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[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Adder

We lost control of our interests, which included not having allies kill journalists, a long time ago. Having done that, it's whole lot harder to get them back.

But they need us way more than we need them, especially over the long term. Oil for energy should be fading fast (and we could speed it along if we wanted to) and we have our own. They need their weapons purchases for regional rivalry more than we need the sales.

Maybe we need their intelligence and defense cooperation more than I think, but that's hard to tell from the outside.

What they have is the power to hurt us acutely in the short term, while doing the same to themselves. That should not be enough to keep us from pushing back strongly.

Anyway, I think US interests include expecting less overtly authoritarian conduct by our allies. I do not think the Trump and Kushner family interest correspond with that at all, so, we disagree. They have personal financial reasons not to push back that we, as a nation do not.

"The latest tale, regurgitated by President Trump—that Khashoggi was killed by government “rogues”—is belied by the evidence: among the fifteen members of the hit team that went to meet Khashoggi in Istanbul was a pathologist with a bone saw."

Dexter Filkins in The New Yorker.