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  • Growing Domestic Demand threatens Energy Export Position
     

    “As of yet there is no movement on the 75 cents per MMBtu price, but I expect it to rise relatively soon. Energy policymakers in the kingdom have been converging on a price hike agreement. From my discussions with them in October, there appeared to be an emerging consensus that the gas price would more […]

     
  • Living and working in a Saudi Arabian compound
     

    Fiona attended an interview in Dublin which included a short exam paper. “Four months later, my friend and I were saying goodbye to Ireland,” she states. Fiona is based in the Eastern Province of Saudi, in one of Saudi Aramco’s five health care facilities, the Dhahran Health Centre. The oil company’s health care facilities care for […]

     
  • Interview with Thuraya Al-Arrayed, Women Join Shura Council
     

    This month King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia kept his promise and appointed women to the Shura Council for the first time. The council is a non-voting, advisory body. But the inclusion of women is significant. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Thuraya al-Arrayed, one of the Shura’s new female members.

     
  • Oil Exports, Politics and Propaganda
     

    Last month, the US mainstream media barraged us with simplistic reports about how the US will soon be producing more oil than Saudi Arabia—making America the world’s top producer. Left out of this story was the fact that the math was a bit skewed: the US may end up producing more total hydrocarbons than Saudi […]

     
  • Abu Dhabi Buzzes On Eve of World Future Energy Summit ‘13
     

    World Leaders, Luminaries, Companies and Businessmen Descend on Abu Dhabi For the 6th edition of the World’s Largest Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition [Abu Dhabi] – This week, world leaders, government officials and delegations, business executives, academics, engineers, scientists and many more will converge for the World Future Energy Summit 2013, part of Abu Dhabi’s […]

     
  • 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.

     
  • Breakthrough in Saudi Arabia: 30 women named to parliament
     

    King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia issued Friday a historic decree allowing women to be members of the kingdom’s previously all-male Shura Council for the first time. The decree amended two article in the council’s statute introducing a 20 percent quota for women in the country’s 150-member Shura Council, and the king appointed […]

     
  • How to create a transmedia hit in the Middle East: C3 Summit:
     

    The distinguished panel of industry leaders walked through a hypothetical case where creative people in the business designed a Middle East based transmedia enterprise and talked through the process of launching and promoting it. They provided an overview of developments in their field in the Middle East and the role of education and creativity in […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s ‘golden age of learning’ under King Abdullah
     

    The major barrier in the progress of science in Muslim countries is the absence of a culture based on scientific research. There are no established research strategies, poor institutional support and insufficient integration among science-rich communities. Appointments and promotions in faculties must be based on merit. Muslim countries must create a merit-based structure that fosters […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s $220bn spending spree
     

    Even at growth of 3.4 percent, Saudi Arabia’s economy will be the envy of most other large countries. That figure is above the average expected GDP (3 percent) of the G20 nations – of which the kingdom is one – according to Moody’s. And, waiting in the wings, is Saudi Arabia’s vast foreign reserves, which […]

     

MUST-READS

  • What the Middle East can tell us about surviving in a hotter, drier future

    Our research work in countries with extreme temperatures recognizes that despite the harsh conditions—including the lack of water and intense heat—arid ecosystems have produced resilient flora and fauna, which have been forced to adapt in unique and novel ways. Desert animals like the oryx have developed the innate ability to conserve energy and survive when land is dry and food is scarce, and most plants in the desert don’t require a lot of water to thrive.

  • Embraer sees India, Saudi Arabia, EU, US as strategic defense markets

    Brazilian planemaker Embraer (EMBR3.SA), opens new tab sees India, Saudi Arabia, the European Union and the United States as strategic markets for its defense unit as it looks to expand sales of the C-390 Millennium, the head of Embraer Defense said on Tuesday.
    India has an open tender to buy military planes while Saudi Arabia, looking to replace an aging fleet of Lockheed Martin's C-130 Hercules, is currently in "early engagement" with Embraer, Bosco da Costa Junior told reporters at an event.

