“That Saudi officials want de-escalation in the Gulf is new evidence of an evolving strategy for a more pragmatic management of regional challenges. In the aftermath of the September 14, 2019, attacks on Aramco, the crown prince expressed a similar de-escalatory tone in a TV interview. Yet this new pragmatism seems not to have factored into the U.S. calculus, as the assassination of Solemaini has put the kingdom in Iran’s crosshairs.”
–Yasmine Farouk, commenting in an article for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, assessing Riyadh’s take on the Soleimani killing. [carnegieendowment.org/]
“30,000 new licenses had been issued [to women drivers] between February and March this year, a positive and encouraging increase which has nearly doubled the number of female drivers on Saudi roads after a slow uptake which saw only 40,000 licenses issued in the first six months of 2018.”
-The Saudi Gazette, in a report on the impact that women drivers are having on the Saudi automotive market. [Saudi Gazette]
“Recent figures from global research and analytics firm, Aranca revealed that 30,000 new licenses [to female drives] had been issued between February and March 2019, a positive and encouraging increase which has nearly doubled the number of female drivers on Saudi roads after a slow uptake which saw only 40,000 licenses issued in the first six months of 2018.”
The Saudi Gazette reports on the how the influx of Saudi women drivers is shaping the automotive market in the kingdom.
“We should all be bracing for a ferocious response. The stage is set for a retaliatory spiral that could keep markets on edge well into 2020.”
–Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets, on what to expect from markets this week in the wake of the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani. The killing reverberated through Middle Eastern markets, sending stocks nosediving and setting the tone for what’s likely to be a volatile week. [Bloomberg.com]
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week…This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
–The U.S. Department of Defense, in a statement last night confirming that it had taken “decisive defensive action” by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. [Defense.gov]
“Saudi’s historic sites appear to be an important attraction for tourists to the Kingdom. Amongst those surveyed by YouGov, over one in five (22%) are keen to visit Jeddah’s historic old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, another UNESCO site, previously only known to a few travellers, is gaining a following amongst Chinese millennials. Al Ula now tops the list of destinations in the Arab world of a third of Chinese tourists under the age of 35. Italians top the list with 35% surveyed saying they would be more likely to visit Saudi Arabia following the new visa launch. British tourists were 15% more likely just ahead of Americans at 14%.”
-YouGov.com, in a recent poll conducted on the Kingdom’s burgeoning tourism market. [Press Release]
“The overall economy was weighed down by shrinkage of 6.4% in the country’s oil sector, according to data released Tuesday by the General Authority for Statistics. Overall growth for 2019 is expected to accelerate to a modest 0.4%, according to the latest government estimates, before climbing to 2.3% next year.”
–Abeer Abu Omar, Bloomberg journalist, reporting about the Saudi economy in 2019 and projections for 2020. [Bloomberg.com]
“On the non-oil side, growth seems to be evolving pretty much as we expected. Confidence in the economy seems to be better now than a few years ago and we would expect private sector momentum to be there even if government spending slows.”
Tim Callen, Saudi Arabia mission chief to the IMF, speaking with S&P Global about IMF projections for the Saudi economy in 2020.
“We wanted to appeal to young job seekers in the Kingdom by offering them a fun and simple way to apply to McDonald’s. Our main purpose was to make the application process instantaneous and accessible and Snapchat is the perfect channel to reach the target audience given its widespread popularity among them.”
–Mohamed Alireza, Deputy General Manager of Reza Food Services Limited, McDonald’s Western and Southern regions, in comments about how his company used a Snapchat campaign to hire Saudis. The effort netted 42,000 applications; far surpassing its goal of 10,000. [Campaignme.com]
“We will face criticism whether we do something or we don’t…Saudi Arabia is going through a transformation. We were always criticized that we are not opening up to the world, we’re not doing anything in the kingdom, we’re not opening up to tourism…Sports has been a tool for social change within the kingdom.”
–Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, the 36-year-old head of Saudi Arabia ‘s General Sports Authority, in an interview with the AP about the numerous major sporting events now being hosted by the country. [Associated Press]
