Nearly eight years after the events, the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi continues to have a lasting impact on the international balance. The murder of KhashoggiIsaac Hammouch, a Belgian-Moroccan journalist and writer, offers a rigorous analysis of this event, placing it within the power dynamics and geopolitical forces shaping the world order. The book revisits the murder of the Saudi journalist, committed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, while moving beyond a strictly legal interpretation to explore its political and diplomatic implications.
The author develops a systemic analysis of the case, viewing the assassination as the expression of an overtly authoritarian style of governance, where the neutralization of opponents is part of a broader political strategy. From this perspective, the Khashoggi case illustrates the growing tensions between state sovereignty, control of information, and the projection of power, particularly in regimes where dissent is perceived as a direct threat to the stability of power.
Drawing on institutional sources, official statements, and investigative journalism, Isaac Hammouch highlights the persistent inconsistencies in the international response to the case. He underscores the limitations of investigative and accountability mechanisms when they clash with powerful state interests, thus revealing the structural weaknesses of international law in the face of power dynamics.
An impunity fueled by international power dynamics
The book places a central emphasis on analyzing Western reactions, interpreted through the lens of realpolitik. The author highlights the prevalence of economic, energy, and strategic considerations in the positions taken by major powers, to the detriment of an approach strictly based on the defense of human rights. This ambivalence, he argues, fuels a form of impunity in cases involving influential state actors.
Beyond the event itself, The murder of Khashoggi It examines the ongoing transformations of the international system. It highlights the vulnerability of journalists, opponents, and dissident figures in a global environment marked by the rise of authoritarianism and the weakening of binding legal norms. The Khashoggi case thus appears as a stark illustration of the current limitations of global governance.
Published by Éditions Code Humanité, this 118-page essay adopts an analytical approach aimed at illuminating the interactions between power, law, and diplomacy. Isaac Hammouch offers a framework that transcends the Saudi case to raise a broader question: the capacity of the international system to guarantee justice and accountability in a context dominated by power dynamics.
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