Visions of the Post-Coronavirus World - Saudi Journalist Abdullah Al-Otaibi: The “New Saudi Arabia” May Transform the G20 into a Global Platform That Will Replace the UN Security Council

Saudi journalist Abdullah Nasser Al-Otaibi said in a March 28, 2020 interview on Rotana Khalijiya TV (Saudi Arabia) in which he discussed what the world will look like after the coronavirus pandemic. He said that Saudi Arabia's suggestion to virtually convene the G20 summit could become a path for transforming the G20 into a virtual global organization and a new global platform that might be more effective than the United Nations Security Council, which he said has not been effective for the past 20-25 years because of tensions between the United States, Russia, and China.

Idress Aldress: "To what extent do you believe there can be a global partnership to deal with the post-coronavirus phase?"

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Abdullah Nasser Al-Otaibi: "I believe that the Saudi initiative [to convene a virtual G20 summit] could become a path for transforming the G20 in the future into a global organization that will be better than the U.N. Security Council. Currently, it is the Security Council that calls the shots about the world's problems. It is a council of the five victors in WWII: America, Britain, France, China, and Russia. They established the Security Council to call the shots about the world's issues. However, unfortunately, since there is polarization between America and Russia and China and America, the veto power has always thwarted many plans."

Idress Aldress: "True."

Abdullah Nasser Al-Otaibi: "So, at least, the way I see it, the Security Council has not been effective in the past 20-25 years, because of this polarization. I believe that Saudi Arabia can play a significant role in this. Starting with this summit, Saudi Arabia will preside over the summit for a year. The summit was defined from the start as a humanitarian-political summit. I believe that the new Saudi Arabia is capable of turning the G20 into a new global platform that it can offer to the world. This new platform will rule the world in a beneficent way. It will be able to call the shots about the world's conflicts."

Idress Aldress: "So these conflicts will not be decided by military power..."

Abdullah Nasser Al-Otaibi: "The [new platform] will include Germany, India, Brazil, South Africa, and other large countries that are not part of the Security Council.

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"I believe that Saudi Arabia is capable of turning the G20 into a new platform that will rule the world or help find solutions to the world's problems in a way that will be much better than the Security Council."