Recent stories from sustg

  • UPDATE: Saudi Arabia Declines Seat on the U.N. Security Council for Two Year Term
     

    Saudi Arabia has been elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non permanent member, a seat the Kingdom will hold for two years. However, a Foreign Ministry statement said that it would decline to take the seat. Reuters reports that a “decision of such magnitude would have to have been taken by King Abdullah […]

     
  • ‘Texting While Riding’? Viral Video Shows Saudi Man In Dangerous Highway Stunt
     

    A viral video of a Saudi man texting while sitting on the hood of his car has gone viral on the video-sharing site YouTube. It is not clear who is driving the vehicle, which has dark window tint. The Huffington Post described the video as such: “A Saudi man is seen playing with his phone […]

     
  • Saudi Youth Filmmaking on the Rise
     

    Social media continues to catalyze Saudi Arabia in unpredictable ways.  Fatima Al-Arjan takes a look at the rise of video blogging ‘vloggers.’  Short videos – some 36 seconds at maximum – have proliferated.  While sometimes a platform for controversial posts, like many on-line communities, this one seems to be maturing. In a related item, female […]

     
  • Saudi youth, the issue of unemployment and work ethic
     

    Abdulateef Al-Mulhim is a well-known Saudi commentator who is appreciated – at least here at SUSTG – for his willingness to take on sensitive topics and provide his particular perspective.  In this item he addresses the work ethic of young Saudis, a subject of much debate.  Not surprisingly, there are numerous facets to the discussion […]

     
  • Al-Assaf, Al-Rabiah Headline Important Private Sector Initiative in Riyadh
     

    The high-level meeting, an ambitious private sector initiative, addressed joint Arab action agendas, with 21 proposals of developmental projects discussed. Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Commerce Minister Tawfig Al Rabiah headlined this important event in Riyadh, which was widely discussed on Social Media sites and in the general media.

     
  • For Saudi Football, a Moment in the International Spotlight
     

    Saudi Arabia’s national football team has had its ups and downs in the last decade, thus far struggling to make a name for itself as a contender in a world full of elite national teams. Nevertheless, the ups and downs of the Saudi program are closely followed by Saudis all over the world and has, […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia says job-creation policy bears fruit
     

    Saudi Arabia, grappling with chronic youth unemployment, has created 380,000 new jobs in 10 months by requiring private firms to employ Saudis, Labor Minister Adel al-Fakeih said, the Saudi Gazette reported on Monday. “This figure is 20 times what had been previously achieved over the past five years before Nitaqat (the main jobs program) was […]

     
  • Beware the Siren Call of Jihad
     

    There’s a full-court press, likely at the instigation of Saudi Arabia’s government, to discourage would-be jihadis from traveling up to Syria. Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that a wide array of authority figures are warning enthusiastic youths of the potential dangers and about how their brothers and cousins fell into traps in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Iraq. Usefully, […]

     
  • Living Social
     

    In their pursuit to be where the young consum­ers are, brands have long identified social media as a crucial place to establish a presence. Where else will you find huge numbers of youngsters highly active and engaged? Results from market research company TNS indicate that 68 percent of MENA youth spend 12 hours per  week […]

     
  • Critical Commercial and Economic Ties: Interview with Jose Fernandez
     

    The 2nd US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum in Atlanta in December brought together a high level delegation of over 200 Saudi officials and business people with over 1000 Americans to explore the $1 trillion-plus commercial openings available in the coming decade in the Kingdom. The response to the Forum – and what it means for American investment and […]

     

MUST-READS