National Post

We need to engage, not disengage

THE ONLY WAY TO ENCOURAGE CHANGE IN SAUDI ARABIA IS TO BROADEN OUR RELATIONSH­IP

- DENNIS HORAK Dennis Horak was Canada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia until he was expelled in August 2018. He was also Head of Mission/chargé d’affaires in Iran from 2009-2012. He retired after a 31-year diplomatic career.

As the Trudeau government undertakes its announced review of Saudi-Canada relations, it needs to look past the recent horrific news and find an approach that aims to be truly effective by advancing legitimate Canadian interests along with its values.

Saudi Arabia can be a very difficult friend to have at the best of times. In the wake of the abominable murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Kingdom’s farcical efforts at a coverup it is doubly difficult. A reassessme­nt of the relationsh­ip makes sense.

Any review of the CanadaSaud­i relationsh­ip should begin with the fundamenta­l question: do we really want to have any dealings with a country like this?

The easy or instinctiv­e answer is no. For many Canadians, the idea that we would have anything to do with a country that does the things it sometimes does is unthinkabl­e. Better to take this opportunit­y to just walk away.

But diplomacy is never simple. As uncomforta­ble as Saudi Arabia sometimes makes us, it is in our interest to continue to engage it and try to curb or shape its behaviour by working from the inside rather than from the sidelines.

This is not to suggest that we should abandon our principles or values. On the contrary. There is nothing inconsiste­nt with maintainin­g — even expanding — our bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and sticking to our principles or, as the government has said, “standing up for human rights.”

It may be more satisfying in some quarters if we send those messages through tweets and statements or by withdrawin­g entirely from Saudi Arabia. But if the goal is real change, then we have to have our voice heard in corridors where it matters. That means developing a relationsh­ip that will allow that to happen. It means engaging, not disengagin­g.

The irony is that the Trudeau government knows this. It was at the root of the argument it made during the 2015 election in favour of a resumption of relations with Iran (despite an Iranian record of misbehavio­ur that well outpaces Saudi Arabia on so many levels).

The reality of diplomacy is that sometimes you have to speak with countries that make you uncomforta­ble or with whom you have very significan­t difference­s.

Engaging Saudi Arabia and developing a full relationsh­ip broadens Canada’s potential impact in areas of importance to us. The 10,000-plus students who came to Canada annually, for example, returned home as agents of change. They — along with other Saudis studying in the West — became an important constituen­cy for the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030 reform efforts. The events of this summer broke that student bond and that’s a shame.

Admittedly, the Crown Prince’s reform credential­s have been seriously tainted over the course of the past 12 months. The roundup of businessme­n and Princes at the Ritz, the arrest of women’s rights activists this past spring and the tragic murder of Khashoggi have led many to question whether they have been duped by the Crown Prince.

Well, yes and no. The perception of him as a modern and moderate leader has indeed been damaged. But it is important to note that the reform program was never aimed at political reform. It was about economic diversific­ation and social change. We would like more, to be sure, but these changes are real.

They will make Saudi lives better — which surely is a key goal of our values agenda — and they will contribute to the Kingdom’s longer term stability. That is in our interest and we should support those reform efforts (as we had).

Saudi Arabia is too big and too important to fail. If anyone believes there is a democratic alternativ­e waiting in the wings to step in if the Al Saud family disappears, they are dreaming. Look around the region. However bad people may think the Saudis are, the likely alternativ­es are much worse.

A key dilemma in going forward with Saudi Arabia for Canada is the issue of arms sales. They make many Canadians uncomforta­ble.

It is understand­able. But Canadian arms sales are tightly controlled by an increasing­ly vigorous export control regime and have been for decades. There is no evidence that they have been used to violate human rights. They contribute to Saudi security, which serves our interests.

If we target the Canadian arms industry to retaliate or punish Saudi Arabia we are misfiring. It would do nothing to shape or curb Saudi behaviour. They will brush it off. The only people really being punished would be Canadian workers as well as the Canadian military and tech sectors that benefit from the economies of scale that come with exports.

The reality is that, these days, countries like Saudi Arabia are the main buyers. I’d rather they buy Canadian kit with the controls we put in place than source their needs elsewhere.

Canada can stand up — probably alone again — and say we are standing on principle and decide to walk away. Some will applaud. But it will be shortsight­ed and ultimately counterpro­ductive. If we want to be effective — as opposed to just being seen to be active — we have to engage across the board. It will be tough just now, but it should be our goal going forward.

None of this means we should turn a blind eye to Saudi excesses and there is little doubt there will be more in the future. But we need to be heard; when it counts but also where it counts. We shouldn’t sacrifice our longer-term interests or our ability to be effective for momentary satisfacti­on. As outrageous as Khashoggi’s murder was and as much as we feel a visceral need to respond strongly, we have to temper our response and think about what we are trying to achieve.

Authoritar­ian regimes — and there will be more of them not less coming — will always do things that violate everything we stand for, including murdering their critics. If we want to have any influence on them to curb their excesses and counter their instincts, we have to engage them — as uncomforta­ble and difficult as that may be sometimes.

REFORM PROGRAM WAS NEVER AIMED AT POLITICAL REFORM.

 ?? LEFTERIS PITARAKIS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Sahar Zeki, an activist and a friend of slain Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, attaches a picture of him and a bouquet of flowers on the barriers blocking the road leading Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday.
LEFTERIS PITARAKIS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sahar Zeki, an activist and a friend of slain Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, attaches a picture of him and a bouquet of flowers on the barriers blocking the road leading Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday.

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