Saudi Arabia Starts Trade and Diplomatic war With Canada over Criticism
By Julian HaydaSaudi Arabia Starts Trade and Diplomatic war With Canada over Criticism
By Julian HaydaLast weekend, Saudi Arabia expelled its Canadian Ambassador, Dennis Horak, after a tweet from Canada’s Foreign Ministry that called for the Saudi government to “immediately release” women’s rights activists, Nassima al-Sadah and Samar Badawi. Since then, Saudi Arabia has placed sanctions against Canada, including freezing all trade with Ottawa, cancelling flights to Toronto, ordering thousands of Saudi students to leave Canada, and stopping all medical treatment programs in Canada. Joining us to discuss the escalating row between Saudi Arabia and Canada is Bessma Momani. She is a professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, and the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Canada. Momani is also a senior fellow at the Centre For International Governance and Innovation (CIGI), and a 2015 fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.