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  • Will Uber and Careem Merge?
     

    San Francisco-based Uber Technologies Inc. and Dubai-based Careem Networks FZ are in preliminary talks to combine their Middle Eastern ride-hailing services, according to reports, in a merger that would create one dominant presence in the market and avoid a potentially costly rivalry. Bloomberg reports that the two companies have discussed a potential merger but the companies have only discussed […]

     
  • Tough Start for Saudi Arabia Football at World Cup; Uruguay Next
     

    Host country Russia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-0 in a tough start for the Kingdom’s first World Cup bid in 12 years. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman watched the match alongside of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and video images of the two leaders reacting to the match have gone viral on social media sites. […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait Come to Jordan’s Aid with $2.5b after Weekend Summit
     

    Saudi Arabia and two Gulf nations agreed to a $2.5b aid package to help support Jordan’s economy after a proposed income-tax increase sparked some of the largest protests seen in the region since the Arab Spring protests in 2011. The package of aid will include a deposit in the Central Bank of Jordan, guarantees to the World […]

     
  • Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Top 10 World’s Most Powerful People
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has landed on the Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people for the first time, ranking the powerful young leader within the top 10. “There are 17 new names on the list this year, including Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud (#8), the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” Forbes writes. “His […]

     
  • Will Trump’s JCPoA Decision Affect U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Talks?
     

    President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the so-called Iran deal may have an effect on the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, according to analysts, as Energy Secretary Rick Perry hopes to steer Saudi nuclear negotiators into an “acceptable 123 agreement with additional protocols.” The U.S. is hoping to position Westinghouse among […]

     
  • Will Saudi Arabia Send Troops to Syria? Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir Says Talks with U.S. Ongoing
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said it is “in discussions with the United States about sending troops to Syria,” according to the Washington Post, as President Trump seeks a way out for the U.S. military there. In comments to reporters in Riyadh, Al-Jubeir said the deliberations on what type of force needs to remain in […]

     
  • U.S. State Department Approves $1.31 Billion in Artillery Sales to Saudi Arabia
     

    The State Department approved a sale of $1.31 billion in artillery to Saudi Arabia, giving “a vote of confidence to the Saudi military as young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concludes a marathon tour of the United States,” the Washington Post reports. The possible sale is for “155mm M109A5/A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer structures for conversion to M109A6 […]

     
  • With Entertainment Opportunities in Focus, Saudi Pitches to 250 Hollywood Elite
     

    Saudi officials on Wednesday pitched ambitious entertainment industry plans to about 250 representatives from major Hollywood financiers and players in Los Angeles. The event, organized by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, featured Saudi investment and private-sector leaders who “promised a cadre of services to facilitate U.S. investment and partnerships […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s Swings for Fences With ‘Bold, Risky’ Solar Bet
     

    Saudi Arabia and SoftBank signed a MOU to build a $200 billion solar power project this week in New York, dwarfing all other existing or planned projects in the world and placing the Kingdom and its 3,000 hours of sunshine a year into a global leadership position in the renewable energy field. The project, unveiled in New York this week […]

     
  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with SoftBank CEO in New York
     

    The Saudi Press Agency on Monday tweeted a photo of a meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, saying they are “looking for a number of investment opportunities.” Crown Prince Mohammed, who wore a western-style business suit, arrived in New York for a week of meetings after visiting Boston, Massachusetts. […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Factbox: Who has run Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion?

    Under a governing system in place since the post-Saddam Hussein constitution was adopted in 2005, the prime minister is a member of the Shi’ite Muslim majority, the speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial role of president is held by a Kurd.

  • Will The Saudi-Iranian Diplomatic Deal Bring Oil Prices Down?

    While increasing Iranian oil exports are likely to cause jitters in delicately-balanced oil markets, it’s unlikely that the trend is going to be sustainable without the country agreeing to a new nuclear deal and the U.S. lifting sanctions. Currently, prospects of reviving the Iran nuclear deal have swung dramatically, from near certain in March 2022 to almost nil currently, with talks hitting yet another stalemate in September. Meanwhile, exchanges on a compromise text are still falling short of satisfying all the involved parties.

