Canada's Saudi spat and oil's new world order

Canada's relations with the oil superpower have taken a turn for the worse

It all started with a tweet. In 280 characters, Canada's Global Affairs Ministry unleashed one of the fiercest diplomatic clashes with Saudi Arabia in memory. A seemingly innocent plea to release "peaceful" female human rights activists was met with a decidedly undiplomatic response. The reaction was immediate and swift—and unexpected in its ferocity. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman expelled ambassadors, suspended all flights between the two countries, revoked visas and ordered the liquidation of all Canadian assets. A Saudi youth group went as far as to post a disturbing image of an airliner colliding with the CN Tower in Toronto in an apparent 9/11 style attack. Although the dispute is os