facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, analysts say (AFPPhoto/MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH, OSCAR DEL POZO)[image: United Nation Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard has cited”credible evidence” linking the Crown Prince to Khashoggi’s murder and anattempted cover-up (AFP Photo/FABRICE COFFRINI)]United Nation Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard has cited “credibleevidence” linking the Crown Prince to Khashoggi’s murder and an – SaudiArabia is attempting a comeback on the global stage one year afterjournalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, but the crisis has weakened it andundermined its de facto leader’s ambitious reforms, analysts say.
RIYADH – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a self-styled moderniser shakingup the conservative petro-state, was feted by global leaders and businesstitans before the gruesome murder in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate onOctober 2 last year.
But the global fallout over the killing rendered the heir to the Arabworld’s most powerful throne a pariah, casting a shadow on his reforms,putting the kingdom’s human rights record under the microscope and testingold alliances with Western powers.
The prince has since sought to shore up his tarnished reputation, launchingslick PR campaigns to win back foreign investment while accelerating whatanalysts call the kingdom’s “eastward tilt” towards less critical alliessuch as China and India.
But that has only had limited success.
“The spectre of Jamal Khashoggi hangs over the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,”said Bruce Riedel, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer and authorof a book on Saudi Arabia entitled “Kings and Presidents”.
“The murdered journalist and commentator has not been forgotten, as CrownPrince Mohammed bin Salman hoped.”
The crown prince tells PBS in a forthcoming documentary that he acceptedresponsibility for the killing, because it happened “under my watch” — buthe denied having prior knowledge.
– ‘Globally isolated’ –
The CIA has reportedly concluded that the prince, who controls all majorlevers of power in the Saudi government, likely ordered the killing.
A report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard also saidthere was “credible evidence” linking him to the murder and an attemptedcover up.
Her revelations, including audio transcripts showing the Saudi agentsinvolved referring to Khashoggi as a “sacrificial animal”, have piledpressure on Western allies to suspend arms sales to the kingdom.
That has come as a blow to Saudi Arabia amid heightened tensions witharch-rival Iran following major September 14 attacks on the heart of thekingdom’s oil infrastructure, which Washington has blamed on Iran.
The US, a key ally of Riyadh, has announced the deployment of 200 troops aswell as Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia to bolster its defences in thewake of the attacks.
President Donald Trump has emphasised Saudi Arabia’s importance as a buyerof American arms and a bulwark against common foe Iran, but Americanlawmakers appear in no mood to give the prince a free pass over the murder.
“To a degree, Khashoggi’s murder has left Saudi Arabia globally isolated,”said Quentin de Pimodan, a Saudi expert at the Greece-based ResearchInstitute for European and American Studies.
“On the surface Trump has offered support to Riyadh but America insists itis not as reliant on Saudi oil as before,” he told AFP.
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“Saudi is on its own in dealing with the threat of Iran and the conflict inneighbouring Yemen.”
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has cited Khashoggi’s murder in opposing apotential strike on Iran in retaliation to the attacks on Saudi facilities.
“I don’t see any responsibility for us to protect and defend Saudi Arabia,”she told American radio network NPR.
– ‘Murder stain’
The murder has increased the reputational risk for Western firms doingbusiness in Saudi Arabia, even as global bankers and executives have onceagain been seen attending glitzy investor conferences.
The scandal also appears to have impeded Prince Mohammed’s economicreforms, which seek to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on oil revenues andboost private sector investment.
“Before the murder, Saudi Arabia was stepping on the accelerator of foreignbusiness partnerships,” said Ellen Wald, author of the book “Saudi Inc.”.
“But the Khashoggi murder was like hitting a hill. The momentum has slowedeven if progress is still in the right direction.”
On Friday, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of tourism visas as part ofits push to diversify the economy — but that was an announcement that manyhad expected more than a year ago.
Also mired in delays is the planned stock market listing of state oil giantAramco, a cornerstone of Prince Mohammed’s reform agenda that was initiallyscheduled for 2018.
Despite all this, the murder has not threatened to unseat the prince.
Instead, he has tightened his grip on military and security agencies andlaunched a crackdown on political rivals as well as conservative clericsand women activists.
“Saudi has been hiring Western social media influencers to promote thekingdom and improve its reputation since Khashoggi’s murder,” de Pimodansaid.
“But the murder stain will be hard to wash off.” -APP/AFP