  • Are we nearing the end of the Saudi-US dispute?

    I am not at liberty to disclose details of this closed convention, but I will allow myself to share this one simple but significant declaration: “Saudi Arabia today is not the Saudi Arabia of five years ago; nor is the US today the same US it was yesterday. And yet, the Saudi leadership and the Democratic Party are staying with us.” When facts are clear, emotional debates on historical relations and interests give way to realistic and fruitful discussions.

  • Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba project to lure global investors, but at what cost?

    Ambitious project announcements — such as New Murabba and its “immersive, experiential destination” of The Makaab — are becoming an increasingly common feature of Saudi Arabia’s developmental aspirations. New Murabba’s location on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh raises the political stakes associated with the development, increasing the likelihood that strong state support will be forthcoming. Yet many observers question the feasibility of building the “world’s largest modern downtown” by the 2030 deadline given the large supply of other nascent development projects in the country. There is no doubt, however, that New Murabba will further increase the funding obligations of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s $620 billion sovereign wealth fund.

  • What’s behind the crisis in Iran over the suspected poisoning of schoolgirls?

    Students gasping for air and coughing while being led stumbling out of school into ambulances. Worried parents protesting in the capital, Tehran. And now a supreme leader calling for severe punishment for what would be an “unforgivable crime.” The crisis over a wave of suspected poisonings that have hit thousands of schoolgirls across Iran escalated further this week, with the first arrests reported after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public comments on the issue.

  • Explainer: What’s at stake in Turkey’s upcoming elections?

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the biggest test of his 20-year rule in May elections that will decide not only who leads Turkey but how it is governed, where its economy is headed and what role it may play to ease conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East. Erdogan has signaled the presidential and parliamentary votes will take place on May 14, three months after powerful earthquakes struck Turkey’s southeast, killing tens of thousands and leaving millions homeless.

  • Who is Qatar’s New Prime Minister? Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

    Qatar’s ruler appointed Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as prime minister, calling on an experienced diplomat who has helped the gas-rich Gulf state assert its political influence abroad. Sheikh Mohammed will take on the PM role while continuing as foreign minister, a position he’s held since 2017, the royal court said in a statement Tuesday. He’ll step down as chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund, to be replaced by Central Bank Governor Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani.

  • Commentary: Why does Saudi Arabia want to acquire the nuclear fuel cycle?

    The development of a civilian nuclear energy program was also integral to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030: an ambitious plan to transition Saudi Arabia from an economy dependent on hydrocarbons to a more diversified, sustainable, and productive one. Since Vision 2030 was unveiled in 2016, Saudi policy elites have expressed a strong and seemingly non-negotiable interest in developing the capacity to produce low-enriched uranium as nuclear fuel utilizing domestic resources: In other words, nuclear fuel-cycle independence.

  • Want to work at NEOM’s Sindalah Island? The first hotels revealed and hiring now

    The Luxury Collection Red Sea Sindalah and The Autograph Collection Red Sea Sindalah are both hiring, as is The Luxury Collection Residences Red Sea Sindalah. They are the first hotel brands to be named for the exclusive giga-project island and will be managed by Marriott International. Original plans for Sindalah state there will only be three hotels.

  • Why is Israel pushing ahead with its legal overhaul?

    In Israel’s divisive debate over the government’s planned legal overhaul, proponents claim that curtailing the power of judges and courts is good for the country. But, as their opponents often counter, other factors may be in play: Some of the leading politicians clamoring for these changes either face legal problems or believe the courts are obstructing their ideological agendas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s allies say the overhaul will rein in an unelected judiciary. Critics warn that it will upend Israel’s system of checks and balances, give too much power to the premier and push the country toward authoritarianism.