set of scales between flags of Canada and Saudi ArabiaAn interdisciplinary workshop May 30 at Windsor Law will explore Canada’s increasingly complicated relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Windsor Law accepting proposals for workshop on Saudi Arabia-Canada relationship

Organizers of an interdisciplinary workshop May 30 at Windsor Law hope to identify the legal regimes and policy options available to Canadians as they navigate an increasingly complicated relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Dean Christopher Waters and professor Reem Bahdi, the event’s convenors, have issued a call for papers on its website.

“Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is abysmal. Its involvement in Yemen has received sharp international criticism,” says Bahdi. “At home, Saudi Arabia is accused of a range of wrongs, from suppressing women’s rights to abusing migrant workers, and torturing human rights activists. Our workshop will explore how and why Canada should respond to such realities.”

The workshop aims to lay the foundations for more research and policy debates about Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia; create an academic and policy network to explore the parameters and significance of Canada’s multi-faceted relationship with Saudi Arabia; and produce an edited collection of high-quality scholarly papers to help inform public and private action.

While the organizers welcome all proposals related to the general theme of Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, topics of focus include:

  • Canada’s response to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and torture
  • military ties to Saudi Arabia
  • economic relationship with Saudi Arabia
  • human rights and international humanitarian law
  • Saudi Arabia and Canadian-American relations
  • Canadian-Saudi diplomacy
  • Saudi connections to Canadian institutions, including the private sector and educational institutions

Proposals of approximately 250 words should identify the issues to be explored, the anticipated research methodology, and the expected contribution to academic literature or policy debates. Contributors are also asked to include a brief biography of the authors with their proposals.

—Rachelle Prince

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