Biden’s virtue-signaling against Saudi Arabia will backfire

Published October 5, 2020 7:45pm ET



On Friday, to mark the second anniversary of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul Consulate, the Biden campaign released a statement promising to hold Saudi Arabia to account: “Under a Biden-Harris administration, we will reassess our relationship with the Kingdom, end US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and make sure America does not check its values at the door to sell arms or buy oil,” it declared.

Khashoggi’s murder was stupid and odious, but Joe Biden’s progressive virtue-signaling would undercut every interest Biden hopes to promote: U.S. national security and human rights first among them.

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