The art of diplomacy (Talal Alharbi, Arab News)

Since assuming the post as the foreign minister, Adel Al-Jubeir has proved that he is the right man for the job. He was entrusted with this task at a critical time after the demise of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the longest-serving foreign minister of the Kingdom.
During the last year, the Kingdom remained heavily engaged in military operation in Yemen. On the other hand, it continuously managed to diplomatically counter the negative propaganda against the Kingdom spread by the Iranian regime and its agents in the region.
Al-Jubeir, the former Saudi envoy to the United States, has to fight on various fronts. He has traveled to major world capitals and met his foreign counterparts. The foreign minister also held many press conferences at home and abroad to clarify the Saudi position regarding the ongoing military operation in Yemen, its conflict with Iran and the Syrian crisis.
He effectively made his presence felt at all major world forums. Al-Jubeir, who speaks many languages, has a clear message to convey to the whole world: The Kingdom is a central power in the Middle East and will not tolerate the Iranian regime’s interference in the internal affairs of the Arab countries.
The Saudi diplomacy has tactfully tried to maintain a balance in the Kingdom’s relations with various countries including its old ally, the United States. To this end, the country’s leadership said that it was prepared to defend the Saudi interests and sovereignty by all means and to play its role in safeguarding security of the region and fighting all forms of terrorism.
Not intimidated by overt and covert Iranian threats, the Saudi authorities executed Iranian agents, who were trying to create unrest in the Kingdom, and severed diplomatic relations with Iran. It also hosted a meeting of various Syrian opposition factions to agree on a united stand in the UN-sponsored talks with the Syrian regime. To correct the imbalance in the international relations due to the Soviet military intervention in Syria and the impotent European and American policies, the Saudi diplomacy turned to China and invited the Chinese president to Riyadh this month. Throughout all these events, Al-Jubeir has played a key role. In a recent interview with a British TV channel, Al-Jubeir was frank and even aggressive in answering many questions. He said that the Kingdom was determined to protect its national security and borders and wouldn’t wait for others “to come and die for us.”
But Al-Jubeir wasn’t speaking for himself. In fact, he was speaking on behalf of every honest Arab and Muslim citizen, and he has derived this courage from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman who is the first fighter in defending our dignity.
But these wars couldn’t be won without enough preparation and determination. That’s how the war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels is continuing unabated.