If peace and diplomacy are the goals, conducting it in the dark terrifies me as to what steps the interested parties aim to use in 'getting there' or the questionable trades and concessions they make outside of the spotlight.

I mean let’s turn this on its head: if peace and diplomacy are the goals, what do they have to hide? That’s a pretty universal outcome that I can’t imagine many people having a problem pursuing.

Can we stop treating the devil like an indigent defendant now and look this diseased horse square in the mouth? This is kabooky-simulacra-governance disguised as security policy.

Yes, you are very correct. Interested people can google "Operation CONDOR"

Why does the US need to maintain peaceful, diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia?

The Saudis no longer control enough oil to explain it.

But maybe it's all connected to Epstein, or rather to the group that he ostensibly headed. That would account for the links to both Israel and Saudi Arabia. And there's the possibly that they're blackmailing many senior politicians from the US and who knows how many other countries.[0]

0) https://medium.com/@dylanhoward/russia-israel-and-saudi-arab...

It doesn't, but if it is uncovered that it isn't, people will have to ask their politicians why they keep spending billions on Saudis is there is no terrible secret reason to do so.

If that is the case, then some action carried out by Saudi Arabia already makes it ethically impossible to maintain peaceful, diplomatic relations.

All the more reason for it to be made public. We all deserve to know the truth.