Ego and envy characterise the diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and Canada

Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has been touting socio-political and economic reforms in his country since June 2017; they include the privatisation of ARAMCO, the country’s energy giant. He has also gazetted permission for women to drive after decades of prohibition. Moreover, a number of Saudi towns now have public cinemas, another prohibition which has until recently characterised the country’s strict laws.

These are just some of the notable reforms that Bin Salman has introduced since taking office. However, his zero sum game politics and brashness have brought criticism from within the country and abroad. The sudden arrest and detention — albeit in a five-star hotel — of prominent business people and princes in November last year shocked the world. It was reported later that they had to surrender vast amounts of their wealth for their freedom. According to Forbes magazine, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the most prominent amongst those who were arrested, was “giving up nearly all his assets, will likely be given an allowance, and that when he travels abroad he will be accompanied by someone chosen by the Saudi government.”

The recent arrest of well-known human rights activists Samar Badawi and Nasimah Al-Sadah has been condemned across the world. Critics say that their detention has been driven by Bin Salman’s ego; he is, they argue, obsessed with his legacy and wants to usurp every past and present effort towards reforms. “Every achievement in this regard has to be attributed to him,” it is said. The political theatrics in Saudi Arabia are intended to draw attention from the activists’ contributions at a time when it really mattered.

Canada’s PM: We will not apologise to Saudi Arabia

The arrest of the two women, as well as ongoing human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, triggered a reaction from the Canadian Foreign Ministry. On 3 August, the ministry tweeted that it was “gravely concerned” by the arrest of Saudi activist Badawi and other women’s rights campaigners, and called for their release. In no time at all, Saudi Arabia “expelled the Canadian ambassador from Riyadh and recalled the Saudi envoy to Ottawa, suspended Saudi state airline flights to Toronto, and ended thousands of Saudi scholarship programmes in Canada.”

This was reminiscent of the Saudi reaction to Qatar in May last year, when Riyadh imposed drastic political and economic measures against its neighbour regarding “incorrect media reports” attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. The reaction against Canada is that of “an egoistic man who wants his presence felt at all times.”

Paradoxically, Saudi Arabia needs Canada as it remains one of the few English-speaking countries where young Saudis can go to study the language. After the 9/11 attacks against the US, it has not been easy for Saudi students to obtain study visas there; it has also been difficult for Saudi tourists. Canada has been one of the countries that have remained open to Saudi citizens and, indeed, Muslims in general. Indicative of this was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Ramadan statement, in which he said, “In Canada, Ramadan is also an opportunity to celebrate our country’s Muslim communities, and the important contributions Muslim Canadians make each day.”

In my opinion, Bin Salman’s overreaction has nothing to do with the Canadian Foreign Ministry tweet; it is about his willingness to please Donald Trump. There is also his ego, and his envy of Trudeau’s popularity and leadership successes.

Read: Bin Salman’s attack on Canada is destroying Saudi’s economy

Trump has forged a close relationship with Bin Salman since he became US President. The Saudi Crown Prince has also taken into his confidence Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser. It is reported that Kushner plays an important role in his thought processes and decisions. Could it be that Bin Salman’s reaction was dictated directly from Washington via Kushner? Trump has been unrelenting in his criticism of Trudeau. This was more pronounced after the G7 Summit in Charlevoix on 9 June, when the President tweeted, “Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive tariffs to our US farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our US Reps [at the summit] not to endorse the communiqué as we look at tariffs on automobiles flooding the US market!”

The relationship between these neighbours has been spiralling downwards ever since. Trudeau upped the ante when he criticised America’s immigration policies. “The Trump administration’s policy of separating illegal migrants from their children is wrong,” the Canadian leader said hours after Trump signed an executive order in this regard. Trudeau has also been a proponent of human rights, particularly those of women and girls, with Canada set to host a “Women Deliver Conference” in Vancouver next year, one of the largest such gatherings in the world.

As the Saudi-Canada diplomatic row continues, elements pertaining to ego and envy are becoming apparent. Justine Trudeau, like his Qatari counterpart Bin Hamad, is a young man with a beautiful wife who is leading an extremely successful country. Notwithstanding his age, Trudeau is officially the political head of his country whilst Bin Salman remains in the shadow of his father, King Salman. The current disagreement looks like nothing more than a power play intended to bring Trudeau down to his knees in apology to his “Royal” counterpart.

Bin Salman regards himself superior to any of his peers because of his overwhelming power in Saudi Arabia. Unlike Trudeau, who is elected and has limited political tenure, he is soon to be the king of one of the richest nations of earth, which makes him superior in his own eyes. It can, therefore, be concluded that the overreaction to a tweet by the Canadian Foreign Ministry was nothing but a smokescreen; an excuse to please Trump and continue to humiliate Trudeau. Nobody must be allowed to steal Ban Salman’s limelight, no matter who they are, how successful they are in their own right or what the issue in question might be.

Read: Saudi Arabia reassures Canada on oil supplies as dispute drags on

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.