Saudi Arabia

China is Front and Center in Saudi-Iran Agreement, as Israel’s Plan for United Front against Tehran Collapses

By Mohammad Makram Balawi ( Middle East Monitor ) – The agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and Iran under Chinese auspices on 6 March aroused much interest in the Arab world, the Middle East and the world in general. It came after a diplomatic break between the two countries in 2016, with a […]

China

Saudi-Iran deal won’t bring Peace to the Middle East but will enhance China’s role as Power Broker

The Conversation

By Simon Mabon, Lancaster University | – (The Conversation) – After more than four decades as seemingly implacable enemies on either side of a deep political-religious divide in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies. The deal, which was signed in Beijing, comes seven years after […]

China

Is China the New Indispensable Nation? Beijing Brokers Iran-Saudi Relations as U.S. and Israel are Sidelined

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In an interview with Al Jazeera English, veteran Washington Iran watcher Hillary Mann Leverett asserted that, in the wake of the reestablishment of Iran-Saudi diplomatic relations in an agreement brokered by Beijing, China is now “the indispensable nation” in the Middle East. She underlined that the United States could not […]

censorship

Protesting the Imprisonment of Professor Awad al-Qarni, Popular Religious Reformer, by Saudi Arabia

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association | – March 09, 2023 His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) +966 11 403 3125 His Royal Highness Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud Crown Prince, Kingdom […]

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and Sport: a strategic Gamble aiming for economic, political and social Goals

The Conversation

By Simon Chadwick, SKEMA Business School | – (The Conversation) – Boxing purists may argue over the sporting value of a fight between a reality TV star and a former YouTube prankster. But the commercial value of the massively hyped event in February 2023 was clear for both the contestants (Tommy Fury and Jake Paul […]

Far Right

Saudi-owned LIV Golf “Sportswashes” Rights Abuses

Human Rights Watch

By Leila Saad, Research Assistant | – ( Human Rights Watch ) – Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is attempting to “sportswash” the country’s egregious record of human rights violations through a new global golf tournament that begins later this month. The Saudi-funded LIV Golf’s 2023 tournament will kick off on February 24 in Mexico […]

Saudi Arabia

Mike Pompeo, seeking White House, runs interference for the Saudis, Trashing murdered Journalist Khashoggi

Michael G. Roskin

Nashville – (Special to Informed Comment) – Mike Pompeo asserts that murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Kashoggi was no mild critic of the Saudi regime but a dangerous radical trying to subvert it. This, I suspect, has been the Saudi line fed to Washington since Kashoggi’s 2018 dismemberment at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Trump […]

Climate Crisis

Desalination could give the Middle East Water without damaging marine Life – but it must be managed carefully

The Conversation

By Jonathan Chenoweth, University of Surrey and Raya A. Al-Masr, University of Surrey | – (The Conversation) – More than 2 billion people live in “water stressed” countries. These are territories where more than 25% of the available freshwater resources are withdrawn for human use each year. Desalination – the process of removing salt from […]