The American newspaper ” The Washington Post” described Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the tyrannical ruler who must be boycotted by the media and not be given any space to whitewash his record of crimes and violations.
Karen Attieh, editor of the newspaper's international affairs page, criticised the recent interview conducted by the “The Atlantic” magazine with bin Salman, as she believes that the magazine sought to flatter the Crown Prince and make him appear like a victim in the case of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The idea behind the visit was to present Mohammed bin Salman as the new reformist of the kingdom, but while bin Salman was smiling at the cameras and having dinner in the Hollywood Hills, the kingdom’s authorities were launching a campaign of arrests against everyone who criticised them, starting a dispute with Qatar , and bombarding Yemen, according to the writer.
The writer also pointed out that the Washington media has a long history of flattering murderous autocrats that are allies of the United States.
The article also includes some sharp criticism against Mohammed bin Salman for creating a state of fear and repression in Saudi Arabia.
The writer believes that “The Atlantic” magazine gave Mohammed bin Salman a platform to continue his ridiculous denial of any connection to the killing of Khashoggi, but to portray himself as the real victim as well, despite MBS telling people close to him that “the incident Khashoggi was the worst thing that ever happened to him, and that the murder “hurt him and harmed the kingdom”.
Moreover, the interview did not shed light on the Saudi-led war in Yemen, or on the arrest of Saudi dissidents and activists for long years.
In her article, the author concludes her article by saying that the “Absolute Power” article constitutes an insult to the memory of Jamal Khashoggi and to the press and that this article will be an example of how the media paved the way for the return of brutal global authoritarianism.
