Saudi Arabia’s shocking U.N. rejection also snubs Washington

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Saudi Arabia shocked observers on Friday in its unprecedented rejection of its newly won United Nations Security Council seat. Less than 24 hours after its U.N. ambassador was thanking member states for electing the kingdom to the highly-coveted position, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the seat, citing the council’s failures on Middle East issues like the ongoing crisis in Syria and the unresolved dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.

Saudi frustration with the Security Council has been apparent for a while — made glaringly obvious last month when it refused to speak at the annual General Assembly summit in protest of the body’s lackluster response to an August chemical attack in Damascus. However, forgoing the opportunity to sit on the council doubtlessly counts as one of the most powerful ways to criticize the efficacy of the body while challenging the common wisdom that it provides a platform for non-superpower states to influence international diplomacy. While this is one of the most high profile stands ever taken in support of Security Council reform, there should be no illusions about what Saudi Arabia is really after here. The move is far less a principled call to reform the council than a diplomatic temper tantrum.

This was clearly an abrupt decision and very likely came from the very top of the Saudi power hierarchy. According to an unnamed Saudi analyst interviewed by Reuters, Riyadh had been lobbying hard for the seat for years, training “diplomats, male and female, the cream of the Foreign Ministry.” It is also very much at odds with the Saudis’ usual diplomatic style which has tended to be more subtle, eschewing splashy statements for behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Though sudden, the move along with the GA boycott likely reflects a shift in Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic strategy in light of evolving regional dynamics — and especially as a product of their growing displeasure with their U.S. allies.

After all, this is mostly a rebuke to Washington. Of the reasons cited by the Foreign Ministry, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can be safely crossed off as mere rhetoric as it’s hardly a new state of affairs. Syria, while legitimate, is only the tip of the iceberg though. The heart of the matter is almost certainly a slow buildup of resentment in response to recent U.S. engagement in the region, most particularly Washington’s ongoing peace talks with Iran along with its public skirmishes with the Saudi-backed interim government in Egypt. With its dissatisfaction with the U.S. only increasing, participation in a highly visible forum like the Security Council would only magnify Saudi Arabia’s growing distance from its long-time ally. And, though many are questioning the wisdom of throwing away the platform that comes with the council seat, the kingdom is more of a behind-the-scenes operator anyway so even those advantages wouldn’t likely be exploited by its diplomats.

All that said, there is still the possibility that Saudi Arabia could change its mind (though Russia, of course, wasted no time in exhorting the Asian group from which the kingdom was nominated to select another candidate immediately). But in forgoing the opportunity, the kingdom likely made a louder statement than they ever could have during their two-year term on the council.