MUST-READS

• Capital Markets
  Saudi plan to open stock market to foreign investors at ‘advanced’ stage

  Saudi Arabia’s plan to open its stock market to foreign investors is at an “advanced” stage, and the kingdom has already received substantial interest from overseas, said a senior economic leader. Prince Saud bin Khalid Al Faisal, the executive director of investment policy at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, said he had consulted with Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority, and said the plan to open the Tadawul to large foreign investors is on track.

• U.S. - Israel
  White House condemns Netanyahu plan to address Congress

  The unusually public spat marked one of the lowest points in a relationship that has long bonded the two countries. Although the new round of recriminations reflected the frosty personal relations between President Obama and Netanyahu, it came at a critical juncture in multilateral talks designed to prevent Iran from using a civilian program to develop a nuclear weapon.

  • Defense One - Netanyahu Tried To Invite Arab Diplomats To His Speech - and Failed
  • Foreign Policy - Kerry: Netanyahu Wrong on Iraq and Wrong on Iran
  • CNN - Opinion: Netanyahu has crossed the point of no return on Iran
• Travel Warning
  Travel Warning

  The U.S. State Department issued an updated travel warning for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today. It is provided here for your consideration.

• Saudi Economy: Youth
  Discovering Business | Youth Driving Retail Expansion

  A young and rapidly growing population, which topped 29 million in 2013, is the main driver for a rapid growth in the Saudi Arabian retail sector. One third of the population is under the age of 25, prompting retailers across the Kingdom to focus their marketing efforts onto a section of the population that is eager to acquire new technologies and a wide range of consumer goods. Consumer confidence levels are among the highest in MENA, and Saudis are among the most eager consumers in the world, according to A.T. Kearney’s 2013 Global Retail Development Index. Retail sales were expected to increase by 11% in 2013, according to the Index, yet retail sales per capita and disposable income remain lower than in some neighbouring countries, so there is scope for further growth.

• FIFA: Qatar 2022
  Opinion: FIFA, outraging fans, suggests moving the Qatar World Cup to winter

• Libya
  In Libya, will Misrata be the kingmaker?

  Four years after Libya’s revolution, two political-military coalitions are competing for power in Libya, which are often, yet inaccurately, described as two governments, two parliaments and two armies. Behind that seeming polarization lies a far messier reality. More than 200 armed groups from the western city of Misrata anchor the military power behind the western alliance in Tripoli. The commanders, structures and fighters of these groups remain largely unchanged since the 2011 revolution, a tapestry analyzed in depth in a new edited volume, “The Libyan Revolution and its Aftermath.” The genesis and inner workings of these Misrata militias serve as a vignette into the complex coalitional politics playing out within these alliances.

• Yemen
  Yemen Houthis take over U.S.-trained special forces base in Sanaa

  Armed men from Yemen's newly dominant Houthi group took over a special forces army base in the capital Sanaa early on Wednesday, soldiers there said. The clashes, which lasted around six hours, started late on Tuesday when Houthis shelled the camp with heavy weapons, soldiers from the camp said. At least 10 people were killed.

• Syria
  Syrian Kurds cut IS supply line near Iraq; fears for Christians mount

  Kurdish militia pressed a big offensive against Islamic State in northeast Syria on Wednesday, cutting one of its supply lines from Iraq, as fears mounted for dozens of Christians abducted by the hardline group that recently beheaded 21 Egyptian Copts.

• UAE Defense Industry
  Defense Firms Put Down Roots in UAE

  U.S. and other global defense firms are putting down roots here in hopes selling arms to UAE, a strong American military ally in the region. For these companies, the sales have become even more important, particularly as Pentagon weapon sales have slowed in recent years.

  • National Defense - Lockheed Martin Aggressively Pursuing Missile Defense Export Contracts
• U.S. Anti-ISIS Strategy
  Opinion: Why the Military Is Giving Part of Its Playbook to ISIS

  A Pentagon-sanctioned briefing last week that released critical details of a coalition operation against a key Islamic State group stronghold in Iraq continues to leave national security experts baffled, wondering why the military would go against its tradition of not publicly providing information that could prove useful to enemy forces seeking to defend against an attack.

  • Bloomberg - U.S. ships weapons, ammo to Iraqi forces, Pentagon says
  • Foreign Policy - Pentagon in Damage Control Mode After Detailing Iraq Offensive
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