Khashoggi, as I'm sure you've heard, was a Saudi journalist. He lived in the United States, worked for The Washington Post, and was highly critical of the Saudi regime.

Last month, Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey… and never walked out. The story is that he was tortured and murdered by 15 Saudis before his body was dissolved in acid.

You can see why this is such a big scandal. But maybe it shouldn't be…

I say this because of a recent conversation I had with Doug Casey. Below, you'll find a transcript. We hope you enjoy.

Justin: Doug, what do you make of the Khashoggi story? Is this as big of a deal as the media is making it out to be?

Doug: Okay, let's consider what's supposed to have happened. There's a journalist who was apparently quite wired with the Saudi Royal Family. He's been saying some things that they don't like while living in the United States. He goes into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and never walks out.

Now, the story is that a hit team was flown in from Saudi Arabia. They tortured him, chopped him up, and disappeared his body in suitcases.

Of course, this is grizzly stuff; gentlemen aren't supposed to dismember other gentlemen. But governments do this type of thing all the time. Hearing about it makes me feel like Inspector Renault in Casablanca: "Gambling at Rick's? I'm shocked! Shocked!"

How is this any worse than what the U.S. government has done by sending people off to black sites to be tortured, and for all we know, killed? Or what other governments do on a daily basis? Why is this such a scandal? I'll tell you why. It's only because what Stalin said was true: "One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic." This is a single death, so everyone can appear to be shocked. Shocked!

Governments do this sort of thing for a living. The State is based on overt force and covert coercion. So, why should anybody be outraged about this? This is especially true when you consider that the Saudi regime is actually medieval.

It's a bizarre, totally corrupt, backward medieval theocracy. The concepts of free thought, free speech, personal liberty, due process, and the like simply don't exist for them. The U.S. government should be ashamed to have friendly relations with the country, to have them as an "ally," or even a puppet. Everything they represent is not just different from, it's antithetical to everything the idea of America stands for. It's Pollyannaish—no, criminally naïve and disingenuous—to act shocked by the Khashoggi affair.

Justin: What does this scandal say about the future of Saudi Arabia?

I ask because many people thought Mohammed bin Salman [MBS] would bring long overdue economic and social reforms to the country. But it appears that this hit came from the highest levels of the Saudi government. Many think MBS may have even ordered it.

Doug: Well, MBS is a younger guy. He's only 33 years old. He's not an octogenarian like many of the other people around the palace.

That might augur well. MBS is quite familiar with the West, albeit mostly five-star hotels, posh restaurants, and expensive cathouses.

But you shouldn't believe much of what you read about MBS. Much is official spin, reinterpreted by some reporter, who may have little knowledge of the place. Or may actually be on their payroll for all we know.

But it would appear MBS is a basically sincere—which is to say fanatical—Wahhabi Muslim. So why should there be any radical changes, other than a few things around the margins, like allowing women to drive?