C. and, according to the State Department, “discussed this weekend’s shooting in Orlando and expressed their shared commitment to continue their cooperation in combatting the spread of violent extremism, both regionally and internationally.”
Yes, the same country that follows as a matter of official policy the exact treatment of homosexuals as was meted out by the Orlando shooter has expressed concern over extremism!
Saudi Arabia’s own “violent extremism” doesn’t end at its treatment of homosexuals.
As the defense minister of the Saudi kingdom, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the brutal and genocidal war on Yemen and for Saudi Arabia’s strong backing of radical jihadists – including al-Qaeda – who for the past five years have killed tens of thousands in attempt to overthrow secular Syrian president Assad.
Also, if reports about the contents of the still-classified “28 Pages” of the 9/11 report are accurate, the Saudi government played a role in the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.
Imagine sitting down to dinner with Mohammed bin Salman and listening with a straight face as he bleated on about human rights and the need to combat violent extremism. Is there enough (non-alcoholic) beverages on earth to make a meal like that go down?
Daniel McAdams is director of the The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity. Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.