The World Bank issued a stark warning in its 2018 outlook for the Saudi economy: “The Kingdom likely faces a looming poverty problem.” The bank has since noted in its 2019 and 2020 outlooks that “while no official information is available on poverty, identifying and...
On April 10, the Saudi Ministry of Defense announced the execution of three soldiers after what it called a “fair trial” in a specialist court. The men were convicted and sentenced to death for the crimes of “high treason” and “cooperating with the enemy.” Aside from the...
The UAE, Bahrain and Israel’s formalization of diplomatic relations has left many analysts speculating whether Saudi Arabia will also open ties with Tel Aviv.
Una Galani is the associate editor of Reuters’ Breakingviews division, which the news agency describes as “the world's leading source of agenda-setting financial insight.” Last week, Breakingviews published her review of the book “Blood and Oil” by Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley...
Thanks to the gruesome murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, everyone who may have previously been indifferent to the brutally repressive nature of the Saudi regime should have no illusions about its absolute commitment to repression. Before the Khashoggi assassination, readers...
It was first reported and initially denied by Saudi authorities. Then it was acknowledged as a “rogue” operation gone wrong. For the past year, every honest observer has clearly understood that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), ordered and most likely even stage-managed...
The Saudi government has gradually chipped away at the kingdom’s guardianship system. With Saudi women now free to travel abroad without the permission of a male relative, many Saudi citizens are now able to enjoy freedoms denied to them for decades.
Saudi Arabia hosted a triple summit to consolidate and unify the policy of Arab nations in building opposition to Iran. CNN applauds its convergence with Donald Trump’s foreign policy. Reporting on the emergency summit Saudi Arabia organized to rally other Arab nations to its increasingly...
The easiest way to determine whether a political spokesperson is hiding something and misrepresenting the truth of their own government’s position is to examine their misuse of the tools of rhetoric. An article in Forbes with the title, “Saudi Arabia Threatens 'Force If Necessary' Against...
May 15 marks an unhappy anniversary for Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul and all those who care about women’s rights everywhere. “I always wished I was a man, always, since I was a child.” In her home country of Saudi Arabia, Loujain al-Hathloul is a controversial figure. Her habit of...
For those who don’t understand why it’s essential to have money before you can make money, the case of Saudi Aramco demonstrates the underlying logic of the free-market system. For more than a year, Riyadh has been toying with the idea of going public with its wholly-owned petroleum company,...
Can you guess which prominent head of state is counting on his political base to weather the growing scandal about his personal behavior? Who would be surprised to hear the following account of a political drama that has recently dominated headlines? It goes like this: A political...
In a sudden move to pin all of the UK’s post-Brexit hopes on America’s mercurial strongman, does Theresa May know what she is getting herself into? In her long-awaited speech on January 17, British Prime Minister Theresa May finally clarified the phrase “Brexit means Brexit.” Despite...
Inclusion rather than exclusion is the fundamental answer to the Middle East and North Africa’s multiple conflicts. Before Donald Trump won the US election, this author was asked to discuss what needs improving in the Arab world. His immediate thought was, “Where does one start?” But...
The US presidential campaign debate on Middle East policy has focused disproportionately on the response to the Islamic State. This series instead focuses on five alternative Middle East policy challenges facing the next president. In this fourth part, Ryan J. Suto discusses the US-Saudi special...
