Last Wednesday, for the first time under President Obama time in office, Congress overrode a presidential veto.
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which is now law, waves sovereign immunity so families of victims of 9/11 can sue Saudi Arabia, even though they have denied involvement in the act for more than a decade. It was an immense display of bipartisanship in Congress. The bill passed 97 to 1 in the Senate and 348 to 77 in the House.
This bill may have not been the best time to reach across the aisle, though. Just one day after they passed the bill, some legislators publicly announced they wanted to make changes to it, and Obama immediately criticized the bill as “the single most embarrassing thing” Congress has done in years. Of course, lawmakers then blamed Obama for not communicating to them early enough the “unintended ramifications” of the bill. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said they were “very focused on the needs of the 9/11 families and didn’t take the time to think through the consequences.”
These consequences are obviously troubling when considering our relationship to Saudi Arabia. They’ve been long-term allies the United States, which has been strategically valuable with the nation’s location in the Middle East. They’ve also been an essential source of oil for us, as Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest exporter of petroleum. Additionally, the US needs Saudi Arabia’s assistance in the war against ISIS. In the past, Saudi Arabia’s troops have joined American bombings of ISIS strongholds and in the future, may be the most important factor if a major military operation were to take place.
If you’re still not getting the picture, here’s more. Congress recently approved $1.15 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia. These arms deals supply thousands of Americans with jobs, but France and Britain have been itching to get in on the money. Also recently, France and Britain have collectively sold more than $20 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia. With this new bill, they may not want to buy from us anymore, which will be a devastating blow to America’s economy.
This precedent that we’ve established is dangerous. Already, Iraqi lobbyist groups have asked their government to sue the United States for compensation for the 2003 invasion. The real question is, are we ready to handle all of the skeletons in our closet once countries start using this law as a precedent to sue us for all of our foreign policy mistakes? It’s going to be a long and expensive legal battle for Saudi Arabia once the lawsuits start getting filed. We don’t even have proof that it was a state sponsored act, so we’re essentially making the ally pay for the actions of a terrorist group that it has little control over.
We’ve given the Saudis every reason to take revenge on us, and they have a heavy influence in major sectors of our economy. How can we blame other countries for wanting their piece of the revenge, when we’re demonstrating such an unforgiving attitude?
For the families of 9/11 victims, this bill seems like a way to receive compensation for the emotional trauma that we tend to ignore 364 days of the year. But, decisions based on emotional politics have dire consequences. We can’t expect the government of Saudi Arabia to understand, nor can we expect them to maintain the same level of trust and companionship as before. It is not reassuring to know that we are considering the consequences only after Congress took extreme measures to pass the bill. What about our troops overseas who are going to feel the resounding tensions first-hand in the Middle East?
As the world’s only superpower — a title we are holding on to by a thread — we have the responsibility to make sure our foreign policy decisions are in the interests of domestic and international security. The attempt to override sovereign immunity of other nations is in deep violation of international law and custom, and it will forever change the system of trust between nations.
Anjana Nair is an 18-year-old international studies sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.