No One Is Safe: How Saudi Arabia Makes Dissidents Disappear

I agree that the close American relationship with Saudi Arabia is problematic and incompatible with our core values. However Al Qaeda leadership intentionally selected terrorists from Saudi Arabia in order to disrupt the relationship. So ironically backing away from the Saudis now gives Al Qaeda a win.

I couldn't agree more. What they did to Khashoggi is just the tip of the iceberg. I have to imagine the only reason we retain that relationship is because we're afraid to lose face or admit we've made a mistake- that money is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things.

It always seemed likely to me that the U.S.'s relationship with Saudi Arabia was probably more corporatist than geopolitical. Then I watched a surreptitiously recorded documentary about life in Saudi Arabia where, among other things, children said they were taught in school that Christians should be beheaded. Geopolitical my ass.

The US never did import much oil from them directly. They do export enough to other countries to have a strong effect on the market price though.

I suspect its the European Allies that still depend on Saudi Oil that keep the US still supporting the regime.