MUST-READS

• Saudi-Afghanistan
  Saudi Arabia: Huge Islamic Center in Kabul Will Counter Terrorism

  Saudi Arabian officials launched work on a massive Islamic center to be built on a hilltop in the heart of Kabul Friday, saying the multi-million-dollar complex will help battle terrorism.

• Drone Intelligence
  A Look Inside a Secret US Air Force Intelligence Center

  The intelligence center at Langley is one of 16 such sites on the U.S. mainland. There are two in the Pacific and another one in Europe. A mix of active-duty, National Guard and Reservists man these facilities. In all, more than 6,000 airmen make up the 480th. The unit here at Langley focuses on processing intelligence data from the Middle East using computers called the Distributed Common Ground System, or DCGS. The 480th receives about 20 terabytes of data each day. In 2013, the wing processed 460,000 hours of full-motion video, disseminated 2.6 million images and generated 1.7 million signals intelligence reports, according to Air Force officials.

• Saudi - China Trade
  Trans-Asia rail key to spur China economic ties with Saudi Arabia

  The growth in trade is the result of Beijing's soaring demand for oil and the Middle East's hunger for lower-cost goods. The bilateral trade between China and Saudi Arabia clearly favors the latter. The value of Saudi exports into China exceeded its imports by more than $36 billion in 2012. The bulk of Saudi exports to China comprise crude oil. China is the second largest destination (after Japan) for Saudi Arabia's exports. China also is largest supplier of goods and services to the Kingdom. While Saudi Arabia is the largest oil supplier to China, followed by Angola and Iran.

• Education
  Jeddah-based college discusses cooperation with US institution

  Dr. Hassan Shaibah, Dean of the Batterjee Medical College for Science and Technology, and the president of the California Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. Raafat Qahoush discussed ways of academic cooperation and the possibility of arranging summer training courses for BMC students in different medical specialties, including medicine, pharmacy and nursing, to be held in the United States.

• Transportation
  Riyadh signs $2bn contract with French company to modernise bus network

  Riyadh’s Governor has signed a $2bn (SR7.8bn) contract with French state-owned public transport operator Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) to supply, operate and maintain the Riyadh Bus network.

• Israel
  Analysis: The problem(s) with Israel

  Israel had grown accustomed to an absence of terrorist attacks in its cities: so the bloody murder of four worshippers and wounding of eight more at a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday was a shock. It illuminates the fragile, fractious state of the country, including the fact that the cabinet is riven, and may collapse soon.

  • Reuters - Israel approves 78 new settler homes in East Jerusalem
• Extremist Rehabilitation
  Saudi reform center for jihadists offers alternatives to extremists

  The Saudis claim the three-month program has a success rate of over 80 percent. And Col. Omar Al-Zalal told us financial incentives are a powerful factor.

• Counter Extremism Measures
  Riyadh fears Islamic State wants sectarian war in Saudi Arabia

  The authorities have identified between 2,000-2,100 Saudi citizens who have fought in Syria since its crisis began in 2011, of whom around 600 have returned, he said. Of those numbers, only about 200 had left Saudi Arabia since the February decree while around 170 had come back.

• Succession
  Saudi Arabia: Why succession could become a princely tussle

  With the Middle East in an unprecedented state of turmoil, the need for smooth and orderly transfers of power in Saudi Arabia - ruled by a 90-year-old infirm monarch - has become more crucial than ever - but who will inherit the kingdom in the coming years is a thorny issue yet to be resolved.

• Tunisian Elections
  A Big Step Forward: Tunisia’s Fragile Democratic Consolidation

  Yet, even as they celebrate Tunisia’s progress, U.S. policy makers and others in the international community should avoid the tendency to advance an election-centric perspective—one that privileges electoral progress above all else in democratic transitions. Indeed, the consolidation of democracy in Tunisia, and the rest of the region, will require far more than elections. In particular, it will require the careful incubation of political compromise skills, particularly the willingness to share power with bitter rivals.

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