Saudi Arabia is upset with Ottawa and in August ordered 15 000 of its scholarship students to leave Canada in a month. This wasn’t good for Canadian universities, but it was a disaster for the students. A disaster of a kind that universities around the world where Saudis will turn up, should be ready to address. Paula Durance suggests institutions should always be ready to help international students whose enrolments could be at risk from politics at home and the vagaries of international relations. “Coordinated service provision through an investment in each stage of the student experience is an expression of soft diplomacy, protecting students and institutions from the effects of disputes and uncertain times. This activity operates beyond the business of international education and enhances our ongoing work towards productive relationships and successful student engagement,” she writes.