, Columnist
Saudi Arabia and China's Loveless Marriage
Equity stakes would adorn rather than cement a relationship governed by hard economic realities.
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On the eve of the First World War, grandsons of Queen Victoria sat on the thrones of both England and Germany. That wasn't enough to stop a brutal conflict. The same goes for Louis XIII of France, who set his armies against his Habsburg cousins when he intervened in the 30 Years' War.
In theory, strategic marriages are meant to set shifting alliances in place with unbreakable bonds. In practice, foreign affairs are driven by structural factors deeper than blood, and even the firmest seals can be broken.