Analysis

SYRIA

Ahead of Critical Syrian Peace Summit, Saudi Arabia Looks to ‘Test’ Iran on Commitment to Peace

• SUSTG Team
• |
• 10. 29. 2015

"The view of our partners ... was that we should test the intentions of the Iranians and the Russians in arriving at a political solution in Syria, which we all prefer. If they're serious we will know, and if they're not serious we will also know and stop wasting time with them." - Adel Al-Jubeir.

• Extremism

  

  Bomb Rips Through Shia Mosque in Najran City, Saudi Arabia, Killing One; Daesh Claims Responsibility, Suspect Named

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 27. 2015

  Daesh has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia's Najran city in which at least one person was killed and 16 others were injured. A suspect has been named by Saudi authorities.

• U.S.-Saudi Military Sales

  

  Report: U.S. State Department Approves Sale of $11.5b Littoral Combat Ships to Saudi Arabia, Latest in ‘Biggest Year Yet’ for U.S. Arms Sales

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 20. 2015

  The State Department has approved the sale under the Foreign Military Sales program according to an official cited by Bloomberg. The approval allows the Saudis to negotiate contracts for the ships unless Congress passes legislation to block the deal.

• U.S. Middle East Policy

  

  Perspective: “Lessons from America’s Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East” – Chas Freeman’s Speech to AUSPC in Washington

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 15. 2015

  "The ongoing disintegration of the Fertile Crescent fuels extremism; empowers Iran; drives Iran, Iraq, Russia and Syria together; weakens the strategic position of the GCC; vexes Turkey; and leaves the United States on a strategic treadmill."

• Jadwa Saudi Chartbook

  

  Jadwa October 2015 Chartbook: Investment in Foreign Securities Recorded a Monthly Increase, First Time in 2015

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 9. 2015

  Investment in foreign securities recorded a monthly increase for the first time in 2015, an indication that drawing down foreign reserves is not the only deficit financing tool being employed, according to a recently released report by Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment.

• Education: Saudis in the U.S.

  

  Saudi Students in the U.S. Increased 20% from 2013/2014 and Are Increasingly Placed in Diverse Institutions, Study Finds

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 6. 2015

  A recent report on Saudi students in the United States by World Education News and Review found that Saudis studying in the U.S. have increased by 20% in the last year and often apply to a wider range of schools other than the elite institutions that are a typical focus of international applicants.

• HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal

  

  HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal, in First Interview with Israeli Media, Chides Netanyahu for Refusing Peace

  SUSTG Team  |  10. 1. 2015

  HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal gave his first televised interview with the Israeli media station Haaretz, and told the outlet that if Netanyahu was a far-sighted leader, he would negotiate on the basis of the Arab Peace initiative.

• 9/11 Victims Suit

  

  14 Years After 9/11 Attacks, U.S. Judge Throws Out Suit Against Saudi Arabia

  SUSTG Team  |  9. 30. 2015

  Most of the 19 attackers were Saudi nationals who hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and into a field in Pennsylvania, but a U.S. judge has ruled that Saudi Arabia is not liable for damages.

• Foreign Assets

  

  SAMA Draws Down on ‘$50-70 Billion’ From Foreign Assets in Face of Sustained Oil Price Slump

  Lucien Zeigler  |  9. 28. 2015

  Saudi Arabia is seeking to cut its widening deficit and "reduce exposure to volatile equities markets amid the sustained slump in oil prices" as it draws down a reported $50-$70 billion from foreign holdings around the world in 2015, according to a Financial Times report.

• Hajj 2015: Mina Stampede

  

  Over 700 Dead and Hundreds More Injured after Stampede in Mina Seen as ‘Worst Hajj Disaster in 25 Years’

  SUSTG Team  |  9. 24. 2015

  At least 717 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a stampede outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said, the worst disaster to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in 25 years.