The Dark Motives Behind Saudi Arabia’s Push for Gulf Unity

January 13, 2021

It took Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman three years and six months to come to the same conclusion that some of us reached days into the blockade of Qatar: that it was doomed to failure. The pro…

Saudi Crown Prince was Reluctant to Back US Attack on Iran

November 30, 2020

Opinion

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was reluctant to accede to demands from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an attack on Iran when they met last Sunday in Neom, Saudi sources …

For Trump’s Middle East Allies, Joe Biden Is a New Nightmare

November 19, 2020

Opinion

You can detect the shadow of Donald Trump fading from the Middle East in the nervous twitches of his closest allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accelerating settlements before the in…

Blood and Oil: Saudi Palace Gossip, Orientalism and MbS’s Invisible War

September 23, 2020

Books

It was the enduring image from Donald Trump’s 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia, in his first trip abroad as president of the United States. In it, Trump appeared alongside Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Egy…

Twilight in the Desert for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman?

September 22, 2020

Opinion

It appears as if Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is on a mission to destroy the world oil giant by one after the other ill-conceived economic decisions. Now, as MbS orders yet …

Saudi Purge: Why Mohammed bin Salman Can Never Rest

September 13, 2020

Opinion

The removal of military commander Prince Fahd bin Turki is the latest in a series of purges carried out by the paranoid crown prince. There have been at least five major purges and one mass execution&…

Mohammed bin Salman Pulls Out of Planned Meeting in Washington with Netanyahu

August 26, 2020

Opinion

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, pulled out of a planned visit to Washington DC next week to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he feared that the news had …

Saudi Arabia: Ambitious Plans and Facts on the Ground

July 25, 2020

Opinion

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to implement an ambitious $800 billion initiative aimed at increasing the size of Riyadh in the next decade, and at transforming the capital into an economic, social a…