DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Sweden's foreign minister is hardly the first diplomat to raise concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, but when she used the word "dictatorship" in a speech last month she crossed a red line for the kingdom at a time of intense regional turmoil, igniting a diplomatic crisis.
The harsh response from Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies jolted Stockholm's standing in the Arab world, threatened its Gulf business interests and may have imperiled its bid for a rotating seat at the U.N. Security Council. The crisis also underscored the perils of promoting reform four years after the Arab Spring, particularly in Gulf monarchies that rode out the ensuing unrest by clamping down on dissent.
The dispute began when Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom stood in Sweden's parliament Feb. 11 and said the Al Saud family, for which the Gulf nation is named, held "absolute power" and presided over a "dictatorship." Days earlier she had described the court-ordered flogging of a Saudi blogger as "medieval."
Wallstrom's comments came four years to the day that Egypt's longtime autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by a popular uprising. As similar revolts have engulfed much of the Arab world, the Gulf monarchies have grown even more averse to any talk of democratic reform.
Germany, the U.S. and other close Saudi allies had also spoken out against the flogging of Raif Badawi, who was found guilty of insulting Islam. But only Wallstrom criticized the royal family.
Just five months earlier, ties between the two countries appeared strong. A headline in the Saudi-run Arab News daily proclaimed, "Thank You Sweden," referring to the left-wing government's decision to recognize the state of Palestine and hailing Stockholm's foreign policy as moral and bold.
But Wallstrom says the Saudis responded to her remarks in parliament by blocking her from speaking about Palestine and human rights at the Arab League. Sweden then canceled a memorandum of understanding with Riyadh that helped facilitate Saudi arms purchases - and the crisis only grew from there.