MUST-READS

• Economy
  Economic indicators point to Saudi Arabia’s sustained growth

  Saudi Arabia’s economic indicators last July point toward a sustained developmental growth in the Kingdom, Jadwa Investment said in its Saudi Chartbook for this month. It said the economic data for July was strong with the non-oil PMI expanding at the fastest rate since September 2012. Consumer spending also remained robust.

• Security
  Shots Fired at Saudi Pipeline Hint at Larger Concerns

  A small fire erupted on a gas pipeline in eastern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after assailants shot at a security patrol, security and oil industry sources said, in an incident that may heighten concern about the vulnerability of Saudi energy infrastructure.

• Hajj
  Saudi Arabia: Over 60,000 security officers to be deployed in holy sites

  More than 60,000 security officers will be deployed in Saudi Atrabia's holy sites during this year's Hajj season to ensure the pilgrims are able to perform their rituals in peace and comfort, Maj. Gen. Osman Al-Mahraj, director of general security, has said.

  • Arab News - Few Saudi takers for Haj guide jobs
• Finance
  Emirates NBD Planning To Expand Saudi Operations

  “There’s a lot of quite interesting countries within the MENA, and one place we would like to get much bigger in is Saudi Arabia. That’s an obvious one for us – since it is biggest economy in the region. We have a large branch there, with 250 people, and we are the only UAE bank that has a fully-fledged branch in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

• Islamic State
  Opinion: Why ISIS Is Our Problem

  It is not yet clear that ISIS will endure as a menace. Fast-moving extremist conquerors sometimes have trouble holding their ground. ISIS has promised to govern as effectively as it intimidates, but its talent lies in extortion and ethnic cleansing, not in sanitation and job creation. It is vulnerable to revolt from within.

  • Defense One - US Strike Against Al-Shabab Leader Reflects Obama’s Counterterrorism Strategy
  • Navy Times - 350 More Troops Assigned to U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
  • Daily Beast - After Steven Sotloff Murder, Congress Demands a Vote on Obama's ISIS War
  • AFP - Iraqi Forces Regain Control of Key Road to Baghdad After Breaking Siege
  • WSJ - Protests Shut Down Iraqi Parliament
  • Lobelog - Building an Unlikely Coalition Against ISIS
• Gaza
  Gaza Reconstruction Will Take 20 Years, Says Post-Conflict Housing Group

  It will take 20 years for Gaza's housing to be rebuilt following the mass devastation caused by fighting between Hamas and Israel over the summer, according to a post-conflict housing reconstruction and assessment organization.

• Foreign Policy
  Opinion: History Shows Caution Is the Best Approach for U.S. Foreign Action

  America’s favorable global position allows it to take a measured approach to most international events. The United States has a large and diverse economy, conventional military superiority and a powerful nuclear deterrent. It is insulated from most threats by two vast oceans and faces no serious rivals near its shores.

• KSA and IS
  Viewing the Islamic State from Riyadh’s Perspective: A Conversation with Fahad Nazer

  I think that scholars who have carefully studied the process of radicalization and the history of militant Islamist movements are virtually all in agreement that no single factor accounts for the spread of militant groups across the globe. Rather, the “answers” lie in a a multilayered complex combining historical, political, cultural, social, psychological and economic factors and that ideology/religious indoctrination is only one component of an often lengthy process. Some have even suggested that ideology plays a relatively minor role.

• Barack Obama
  Opinion: Actually, Obama Does Have a Strategy in the Middle East

  When it comes to the Middle East, in other words, Obama is neither a dove nor a hawk. He’s a fierce minimalist. George W. Bush defined the War on Terror so broadly that in anti-terrorism’s name he spent vast quantities of blood and treasure fighting people who had no capacity or desire to attack the United States. Hillary Clinton and John McCain may not use the “War on Terror” framework anymore, but they’re still more willing to sell arms, dispatch troops, and drop bombs to achieve goals that aren’t directly connected to preventing another 9/11. By contrast, Obama’s strategy—whether you like it or not—is more clearly defined. Hundreds of thousands can die in Syria; the Taliban can menace and destabilize Afghanistan; Iran can move closer to getting a bomb. No matter. With rare exceptions, Obama only unsheathes his sword against people he thinks might kill American civilians.

  • CNN - Why a strategy to fight ISIS in Syria will take time
• Pakistan
  Pakistan parliament convenes amid crisis

  A joint session of parliament is under way in Pakistan as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tries to rally support against the protesters calling for his resignation. The session, which is expected to continue for a week, comes a day after supporters of opposition leaders, politician Imran Khan and religious leader Tahir-ul-Qadri, briefly occupied state TV building in the capital, Islamabad. Broadcast was resumed after paramilitary soldiers cleared the building.

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