Saudi Arabia Expels Canadian Ambassador

Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador on Monday, August 6, due to that country's criticism of the detention of women's rights activists, and suspended any 'new economic relations' with Canada. According to the Associated Press, this sudden and unexpected diplomatic dispute reflects the policies of Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, whose other foreign policy focal points include intervention in the Yemen war and the surprising resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a visit to Riyadh. Mr. Hariri later rescinded his resignation and returned to Beirut, but public perception is that Saudi Arabia orchestrated the affair. Experts say the dispute between Riyadh and Ottawa indicates that Saudi Arabia will not tolerate any foreign criticism and will continue to assert its power abroad, especially as it currently enjoys good relations with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced this decision early Monday, giving Canadian Ambassador Denis Horak 24 hours to leave the country while also recalling its own ambassador from Canada. Part of the Saudi Foreign Ministry's statement read: 'Any further action by the Canadian government in this regard will be considered as acceptance of our right to intervene in Canada's internal affairs. Canada and all other countries should know that they cannot claim to care more about our citizens than the Saudi government.' A spokesperson for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the country is 'very concerned' about Saudi Arabia's actions. The spokesperson stated: 'Canada will always defend human rights, especially women's rights and freedom of expression around the world. Our government will never hesitate to promote these values and believes that dialogue on these issues is very important for international diplomacy.' Apparently, the cause of this dispute was messages from Canadian diplomats on Twitter calling for the 'immediate release' of women's rights activists. Samar Badawi, a women's rights activist, has been detained in Saudi Arabia, and Canada is calling for her release. One of the detainees, Samar Badawi, is the sister of Raif Badawi, a writer and blogger who was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and later sentenced to a thousand lashes and ten years in prison for insulting Islam. Human rights groups and Western diplomats, including Canada, have repeatedly raised Raif Badawi's case and called for his release. Ensaf Haidar, Mr. Badawi's wife, resides in Canada and was granted Canadian citizenship on the country's national day in July. The Canadian Foreign Minister tweeted on Thursday: 'We are very concerned to hear about the detention of Sahar Badawi, Raif's sister. In these difficult circumstances, Canada stands with the Badawi family and firmly emphasizes the need for the release of Raif and Samar.' The Saudi government lifted the ban on women driving in June after a long period, but just weeks before this action, women's rights activists were detained, indicating that only King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman decide the pace of changes in Saudi Arabia. It is still unclear how the expulsion of the Canadian ambassador from Riyadh will affect any new business transactions between the two countries. Canada imports about 10% of its crude oil needs from Saudi Arabia, and the annual trade volume between the two countries is about three billion dollars. Canada's most significant exports to Saudi Arabia in recent years have been tanks and armored vehicles. A Canadian-British company signed a $15 billion contract with Saudi Arabia in 2014 for the sale of light armored vehicles, which is the largest arms deal between the two countries. Experts say the diplomatic dispute with Canada is part of Saudi Arabia's aggressive foreign policy. In recent months, a similar dispute arose between the two countries due to comments made by German officials regarding Riyadh's military campaign in Yemen. This is not the first time Saudi Arabia has responded to criticism regarding Raif Badawi's case with diplomatic actions. In 2015, after the Swedish Foreign Minister described the court's decision regarding Raif Badawi as 'medieval' and the House of Saud as rulers of a 'dictatorship,' Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Sweden.