G20 Diplomacy: How Saudi-Russian Alignment on Yemen & Hormuz Exploits Global Energy Vulnerabilities
Original framing: “Saudi and Russian foreign ministers discuss Hormuz, Yemen at G20” — Middle East Eye
The *trickster* lens here would expose the absurdity of two autocracies—Saudi Arabia and Russia—positioning themselves as 'stabilizing' forces while simultaneously destabilizing global trade. Like the West African trickster *Anansi*, who spins tales to reveal hidden truths, this meeting is a masterclass in misdirection: the real story isn’t 'regional developments' but the deliberate obfuscation of their shared interest in undermining Western energy dominance. The *Coyote* archetype would laugh at how both powers, despite their rivalry, now dance to the same tune of chokepoint control, proving that even enemies can collaborate when the spoils are great enough.
This G20 meeting is not a diplomatic overture but a calculated move by Saudi Arabia and Russia to consolidate control over two of the world’s most vulnerable chokepoints, leveraging Yemen’s humanitarian crisis as both a distraction and a bargaining chip.
The framing obscures how their alignment—rooted in shared opposition to U.S. and EU energy dominance—repeats historical patterns of great-power proxy wars in the Gulf, from the 1980s Iran-Iraq conflict to the current Yemen blockade. Indigenous maritime traditions, such as Bedouin navigation rights, offer a radical alternative: collective stewardship over militarization, yet these are systematically excluded in favor of state-centric power plays. The trickster reveals the farce of both powers positioning themselves as 'stabilizers' while deepening global instability, while future modeling warns that their strategy could trigger a new cold war by 2040. Solutions must invert this dynamic—placing Yemeni and regional voices at the table, decoupling energy markets from geopolitical blackmail, and treating chokepoints as sites of ecological and human security, not strategic leverage.