If Kate Middleton’s ascension to the official but ridiculous status of princess consort gives us the glitz and sparkle of monarchy, then Saudi Arabia’s recent invasion of Bahrain is the reminder that the crown will stamp a few faces if it needs to.

Between being enwrapped by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, occupied by the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and politically dominated by a dynastic family, Bahrain is not an ideal place for a population that desire self-determination. But democratic activists in Bahrain have remained resolute and principled and protests continue despite the Saudi occupation that commenced on March 14, 2011. It is for this reason that Amnesty International named its concise summary of the protests, Bloodied But Unbowed.

The unsurprising appearance of 1000 Saudi Arabian troops, 500 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates, and hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks should furrow the brow of any Canadian, especially since Saudi Arabia is one of our most loyal clients in the weapons business.

I fear that I will employ too much euphemism so I’ll just be shrewd about it: ill-reputable individuals from Canada are propping up Middle East fiefdoms with guns and money. Particularly rank is Jean Chretien whose post-prime ministership has been one of greasing Middle Eastern palms and shoveling money into oil-sheikh pockets. First look at this picture: this past January, Canada signed a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Bahrain. Pay special attention to ‘protection’ in this title.

Now look upon this: on January 24, 2011, former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, acting as counsel to Heenan Blaikie LLP signed a moratorium of understanding on free trade and finance with Amr Al-Dabbagh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SAGIA is what you would have if you turned all of the profits of the Saudi Kingdom into an investment fund that Western Banks salivated over. Especially thirsty was the Bahranian-based Foreign Office of Canada’s own CIBC.

Now when 1500 troops from the two ultra-rich kingdoms marched into a third on behalf of a shook and unprepared al-Kahlifa dynasty, it was because the al-Kahlifas called in the heavies. At the Bahrainian ruling class’ request, Saudi Arabia came in for ‘protection’ of certain structures and ways of life that the Bahrainian public is deemed unfit to change by the power that be. You see what I’m getting at. I must say, Canadian diplomats are finally getting the knack for getting these protection agreements signed before the shit hits the fan.

The many and various struggles for democracy in the Middle East countries has been given the domesticated and furry name the ‘Arab Spring’. While there is something inherently optimistic about this shorthand title, the unscrupulousness with which Western states, and notably Canada, sell military hardware to the undemocratic regimes negates any sentiment of promise.

The Coalition Opposing the Arms Trade (COAT), a research group organized by Richard Sanders of Ottawa, has recently released a trove of official figures on exactly how much Canadian firms contribute to sustaining the upper crust of this region. Since 1992, Canada has traded $1.89bn in armoured fighting vehicles to the region with $1.85bn of that going directly to Saudi Arabia. Various other military exports totaled $1.99bn with $1.7bn worth going to the Saudi Kingdom. Canada also sells $15mn to the Saudis in the export of arms, ammunition and parts.

Now when Saudi Arabia enters Bahrain to squelch the popular uprisings, as it did on Monday March 14, 2011, one can plainly see Canadian fingerprints on the Saudi armored vehicles rolling ominously down the King Fahd Causeway, the 25 km bridge connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Canadian arm sales to Bahrain are mostly nothing. But the insignificant size of the Bahrainian arms deals from Canada is related to the insignificant size of the Bahrainian army. The revolutionary forces are engaged in a skirmish with the ruling family’s security apparatus, not the military. Bahrain’s government relies entirely on Saudi Arabia’s heavily mechanized armed forces. Failing this, they can count on the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet for backup which is located on the North East coast of the island and also has an airfield in the southern half of the mainland.

It does not require mentioning but we know that Alberta is a cauldron of oil and foreign investment. We also know that Stephen Harper is trying to surf his way to parliamentary majority on these Albertan oil slicks. Alberta and Saudi Arabia are as thick as thieves and increasingly so.

Canada’s business interest in the region have been particularly amplified since Export Development Canada, the government agency that lubes up foreign trade networks, announced in 2007 the permanent establishment of foreign office in the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). The GCC is a customs union and common market between Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. In the good nature of reciprocity and on behalf of the GCC, the United Arab Emirates’ government-controlled energy holdings company, TAQA, announced the potential for a  $10bn dollar investment in Alberta. TAQA, as of last June, acquired a substantial stake in Suncor, the Tar Sands giant in Alberta.

Chretien’s brokerage of the investment deal deepens the business networks between Canada and its 2^nd largest trading partner, Saudi Arabia, in the region. Furthermore, it consolidates Canada’s links with the GCC of which the stability of Bahrain is essential. Much of investment in Canada comes from the GCC countries that, since 2003, have become key foreign investors in the global market. Between 1995 and 2006, the total value of the GCC stock market would go from $62bn to $733.7bn. By 2007, the total amount of real estate projects in the GCC would increase by $1 trillion dollars. From 2003 to 2006, the foreign assets held by GCC countries would triple in value from $10bn to $30bn (thanks to Adam Hanieh for the numbers).

It is worth recalling how Prince Bandar Bin-Sultan, Saudi Ambassador in Washington, organized US-based members of the bin Laden family to fly out of Logan Airport in Boston on September 11^th, 2001, when all other national flights were grounded. Saudi officials refused any attempt to investigate the bin Laden ‘charities’ that arm the forces our governments wage war against in the Middle East.

We all received the PATRIOT Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act while the US government provided known financers of terrorism a first-class ticket and private jets with wide-open skies to wherever they pleased. If only we all could be in possession of sovereign wealth funds and plush bladders of oil.

It was once remarked that to be a monarch one has to do two simple things: first, pick your parents and then, second, exist…or something to that effect. At any rate, these are the darker side of monarchy that doesn’t make the front page of those grocery store checkout mags, the tabloid rags of the vilest hue and dye. Not quite the stuff of princess consorts, now is it?