MUST-READS

• Cybersecurity
  E-terrorism targeting 17 million in Saudi Arabia, says expert

  “When we find that about 17 million Saudi men and women are using the Internet, we will realize the magnitude of the electronic danger threatening our society,” he said. He warned that if the concerned authorities in the Kingdom do not move fast, the possibility of ISIS influencing society would become greater.

• Tadawul Opening
  Iran-Saudi Rivalry’s Next Round Has Stock-Buyers’ Cash as Prize

  One of the Middle East’s most intractable rivalries looks set to extend to equity markets.

  • Financial Times - Iran maps out plans to revive economy once sanctions are lifted
• Yemen
  Saudi-led air strikes resume in Yemen as truce ends

  A Saudi-led coalition has resumed air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen after a five-day ceasefire ended, Yemeni officials and witnesses say.

  • Reuters - Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen after truce expires
  • Bloomberg - Saudi Coalition Resumes Airstrikes Against Yemen Shiite Rebels
  • Aljazeera - Bombing resumes as Yemen cease-fire ends
• Anti-ISIS Campaign: Syria
  Night raid in Syria: The special-forces op that killed Islamic State’s money man

  After touching down in darkness late Friday, the elite forces came under fire, and women and children scattered for cover, according to a senior military official not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

  • Foreign Policy - Successful U.S. Raid Into Syria Could Lead to More Missions There
  • Daily Beast - After Syria Raid, FBI Questions ISIS Wife And Yazidi Slave
  • FPRI - “Why the U.S. Raid On Abu Sayyaf and ISIS in Eastern Syria May Be A Game Changer
  • The Guardian - Syria raid yielded 'treasure trove' of intelligence on Isis, insiders say
• Lubna Olayan
  Olayan Sisters Surface Among Wealthiest Women in Saudi Arabia

  A former analyst at J.P. Morgan, Olayan oversees the Middle East operations of Olayan Group, a diversified company founded by her father in 1947. With 15,000 employees and 50 affiliated companies, the Athens-based business is active in almost every sector of the Saudi economy including oilfield services, steel and fast food.

• Startups
  8 promising hardware startups from the MENA region

  Hardware based startups, the building of physical products that change the way we live, continue to play a crucial role in shaping our world. Over the last few years a number of promising hardware startups have emerged from the MENA region led by a movement of enthusiastic builders and makers.

• U.S. - GCC Summit: Analysis
  More than Keeping Up the Facade: The U.S.-GCC Summit at Camp David

  There is one truly important theme. The ritualistic statements do include a clear and continuing U.S. commitment to a strategic partnership with the GCC and Arab Gulf, and U.S. efforts to make it clear America will not somehow turn away from its Arab partners and “normalize” relations with Iran in ways that ignore the many other threats Tehran poses to the region.

  • Defense One - Obama, Gulf Allies Enter ‘New Era’ of Arab Defense
  • Al-Monitor - GCC official: Camp David ‘exceeded’ expectations
• U.S. Oil Production
  U.S. set to get more accurate oil production data: Kemp

  Figures on U.S. oil production are subject to much more uncertainty than the numbers for oil stocks, refinery throughput and imports because the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has to rely on state-level data rather than its own surveys. That could be about to change, however, because the EIA has received approval from the White House to launch its own mandatory monthly survey of oil and condensate production.

• Saudi Grain and Feed
  Saudi Arabia: Grain and Feed Annual

  The Saudi government continued to enforce its 2008 policy to phase-out wheat production by 2016. The main reason for the policy change was a strong concern over the depletion of the country’s scarce water reserves, as the Saudi wheat crop is 100 percent irrigated. This policy was a drastic departure from the country’s longstanding strategy of achieving wheat self-sufficiency that has been pursued since the mid- 1980s. In a February 2015 statement, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO) reiterated its intent to end purchasing locally produced wheat in MY2015/16, and that the MY2014/15 harvest will be the last crop to purchase. The GSFMO has stated that the Saudi government is not worried about fully relying on imports to satisfy the Kingdom’s wheat consumption and strategic reserve needs.

• U.S. - GCC Summit
  Perspective: An upbeat ending to Obama’s Gulf summit

  “The U.S-G.C.C. relationship has just been elevated to a new level,” said Yousef Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington, in a telephone interview after the summit ended. “The potential for collaboration has just taken a new step.”

  • Foreign Policy - It’s Not Diplomacy, It’s an Arms Fair
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