I’m sure you’re talking metaphorically.

Yes and no. Lately, our humble ancestors have been dragged into a spat over human rights.

And the dramatis personae in this absurd drama are...?

Saudi Arabia and Sweden.

I’m curious.

Last week, surprising international observers, Saudi Arabia told Sweden it could not transfer four pygmy marmosets (a variety of soft-furred small monkeys) to a zoo in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Apparently, this is one of many tough measures the kingdom has undertaken to punish Sweden for casting doubts on its human rights record.

I cannot follow this...

Well, the diplomatic wrangle, now known as the Wallström affair — named after Sweden’s foreign minister Margot Wallström — started on March 9 when she was to address the foreign ministers of the Arab League in Cairo. This was in response to Sweden’s decision to recognise Palestine. In fact, Wallström had earlier termed conditions in Saudi Arabia “medieval”, and tweeted that the imprisonment and flogging of blogger and rights activist Raif Badawi was a “cruel attempt to silence modern forms of expression”.

And then?

As it turned out, Wallström — and the Swedish government — got got their timing wrong. On March 9 the Swedish government revealed its plans to discontinue weapons exports to Saudi, citing, among other things, its human rights record. This was quite a big deal; Sweden is the world’s 12th largest arms exporter, while Saudi Arabia stands second among arms importers. In 2014, Sweden’s exports to Saudi Arabia hit $1.3 billion. Within 48 hours, Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Sweden.

They have been hurt seriously, I think.

Hold on. The very same day, other Arab foreign ministers joined Saudi Arabia in taking on Wallström, even though many of them were not equally vocal against the export announcement. Saudi Arabia’s Constitution, they said, is based on the Islamic Shariah law that “protects the right of people and safeguards their blood, wealth and honour”.

Quite a statement!

It didn't stop there. The UAE, in support, recalled its ambassador to Sweden. Then, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, backed by 56 Muslim-dominated nations, accused Sweden of being disrespectful to the world’s “rich and varied ethical standards”. On March 20, Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to Swedish businessmen.

Oh, that's like adding salt to the wound.

To Swedish companies, calling off arms deals was a blow, and the visa denial added extra pain. And they knew other Muslim nations could follow suit. Sweden last year exported nearly $1.3 billion worth of goods to Saudi Arabia, making it the 18th most important exporting country for Sweden. Multinational companies such as Volvo, H&M and IKEA operate in Saudi Arabia, as do a range of medium-sized businesses. Very soon, some 30 CEOs, including the Wallenberg family and the chairman of H&M — prepared an open letter criticising the way Sweden snapped trade ties with Saudi Arabia.

Wow, this is fast-paced drama!

That got the attention of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, who asked Wallström to clean up the mess. Within days, high-ranking Swedish officers met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and hand-delivered three secret “letters”, which reportedly contained profuse apologies. The Swedish prime minister spoke publicly, clearing the air and expressing his intention to make this work again.

But the monkey business remains…

So it seems. Saudi Arabia has informed the Swedish zoo authorities that the action was due to the “political crisis”.

A weekly column that helps you ask the right questions

comment COMMENT NOW