As every good poker player knows, sometimes the right move is to go all in.

Given his cards and the obvious over-the-top attempt by his opponent to scare him off a winning hand, Justin Trudeau's next move should be to see Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's (aka MBS) diplomatic break and raise him a wide-ranging ethical challenge.

In response to Saudi Arabia suspending diplomatic ties, withdrawing medical students and selling off assets in Canada over an innocuous Tweet, the Trudeau government should:

One of the most misogynistic and repressive countries in the world, the Saudi royal family uses its immense wealth to promote reactionary social forces in the Middle East and elsewhere. The Saudi monarchy may be the worst regime in the world. (The U.S., of course, is responsible for far more violence but it is relatively free domestically.)

In an odd twist, the Liberals have been given a unique opportunity to turn the highest-profile "stain" on their "supposedly principled, feminist, rights-promoting foreign policy" into a human rights image boosting campaign. Standing up to a wealthy international bully could be exactly what the party needs to be re-elected.

Of course Trudeau may fear MBS' relationship with Trump and Kushner, Saudi's growing alliance with Israel, and ties to some Canadian corporate titans. But to win the big pots a poker player must be willing to gamble.

Image: Alisdare Hickson/Flickr

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