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  • Can Saudi Pro League become one of the world’s ‘top five’?

    A room full of raised eyebrows greeted Cristiano Ronaldo’s assertion in September that Saudi Arabia will one day be home to one of the ‘top five’ leagues in world football. Indeed, Ronaldo was being a good marketeer, playing his role as an ambassador for Saudi football to perfection. After all, this division has historically attracted little global interest despite being home to Asia’s most successful club team ever – Al Hilal.

  • Anyone For Tennis In Saudi Arabia?

    With a growing fan and player base, tennis is fast capturing the hearts and minds in the Kingdom, which boasts a 50 per cent sports participation rate. The Saudi Tennis Federation has a clear target demographic: the country’s 20m citizens under the age of 30. A look at the faces this week in the Fan Zone at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah and in the stands at the King Abdullah Sports City confirms that young Saudis are quickly warming to the sport.

  • Can Mohammed bin Salman buy Saudi Arabia an auto industry?

    Mohammed bin Salman’s campaign to modernize Saudi Arabia and diversify its economy celebrated its latest success three weeks ago after his bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034 remained unopposed. Only five years ago, western tourists couldn’t even get a visa to travel to the Gulf monarchy. Now the crown prince, who took power in 2017, wants to follow Qatar in welcoming football fans the world over to the Persian Gulf a century after his grandfather founded the state.

  • As Saudi pumps $133bn into global hub dream, is it now logistics-washing?

    But what has often been overlooked is that the desert kingdom is also pumping an estimated $133bn into logistics infrastructure and freight handling capacity as it seeks to diversify its economy and increase non-oil GDP. It’s aim is to become not only a regional, but a global logistics powerhouse, Dubai having had that field to itself for so long. Large-scale projects are in the offing in the maritime sector to upgrade ports and terminals – and to develop new gateways and introduce new trade routes. The aim is to more than quadruple the country’s annual container throughput, to 40m teu, by 2030.

  • Insight: Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza

    Israel risks facing a long and bloody insurgency if it defeats Hamas and occupies Gaza without a credible post-war plan to withdraw its troops and move toward the creation of a Palestinian state, U.S. and Arab officials, diplomats and analysts said.

    None of the ideas floated so far by Israel, the United States and Arab nations for the post-war administration of Gaza have managed to gain traction, according to two U.S. and four regional officials as well as four diplomats familiar with the discussions, raising fears the Israeli military may become mired in a prolonged security operation.

  • Are Israel and Hamas nearing a ‘hostage’ deal? What to know

    Israel and Hamas are believed to be negotiating a deal to free dozens of people in Hamas captivity in exchange for a three-day ceasefire, according to the Reuters news agency and Axios, a US-based digital publication. Qatari mediators are seeking to negotiate the deal, which could also see the release of some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.

  • Saudi Arabia wants the Indian Premier League: Why is there no discussion of ‘sportswashing’?

    First, sportswashing can be a lazy rebuttal to the kingdom’s investment in sports and, in general, the Middle East. The definition of “sportswashing,” which is the practice of using sports to improve reputation, can be rather expansive in practice. Yes, we can all agree Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup to elevate the reputation of the country. So did Brazil with the 2016 Summer Olympics and South Africa with the 2010 World Cup and so will countries in the future.  Saudi officials clearly know that sports can bring good attention to a country. (The Ministry of Culture has a nice selfie on Instagram from NBA great Lebron James’s visit during September this year…yes Lebron James was in Saudi Arabia.) That said, it is not the sole reason for investing in sports, but it is obviously low-hanging fruit for politicians, because it will always contain some truth.

  • Opinion: What Happens When Palestinians Tell Their Stories Directly to the World?

    We Are Not Numbers began as a way to memorialize the dead, but it quickly turned into a lifeline for the living. For young people in Gaza, stuck in a political system with few rights and a blockaded economy with few jobs, it provides a vital outlet for self-expression. More than 350 people have participated since it began. They have written about falling in love in a time of war (“I’m afraid of being the next dead bride”), about sculpture (“turning bullets into art”) and money (“The life cycle of the Palestinian graduate”). They have contributed pieces about longing to leave Gaza and longing to return.

  • Can U.S. Diplomacy Promote Peace in the Israel-Palestine War?

    Moreover, the Americans have also continued to back the idea of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that would live in peace side-by-side with the Jewish State, the so-called “two-state solution.” It’s an idea that also enjoys support among 35 percent of the Israeli public and the center-left political parties. However, the current Likud-led Israeli government rejects it. From that perspective, the United States may be in a position very much like in 1973 to promote a creative diplomatic approach in the Middle East. This would build both on Israel’s military strength and the containment of Iran while helping the Palestinians achieve their goal of political independence and economic recovery.

  • Why are South Korea and the GCC so interested in one another?

    Last week at COMEUP, South Korea’s largest startup festival, a 100-person strong delegation from the UAE led by the Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, was present along with an equally large Saudi Arabia delegation. This was the first time the festival had opened up its exhibition to include country pavilions and the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only two countries invited to participate.