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  • Promising Breakthrough in MERS Vaccine as Infections Continue in Saudi Arabia
     

    Two different animal studies yielded promising findings about a two-step vaccine strategy against the MERS-CoV virus, according to reports, as Saudi Arabia and South Korea continue to battle the disease. According to the Saudi Gazette and agencies, “vaccinated mice produced antibodies that neutralized MERS strains, according to a study from the US National Institute of […]

     
  • Is SABIC Looking to Invest in U.S. Shale?
     

    SABIC CEO Yousef al Benyan said the company is looking to expand its interests in U.S. shale gas through joint venture projects, according to a report in Bloomberg.  SABIC has signed an agreement with Houston, Texas-based Enterprise Products Partners L.P. to get shale gas, according to the report, to be used in the United States or […]

     
  • Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Orders Aid to Yemen as Gains for Saudi-backed Forces Continue
     

    Saudi-led coalition land forces operating in Yemen have seen gains in recent weeks following the initiation of Operation Golden Arrow to recapture the city of Aden on July 16, according to DefenseNews.com. Saudi Arabia’s Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri told Al-Arabiya television in an interview on July 22 that “[Saudi] are supporting the legitimate corps in the […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council Votes ‘No’ On Proposed Unity Law
     

    A new proposal to implement a new legal system to “protect national unity” was voted down by Saudi Arabia’s 150-member Shura Council as “unnecessary,” according to reports in the Saudi Gazette.  Put forth by the Islamic and judicial committee, the proposal “implies the necessity of establishing an entire legal body to deal with one issue, which is […]

     
  • A Saudi-Russia Thaw?
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Russia today amid growing evidence of a thaw in Saudi-Russian relations. With the headline of “Saudi Arabia and Russia to cement ties,” the English language daily Arab News reports that Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “will seek to cement economic, cultural, political and trade relations […]

     
  • Video: CEO of Saudi Stock Exchange Adel Saleh Al-Ghamdi Speaks with CNBC as Saudi Bourse Opens
     

    Saudi Arabia’s $585 billion stock market – the largest in the region – opened to wider foreign investment today in Riyadh.  The CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Stock Exchange, Adel Saleh Al-Ghamdi gave an interview to CNBC on the opening of the market and the implications for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economy.  “The reason is not really […]

     
  • Is it Crunch Time for Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Operation?
     

    In an in-depth analysis in Reuters, Angus McDowall writes that following Saudi Arabia and the GCC’s lack of success in significantly tipping the scales in Yemen with airstrikes, the limited options for Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the war-torn country come with high risks. With the possibility of a ground operation apparently ruled out, “Riyadh may soon […]

     
  • Remittances from Gulf States Double in 5 Years to $100b
     

    Foreigners working in Arab Gulf states sent more than $100 billion in remittances to their home countries last year, according to the AFP/Saudi Gazette, a figure twice as high as 2010. The remittances are estimated at 6.2 percent of the combined GDP of the six GCC states of $1.6 trillion, the AFP reports, citing IMF […]

     
  • Saudis Keep Up Production at High Levels to Drive Out U.S. Shale ‘with OPEC Backing’, Bloomberg Says
     

    Bloomberg’s Grant Smith and Maher Chmaytelli write that Saudi Arabia will continue to push for high output levels in order to beat back U.S. shale at an OPEC semiannual meeting on June 5th, and will have OPEC backing to do it, extending a strategy that Saudi Arabia and OPEC see as working. The decision by […]

     
  • After Crown Prince Visit, 12,000 Saudi Students in the U.S. Added to King Abdullah Scholarship Program
     

    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman approved on Thursday, May 14 the inclusion of 12,000 additional male and female Saudi students studying in the US at their own expense in the government’s King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), according to reports.  The inclusion came at the request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif following […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry: Hype or Hope?

    However, current global greenhouse gas (GHG) targets and today’s definition of clean energy highlights the opportunity for emissions management and creates an economic incentive for producers and consumers to decarbonize, each playing a critical role in the energy transition.

