Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Time to ponder about our relations with Saudi Arabia

The inauguration of a new King in Saudi Arabia should be taken as a chance to review the relations between Europe and that country. There are many dimensions of Saudi politics that are far away from our values. Without advocating any type of meddling in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, we should however show some distance and disapproval for anything that does not respect the internationally accepted convention on human rights, including the rights of the women and the freedom of religious practice.

We surrender moral authority every time we are perceived as weak and give room for accusations of double standards.

We gain when we frank with our allies. And we can be frank and still be diplomatic in our approach. 

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