Saudi Arabia

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – After his critical comments in an interview in The Atlantic last month, Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia is going to be awkward, as DPA rightly says. The president accused the Gulf states of always trying to push the US into war for the accomplishment of […]

Egypt

What’s behind Egyptian Protests over Islands given to Saudi Arabia?

contributors

By Ebrahim Shabbir Deen | (Informed Comment) | – – The recent return of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian government signals that the Sisi regime remains in need of external support to buttress its domestic control. The complex nature of the negotiations, and the islands importance to Israel […]

al-Qaeda

Saudis warn they will withdraw $750 Bn. from US economy if 9/11 Bill Passes

contributors

TeleSur | – – The Saudis threatened selling off almost a trillion dollars in U.S. assets if Congress makes it legal to hold Saudi citizens accountable for 9/11. Saudi Arabia has threatened the United States with economic reprisals should the U.S. pass a law allowing for its citizens to hold the oil-rich kingdom responsible for […]

Featured

Saudi’s King Salman in Turkey signals thaw in Ankara-Riyadh Tensions

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is visiting Turkey today, after his trip to Egypt this past weekend (I wrote about that at The Nation). There are things that have driven Saudi Arabia and Turkey apart, and things that have brought them together again. The tensions center on […]

Arms Sales

American Bombs Killing Civilians in Yemen, Report Finds

contributors

By Nika Knight, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – “One of the deadliest strikes against civilians in Yemen’s year-long war involved U.S.-supplied weapons” The year-long campaign of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen reached a new low last month with a deliberate attack on a marketplace full of civilians that killed over 100, including 25 children, […]

Climate Change

3 Surprising reasons Saudi Arabia may be getting out of the Oil Business

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman announced Friday that Saudi Arabia would use its oil assets to back a $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The move suggested to many observers that the kingdom is preparing for a likely end of the petroleum business and transitioning to […]

Displaced and Refugees

Will Western powers Respond to HRW’s demand for arms embargo on Saudi Arabia?

contributors

By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | – – UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – As hundreds of civilians continue to be killed in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, one of the leading human rights organization is calling for an arms embargo – specifically against Saudi Arabia which is leading a coalition of eight countries battling […]

Saudi Arabia

Is Saudi Arabia’s ‘Islamic’ Coalition against Terrorism a Paper Tiger?

Juan Cole

By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/RL ) | – – Saudi Arabia made a splash when it announced the formation of a 34-country "Islamic" alliance against terrorism in December — and followed it up with a massive military exercise that ended last week. The mainly Sunni Muslim coalition — which includes regional power and NATO-member […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Why Isn’t this News? US-Saudi War Helping al-Qaida Flourish in Yemen

contributors

By Bill Hess | (Informed Comment) | – – The just-announced negotiations between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia may or may not lead to a subsiding of hostilities in Yemen, though early signs are that fierce fighting continues. The United States has been helping a Saudi Arabia-led coalition drop bombs on Yemen for nearly a […]