  • King Charles III and the Middle East: What can we expect?

    The British royal family have maintained close diplomatic ties with gulf monarchies for decades - and King Charles III is no exception. In the ten years following the Arab Spring uprisings, the heir apparent had at least 95 meetings with Middle Eastern royals and sheikhs, according to investigations by Declassified UK. Overall, members of the royal family had 217 meetings with the region’s monarchies since 2011 - including with Charles' disgraced brother prince Andrew.

  • Why is GCC Inflation So Low?

    Due in part to their large dependence on food imports, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have also experienced rising consumer prices (around 4%) but to a considerably lesser degree than in advanced economies, such as those of the United Kingdom and United States. The idiosyncrasies of the GCC economies account for a significant portion of these divergent experiences, notably their status as energy exporters rather than importers and the abundance of migrant workers in their labor markets.

  • Is Iraq on the brink of a new civil war?

    Whether Prime Minister Kadhimi can bring the dialogue to a successful conclusion is debatable. Unless Sadr agrees to join the talks, they will go nowhere; and so far, he has refused to do so. Simultaneously, Sadr’s strategy to reject any dialogue with his opponents unless they agree to his demands — if, indeed, this truly is a strategy rather than simply a series of emotive and instinctive decisions on his part — will at some point start to show diminishing returns.

  • Who Are the Unhappiest People in the World?

    The high scores for Afghanistan and Lebanon in 2021 notably displaced Iraq -- which still ranked among the top most miserable countries -- from the No. 1 spot on the Negative Experience Index that it had occupied for the two previous years. Iraq posted scores similar to Afghanistan's and Lebanon's current scores throughout its war against the Islamic State group.

  • Is Iran leveraging Ukraine war to access advanced Russian arms?

    The commander of Iran’s Air Force says Tehran plans to buy advanced Sukhoi-35 (Su-35) fighter jets from Russia to renew its aging fleet—an upgrade from previous reported plans to purchase Su-30 aircraft. The announcement follows US allegations that the Islamic Republic is selling drones to Moscow, in what some observers now portray as part of a quid pro quo. The Iranian foreign ministry has neither confirmed nor denied either report but insists that growing cooperation with Russia is not out of the ordinary.

  • Will Seoul and Washington make Riyadh nuclear-weapons ready?

    Only weeks before Biden’s visit, Riyadh invited South Korea, Russia, and China to bid on the construction of two large power reactors. On that bid, Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO) is the most likely winner. KEPCO has already built four reactors for Riyadh’s neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, and is the only vendor to bring a power reactor of its own design online in the Middle East. South Korea also is the only government to provide reliable, generous financing, free of political strings—something neither Moscow nor Beijing can credibly claim.

  • Does Europe’s bumpy road to energy security Lead to the MENA?

    Since the outbreak of the war, the region has become a natural destination for Europe in its growing quest for non-Russian energy resources, with leaders of the EU's economic powers (Germany, France, Italy) repeatedly visiting producers such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. In addition to energy cooperation, this search for diversification offers a valuable tool for enhancing bilateral partnerships and expanding EU-MENA relations in the long term.

  • Does Europe’s bumpy road to energy security Lead to the MENA?

    Since the outbreak of the war, the region has become a natural destination for Europe in its growing quest for non-Russian energy resources, with leaders of the EU's economic powers (Germany, France, Italy) repeatedly visiting producers such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. In addition to energy cooperation, this search for diversification offers a valuable tool for enhancing bilateral partnerships and expanding EU-MENA relations in the long term.

  • Meet Saudi Arabia’s Princess Al Joharah: the fashionable Harvard alum supports women in the workplace, showcases her adorable family life on her Instagram … and owns a sushi restaurant?

    Princess Al Joharah Talal Al Saud is among those who use their platform and influence to promote women’s positions in Saudi society. She also supports them in more practical ways, too, such as championing local craftsmanship and up-and-coming female-owned businesses.