Both AP and Reuters are reporting that Turkish officials are in possession of audio recordings from Jamal Khashoggi's Apple Watch that document his torture and death. The story comes from the pro-Erdogan Sabah newspaper.
So much for the idea that there will be a swift rapprochement between Ankara and Riyadh. David Kirkpatrick thinks that the Turkish leaks are a strategy to force Trump to rein in Mohammed bin Salman. But so far the only evidence I've seen is of Turkey making concessions to the United States (see Carlotta Gall's "Turkey Frees Pastor Andrew Brunson, Easing Tensions With U.S.").
A silver lining here is the mainstream reporting done of late illuminating the myriad connections between the House of Saud and the corporate rulers of the capitalist world.
The great unwashed know what's up. Trump got traction in the 2016 primaries by attacking Saudi Arabia and promising to partner with Syria to roll back ISIS. Since 9/11 average citizens of the "indispensable nation" will lend an ear and often vote for any candidate who pledges to hold Saudi Arabia accountable.
One thing is absolutely clear. Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and the Saudi monarchy killed him.
What's unclear is how this plays out. If it's a battle of wits between Trump and Erdogan, I'll take the founder of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
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