Robert Habeck visits Saudi Arabia and has some remarkable souvenirs with him: 150 Iris-T systems and 48 Eurofighters are being delivered to the Gulf state. New pragmatism – or a radical change of course?
Source: dpa Picture Alliance
Turki Al Rasheed points his finger towards the desert, rocks form a semicircle on the horizon, an impressive landscape, but Al Rasheed is looking forward to completely different spectacles: “Here,” the project spokesman exults, “the largest roller coaster in the world will be built.” 195 meters high, 4.2 kilometers long, 250 km/h fast, the name: Falcon’s Flight. And not only that. A Formula 1 racing track, two football stadiums, a water park and exhibition rooms are also to be built on the 334 square kilometer area to make it the largest tourist attraction in the world.
The giga project is called Qiddiya and it is just one of many that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) wants to build by 2030. The oil is still bubbling, but MBS wants to develop new sources before the old ones dry up. German companies should also benefit from this. That’s why Economics Minister Robert Habeck traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first time in his term of office this Wednesday, accompanied by company representatives. The day before he was in Oman, on Thursday he wants to fly on to Israel – a journey like a roller coaster ride: Habeck’s Flight.
The Green Party had actually wanted to go to the Gulf at the beginning of December, but at the request of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) he canceled because the budget crisis was more important. However, Habeck feels the consequences of the small-puzzle compromise even before departure. On Monday, the day of his departure, the angry farmers rolled through Berlin; this week an angry mob prevented him from leaving his ferry from the Hallig Hooge after a day of vacation. Rollercoaster? For Habeck and the traffic lights, the journey is going steeply downhill.
And yet the minister did not cancel the trip a second time. Germany doesn’t want to continue to miss out on the tempting deals on the Gulf. The fact that Habeck is visiting the Middle East for the second time before his first trip to China is also an announcement to Beijing. The Green wants to reduce Germany’s dependencies on China and his party wants to promote values-based foreign trade policy. But if Germany wants to remain competitive and play a geopolitical role, some wishes must give way to reality.
That’s why Habeck is bringing gifts with him to Saudi Arabia that seemed unthinkable just a short time ago. The Saudis receive 150 Iris-T air-to-air guided missiles from Germany. The Federal Security Council decided on the export before the trip, but it will be publicly confirmed for the first time this Wednesday. A few days earlier, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had announced during her visit to Israel that Germany would deliver more Eurofighters to the Gulf state.
Not everyone in the party likes realpolitik in giant steps. The new pragmatism? More like a complete change of course. For comparison: The Ukraine has so far received 12 Iris-T systems from Germany.
The so-called Yemen clause was passed under the grand coalition, and the traffic light in the coalition agreement also prohibited the export of weapons to all those involved in the bloody war, including the Saudis. After the murder of the journalist and dissident Jamal Kashoggi in 2018, the country was considered a pariah state in many Western countries, but the Saudis are benefiting from the new crises and wars: suddenly they are apparently an indispensable player again.
Saudi oil has become even more in demand since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – and due to the war in Israel and Gaza, the traffic light is now apparently reassessing the Yemen clause: Saudi Arabia is “credibly” working on a peace process in Yemen, Habeck assures his meeting with various ministers in Riyadh, including the Foreign Minister.
The Economics Minister does not want to comment on the Federal Security Council’s approval of the Iris-T delivery. But basically two things are taken into account when making such decisions, he explains. On the one hand, “whether other partners, especially Ukraine, do not have a more necessary need”. And on the other hand, “whether these weapons can be used in a world that has become more complicated in such a way that they can contribute to protection, de-escalation and stability.”
Baerbock had already justified her decision to deliver the Eurofighter by saying that the Saudi Air Force was intercepting rockets fired by the Houthis towards Israel from Yemen. Habeck also emphasizes that Saudi Arabia “is needed as an anchor of stability in the region.” Apparently the federal government assumes that German weapons contribute to this stability. Short and medium term, but long term? There is no guarantee on that.
But industrial policy may have played a, if not a very decisive, role in the Eurofighter decision. If Germany did not agree to the delivery in a consortium with the British, the Saudis could get their new fighter jets from the French manufacturer Dassault order. President Emmanuel Macron has already proven last year how pragmatic he is in dealing with billionaire business partners from the Gulf: The Crown Prince dined in the Élysée Palace, a return invitation after Macron’s visit to Riyadh shortly after the start of Russia’s war of aggression. Realpolitik in French. Mon dieu.
Also read: That is the price of the new German enthusiasm for Saudi Arabia
However, it is not that easy with the new change of course. MBS wants to modernize his country with his “Vision 2030”, for example to attract tourists and draw them away from the competition in Dubai and to build the world’s largest project for green hydrogen production in the so-called future city of Neom. Women also have more rights and are allowed to drive, travel alone and dress without a headscarf.
But at the same time, the already restricted expression of opinions is monitored even more restrictively. A false tweet can result in a prison sentence lasting decades, as shown by the verdict against women’s rights activist and mother of two young children, Salma al-Shehab, who was sentenced to 34 years in prison.
The death penalty is also being imposed more frequently again. In 2023, 171 people were executed, in the previous year there were 149 people after a significant decrease during the Corona period and the G20 presidency with 67 (2021) and 24 (2020) executions. In 2019, 184 death sentences were imposed, as announced by the Saudi side . However, human rights organizations sometimes give higher figures.