“Our posture in the region does make a difference. Iran carefully watches what we do. When we draw down our forces and couple that with inept policy messaging that our singular focus is now on the Asia Pacific, we don’t give assurance to our friends in the region and we do give confidence to our potential enemies in the region.” Frank McKenzie, retired Marine general who led U.S. Central Command from 2019 to 2022, War in the Middle East Challenges Biden’s Defense Strategy [WSJ]
“What I’ve heard from virtually every partner was a determination, a shared view that we have to do everything possible to make sure this doesn’t spread to other places; a shared view to safeguard innocent lives; a shared view to get assistance to Palestinians in Gaza who need it, and we’re working very much on that.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s Remarks to the Press [State.gov]
“The Saudis, and the Emiratis, and other Arab nations understand that their security and stability is enhanced if there’s normalization of relations with Israel.”
President Joe Biden, in comments to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley on the status of the previously-reported deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia which was thrown into uncertainty following the ongoing conflict in Gaza. [ABC/60 Minutes]
“DAZN has an unparalleled commitment to the growth and development of women’s football. The addition of the Saudi Women’s Premier League allows us to further elevate the game, and support women and girls who play and watch football. We have been following closely the progress of the women’s game in Saudi Arabia since they launched their first national league in 2020, and we are thrilled to support the league in the next phase of its development.” DAZN further invests in women’s football with deal to broadcast Saudi Women’s Premier League [DAZN]
“Climate change doesn’t only challenge our environment, it affects every facet of our lives, our health, food, water, as well as our economy. Our actions today will decide whether we can weather these challenges or face irreversible damages.”
-Princess Mashael AlShalan Al-Saud, from the AEON Collective, which co-authored a report on climate change with KAUST and KAPSARC. The report, entitled “Climate Futures Report: Saudi Arabia in a 3-Degrees Warmer World,” highlights the stark reality that Saudi Arabia is witnessing climate change at an accelerated pace compared to other regions. [Arab News]
“Well with everything I’ve made and gained with Real Madrid, I think it was for me the good moment to try a new challenge…For a really long time even before football, I always wanted to come here. Also, it’s a Muslim country. Straight away I felt this love for me. On and off the pitch I feel good. This country welcomed me with open arms. I feel the love of the people here so obviously that makes me happy.”
-Karim Benzema, 2022 Ballon d’Or winner who joined Al Ittihad this summer. [Saudi Pro League website]
“The global economy continues to recover from the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis. In retrospect, the resilience has been remarkable. Despite war-disrupted energy and food markets and unprecedented monetary tightening to combat decades-high inflation, economic activity has slowed but not stalled. Even so, growth remains slow and uneven, with widening divergences. The global economy is limping along, not sprinting. According to our latest projections, world economic growth will slow from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3 percent this year and 2.9 percent next year, a 0.1 percentage point downgrade for 2024 from July. This remains well below the historical average.”
Resilient Global Economy Still Limping Along, With Growing Divergences [IMF]
“My personal preference is if we could do it by 2040 or 2045 [but] we don’t want to make a commitment that we cannot deliver,” Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the audience at MENA Climate Week in Riyadh.
“We believe we can achieve it by 2060 or earlier and that’s why in the Paris Agreement we were clear with everybody that we have a baseline and that baseline will determine how we can progress with our economic diversity,” he added.
While Riyadh is currently targets a 2060 deadline for net-zero emissions, state oil company Saudi Aramco is in line with most global ambitions and intends to reach its goal by 2050.
“My personal preference is if we could do it by 2040 or 2045 [but] we don’t want to make a commitment that we cannot deliver. We believe we can achieve it by 2060 or earlier and that’s why in the Paris Agreement we were clear with everybody that we have a baseline and that baseline will determine how we can progress with our economic diversity.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, told the audience at MENA Climate Week in Riyadh. [S&P Global]
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The two discussed the most recent developments related to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. The Secretary encouraged Saudi Arabia’s continued engagement and highlighted the United States’ unwavering focus on halting the terrorist attacks by Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.”
-A readout of Secretary Blinken’s call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza. [State.gov]
