Primitive Saudi Princes

The Saudi authorities have executed 37 citizens this week. They were accused of terrorism, as defined by the Saudis. The fact of the matter is that almost everyone was a Shia Muslim, a minority in Saudi Arabia that is not welcome and is seriously threatened by the regime that controls the country. And there is enough evidence that due process was not followed. Confessions were obtained under extreme torture and brought to the attention of the courts. The judges paid no attention to those claims. They just did what the Crown Prince and his clique wanted. And 37 people were beheaded in these times of today.

I really believe that the West must review its relations with some barbaric and deeply undemocratic countries. Saudi Arabia is one of them. There are more, including in the same vicinity. It is time for a different approach to diplomacy.

Choppy waters and calm leaders

Notwithstanding the recent political developments in the US, the European leaders should keep a cool approach and fight every manifestation of anti-Americanism.

The EU and the US have been, for many decades, key allies and it´s in their mutual interest to keep it that way.

In terms of social progress, prosperity and peace, alliances between countries are the only way forward. Each side should bring to the fore the best it can offer. That does not mean, of course, that there will be agreement every time. Relations between countries touch a complex and varied number of dimensions, from security to trade and investment, in addition to more political matters, including the promotion of human values, liberties and rights. There will be times when the interpretations of the interests at play might diverge.

The challenge, for the leaders, is to find common ground. And if one of the sides keeps going in a direction that deviates from the traditional path, the duty of the other side is to be firm and clear. And remind everyone that what keeps us together can be seriously undermined by a narrow view of international politics. It can also be tremendously damaged by political amateurism, retrograde beliefs, personal arrogance and a short term view of one´s national interests.

Living in Beijing

Beijing is a fascinating place, a friend of mine who lives there told me today. I am sure it is. But if you do not speak Mandarin, as it is his case, you lose most of it. You live just in the margins of life as it happens in that big city. And you feel very small, just an ethnically minuscule dot in a society that has very little respect for Westerners. And you also live in an illusory world, far disconnected from a society that is profoundly different and extremely materialistic.