In the crisis with Saudis, we need solidarity with Canada

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir at a press conference in Riyadh

The crisis that Saudi Arabia started with Germany in November 2017 was not a mere accident. The then German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, had criticized Saudi policy. In response, Riyadh withdrew his ambassador from Berlin outraged, and since then German companies have hardly ever set foot on Saudi soil.

This was not the only case in which Saudi Arabia reacted in a hypersensitive manner to criticism of the situation in the kingdom and retaliated with a heavy hand. For the recent conflict with Canada demonstrates, above all, that the exaggerated reactions of the Saudis obey a system. Ottawa had demanded the release of two women's rights activists, and Riyadh's anger against Canadians is even more compelling than that of Germany.

Saudi Arabia punishes all those it considers dispensable. This works as long as the kingdom can count on its alliance with the United States and President Donald Trump. Prince Mohammed bin Salman hints at everyone else that they are below his league.

From both sides a race for political support was established. Saudi Arabia calls on all nations that depend on it to show solidarity, rejecting criticism as an inadmissible "interference in the internal affairs" of a state.

Canada, for its part, refuses to give in and hopes to continue engaging in human rights. To this end, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeals to the solidarity of Western countries - which are expected not to be denied.

It is absurd for Saudi Arabia to repudiate as interference in an internal matter a claim for the release of human rights activists. The kingdom itself practices this kind of interference in many countries, leaving a bitter taste.

Examples include the war in Yemen; the blockade of Qatar; the deployment of troops to neighboring Bahrain in 2011 to crack down on protests; in recent years, the turmoil in the US and Europe, against the nuclear agreement with Iran.


This is also part of the brutalization of international relations and the erosion of the prevailing world order: it is when conflicts and crises are no longer softened using the instruments of politics and diplomacy, instead imposing power itself through economic pressure and at the expense of others. Countries such as Germany and Canada should remain cohesive at this time.