Let’s start with three interconnected multipolar-driven facts. First: One of the key take aways from the World Economic Forum annual shindig in Davos, Switzerland is when Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, on a panel on “Saudi Arabia’s Transformation,” made it clear that Riyadh “will consider trading in currencies other than the US dollar.” So is…
“An unexpected result of Yemen’s war: More men are cooking and cleaning,” The Washington Post reported in 2016 on the social and cultural impact of the war in Yemen. The seemingly good side of this U.S.-sponsored genocide: gender equality! The fact that Yemeni men, provided they have not yet been blown to pieces by American…
Consider this, Consider this the hint of the centuryConsider this, the slip, that dropped me to my knees, failed.What if all these fantasies come flailing around?And now, I’ve said…. too much— R.E.M. – Losing My Religion I probably should have codified these before the turn of the new year but I didn’t even think of…
Qatar 2022 put the myth of a separation of sports and politics to bed. Like in Qatar, human, worker, and LGBT rights are likely to be left, right, and centre as other Gulf and North African states move centre stage as hosts of and bidders for some of the world’s foremost mega-sporting events, the 2030…
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia in early December received widespread acclaim and highly positive publicity in numerous countries around the world. First and foremost, it was a successful state reception in Riyadh, the likes of which have not been organized for any statesman from the West, not to mention the hostile meeting…
The pomp and ceremony of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia has drawn comparison with the banality and frigid atmosphere surrounding US President Joe Biden’s trip to the kingdom in July. However, the main difference is that the Saudis organized three separate regional summits for Xi – aside from the bilateral summit,…