  • Saudi Arabia’s markets ready for annual surge in demand

    Every year, markets in Saudi Arabia witness increased footfall as Hajj pilgrims look for souvenirs and gifts to commemorate the journey of a lifetime. The gold market, especially in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, thrives with its showcase of intricate designs, from traditional to contemporary styles, catering to diverse jewelry tastes. Speaking to Arab News, Mohammed Akbar, a trader in Jeddah said: “During the Hajj season, we make it a point to showcase designs that cater to all nationalities. Pilgrims from diverse countries have a penchant for various types of gold.

  • Saudi Arabia seeks lithium deals in Latin America to drive electric vehicle ambitions

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest energy exporter, is pursuing investments in lithium production in Latin America as the kingdom seeks to position itself as a key player in the manufacture of electric vehicles.

    Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, is expected to travel to Chile, which has the world’s largest lithium reserves, in July to meet his counterpart in the capital, Santiago, Reuters reported.

    Mr Alkhorayef told Reuters earlier this year that the kingdom was interested in sourcing lithium from abroad as it aims to enter the EV sector.

  • Bracing for the Sandstorm: The Gulf Energy Transition Imperative

    In 2014, a perfect storm of global events, from the rise of US shale oil production to the refusal of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut production in order to maintain market share, sent oil prices tumbling to under $50 per barrel. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, oil exporters had to contend with historically low oil prices and revenues. The once-mighty Gulf economies found themselves scrambling to adapt to these cyclical changes, their vulnerability to the whims of the global energy market laid bare. This experience starkly reminded the region that failing to prepare, diversify, and build resilience in a world of shifting sands may leave them behind.

  • Under the Shadow of the War: Israel and Hezbollah

    Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has shown considerable restraint in its responses to Israeli attacks on its positions in Lebanon. However, intensified Israeli bombardments of southern Lebanon, targeted assassinations of Hezbollah’s midlevel commanders, and recent reported attempts on the lives of Hezbollah’s political and administrative figures would appear to signal a move by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to escalate the to-date contained, if sometimes spiking, conflict in the north, possibly as a way to prolong and expand the war in Gaza.

  • Unpacking Saudi Arabia’s $4B online fashion opportunity

    Saudi Arabia is set to shake up global e-commerce, with online fashion sales predicted to grow from $2.34 billion in 2023 to $4.08 billion by 2027, up 74 percent. According to a 2024 report by the Saudi Fashion Commission, the country is uniquely positioned compared to China, the US, and Europe, which are currently the most prominent e-commerce markets globally.

  • Understanding the Growing Collaboration Between Russia and Iran

    It seemed that over the previous decade, Russia had played a productive role when it came to the JCPOA negotiations that were trying to constrain Iran's nuclear program. Russia had a solid relationship, if not warm relationships with Israel. It wants to have positive relationships with the Gulf states. But since the war in Ukraine happened, there've been shifts. Maybe you could outline those.

  • The US is leaving, China is coming, and other overused tropes.

    There is a massive over-emphasis on what China does in the Middle East and a massive under-emphasis on what the US does here, and it makes for weak analysis. I saw a piece last week that tried to explain the China-Bahrain comprehensive strategic partnership with a similar logic: Bahrain did this because its leaders have concerns about the US commitment to the region, because they are pursuing a multi-alignment strategy (we should all agree to dispose of the word multi-aligned, which essentially means ‘not aligned), and because they are hedging. Nothing about the enhanced US-Bahrain security deal that was signed just last September. Nothing about the significance of the US Fifth Fleet based in Manama. Nothing about the defense cooperation agreement that has been in place since 1991.

  • The Houthis Escalate and Expand the War

    On June 6, the Houthis arrested several United Nations and international nongovernmental organization employees, linking them to what the group called an “American-Israeli spy cell.” Six days later, the Houthis claimed their first successful drone boat attack, striking the Greek-owned bulk carrier Tutor off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. At the same time, after a dip during Ramadan, Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea are again on the rise. U.S. intelligence reports suggest the Houthis are, once again, reaching out to al-Shabaab in Somalia about weapon transfers, and the group continues to look for ways to expand its reach, threatening ships as far away as the Mediterranean. These recent developments indicate the Houthis are escalating and looking to expand their war with the United States.