Somehow it seems a long time ago that Prince Salman the “modernizer” of Saudi Arabia “blew his stack” at Canada—mainly Chrystia Freeland. He pulled Saudi students out of Canadian Universities and cut economic ties with this country.
He was angry! Terribly angry!
Freeland’s remarks on the fate of Raif Badawi, whose blogs criticizing many aspects of Saudi Arabian behavior has earned him 1,000 lashes (50 administered so far) and some five years in a small stinking shared cell.
His wife, Ensaf Haidar, lives here in Canada with their three children. It was of course Freeland’s call for the release of Badawi and his sister that brought the wrath of the House of Saud down upon Canada’s head.
What is so notable was the lack of support for the Trudeau Government in all this. It wasn’t long before the Conservatives were playing politics—just as they did after the signing of that “child of Nafta” whatever they call it?
Oh we could do better—this from the same gang that sold Canada’s Wheat Board to the Saudis? Oh we can do better. So much better!
But it wasn’t just in Canada where politics triumphed over common sense. I read a column in the Vancouver Sun (not that “lowest of the low” Sun Media) from Bloomberg on how Canada should get down on its hands and knees and grovel to Saudi Arabia for what Freeland said about Badawi and his sister.
It wasn’t enough that Trudeau would cancel that other dubious deal with the Saudis—the sale of armored cars engineered by, once again, ‘Honorable Harper and Co. No, just suggest that someone’s human rights are violated, 1,000 lashes and all.
You can’t do that! It’s bad for business—especially with the rich Saudis.
However, the disappearance of a Saudi dissident, quite likely killed and cut up by Saudi agents—now like a sudden declaration of war, this changes everything.
Suddenly Freeland’s remarks on Badawi and sister don’t look so outrageous. Even that hopeless megalomaniacal Donald Trump has weighed in although nothing must get in the way of that billion dollar arms deal to Saudi Arabia—another utterly stupid idea.
However, thinking people—this excludes Trump supporters,—realize the game has changed with the disappearance of Khashoggi.
Hopefully Forever?
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.
