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...
