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  • Could Saudi Arabia’s new Special Economic Zone be a game changing solution?

    Situated beside Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport, the new Special Integrated Logistics Zone has both global connectivity, thanks to the rapidly-expanding Saudi aviation sector, and tax-free access to the Middle East’s largest national economy. As a consequence, Apple and other world-leading companies are making it their base, knowing that the zone’s regulatory framework was designed in partnership with its investors, creating a base of operations that is tailored to their needs.

  • How do countries get their names?

    According to our research, the majority of country names fall into just four categories: a directional description of the country a feature of the land a tribe name an important person, most likely a man Further, our research reveals that the way countries get their names is hardly ever democratic, and very few are rooted in the national qualities we like to associate with them, like liberty, strength or justice.

  • When will the world reach peak natural gas?

    There are two new wrinkles, the IEA report concludes, that are likely to slow the growth of demand for gas up to 2030, where it will max out and stay flat until 2050. The first is the Inflation Reduction Act in the US, which is expected to seriously curb the appetite for gas by dramatically lowering the price of renewable energy. The second, even more important factor is the war in Ukraine. By effectively cutting Russia out of the global gas market, the war has made new investments in gas infrastructure appear more risky and uneconomic than ever, especially for developing countries.

  • Is Saudi Arabia’s Neom Project Too Ambitious?

    The much-talked-about Neom project will see the 10 regions developed in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. The most ambitious project is called ‘The Line’, two parallel skyscrapers aimed at housing 9 million people, a 170-kilometre building that juts into the Red Sea but is just 200 metres wide. What it lacks in width it makes up for in height at a staggering 500 metres tall, complete with a mirrored facade. If successful, this structure will be a major feat of engineering. The development will also include Oxagon, an industrial city with a manufacturing hub centred around tech industries, to be built on the sea and the mountainous region of Trojena. Neom will include a residential area, an industrial city, and a mountain tourism destination.

  • Perspective: Who Is Telling the Truth?

    Very few countries in Asia and Africa accept the need to reevaluate their strategic calculations and restructure much of their foreign policy because of the Ukraine war, which to them is a limited border war in far-off Eastern Europe. Most are happy to side with Ukraine at the United Nations and provide humanitarian aid when possible, as Saudi Arabia recently did to the tune of $400 million. But the idea that Ukraine is now the primary lens through which all aspects of international relations must be judged and measured is simply not shared by the developed and developing worlds. And this really lies at the heart of the U.S.-Saudi misunderstanding over the oil pricing and production quota issue.

  • Why Is Iran’s Regime So Afraid Of This Song?

    “Baraye,” the anthem of Iran’s “Woman, Life, Liberty” protest movement—a song woven together entirely from a Twitter hashtag trend in which Iranians express their investment in the current protests—continues to unite Iranians in their opposition to the Islamic Republic several weeks after it was first released online.

  • Lebanon: Defeating the Deadlock?

    Lebanon is very much in the situation that had been predicted after parliamentary elections last May: There is no consensus over a replacement for President Michel Aoun; the political forces are struggling to form a government, with no guarantees that they will succeed; and the void is likely to create a new, and worse, situation that might just facilitate the election of a president who can transcend the country’s unremitting divisions.

  • Kuwait: Can the Opposition-Dominated Parliament Lead to Reform?

    On September 29, Kuwait held general elections for its unicameral parliament. The local chapter of Transparency International monitored the contest, which by all accounts appeared competitive and fair. Opposition-affiliated candidates, primarily from tribal, Islamist, and liberal backgrounds, secured 28 of the 50 contested seats, while nearly two dozen incumbent MPs, mostly pro-government lawmakers, failed to hold their spots. Two female candidates won office—the highest number in a decade.

  • With a President in Place, Can Iraq Finally Form a Government?

    The Iraqi Parliament was finally able to meet quorum October 13, and it elected Abdul Latif Rashid as Iraq’s new president, ending a yearlong political and legal gridlock over the presidency and the new government. Reflecting the consensual, post-2003 ethno-sectarian division of key offices, Rashid is a Kurd. The election of the president met an important constitutional requirement, allowing for formal government formation to begin. The new president immediately tasked the Coordination Framework’s designated prime minister, Mohammed al-Sudani, to form the next Iraqi government.

  • Are Saudi Workplaces Working for the Kingdom’s Vision 2030?

    Gallup data shows that employee engagement plays a significant role in retention. While nearly half (47%) of actively disengaged workers and 22% of not engaged workers are currently actively looking for a new job, this number shrinks to 19% for engaged workers. And only a quarter of employees (24%) in the Kingdom are currently engaged -- meaning there is huge potential for leaders to enhance the employee experience to improve retention.