Saudi Arabia

She remains restrained by a travel ban and limits on public appearances

Biden’s Saudi Game of Thrones: Is he trying to Sideline crown prince Bin Salman?

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – BBC Arabic reports that Saudi Twitter has gone wild with responses to the apparent sidelining by President Biden of Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, with many Saudis considering it a humiliation. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said this week that Biden wishes to “recalibrate” the U.S. relationship with Saudi […]

Feminism

Saudi Arabia releases Women’s Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul but Bans her Travel

Human Rights Watch

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities released from prison the prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on February 10, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. However, she is banned from travel and has a suspended sentence, which allows the authorities to return her to prison at any time for any perceived criminal activity. In late December 2020, […]

Authoritarianism

Saudi Arabia: Can America’s Favorite Police State ever Change?

Bill Law

( Middle East Monitor ) – The phone call to the family lasted just one minute. It came 23 months after aid worker Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan had been arrested at the offices of the Red Crescent in Riyadh, where he worked co-ordinating rescue operations and emergency relief. He was held incommunicado despite numerous efforts by the […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis and Water Conflict: How Saudi’s water insecurity led to war in Yemen

Adam Robertson Charlton

Stavanger, Norway (Special to Informed Comment) – In the early hours of 14 September 2019, a fleet of drones attacked the Abqaiq-Khurais oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, the largest oil stabilisation plant in the world. The attack came shortly before Saudi Aramco –the Kingdom’s state-owned oil company – was floated on the market, and Riyadh […]

Houthi

Biden is Right to end US involvement in Bloody Yemen Conflict, but he Needs to end the War itself

Daniel Martin Varisco

Glen Cove, N.Y. (Special to Informed Comment) – President Biden’s about face on Saudi support for the war in Yemen, including setting aside the disastrous idea of designating the Huthis as a unique set of “terrorists”, is a hopeful step, but the road to peace is a steep climb. As noted by a recent report […]

Joe Biden

Can President Biden end the Catastrophic Yemen War? Only if he Acts without Delay

Middle East Monitor

By Tasnim Nazeer | – ( Middle East Monitor) – US President Joe Biden could end the war in Yemen if he acts without delay. Democracy was at the core of his election campaign during which he pledged, inter alia, to end his predecessor’s discriminatory policies, such as the “Muslim ban”. Biden also pledged to […]

Arab Spring

Already a New Boss in Town: Saudis, afraid of Biden, Hurry to End their Blockade on Qatar

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it would lift its land and sea blockade against Qatar, and that Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (the UAE) would allow Qatari aircraft to fly through their air space again. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced their boycott on the small peninsula […]

censorship

Saudi severe Violations of Human Rights Law pose Challenge to new Biden Administration

Middle East Monitor

By Mehmet Rakipoglu | ( Middle East Monitor ) – International human rights law and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not sit together easily. A head of state acting as the “custodian” of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah has not stopped the Saudi authorities from acting against universal human rights, even […]