by Thomas W. Lippman There’s no telling how much it cost Saudi Arabia to stage that lavish three-summit extravaganza in Mecca last week, but on the surface it appeared that the Saudis got their money’s worth. King Salman presided and,… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh The American-Saudi strategic relationship, which began in the 1940s after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt met with the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud, has reached a critical juncture and should be reset. The two… Continue Reading
by James M. Dorsey Saudi Arabia is bracing itself for a potentially more strained relationship with the United States in the wake of Democrats gaining control of the House of Representatives in this week’s mid-term elections and mounting Turkish efforts… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh Anyone who follows how the tribal regimes in the Persian Gulf operate in their state-fiefdoms knows that no major decision—political, economic, social, military—is made domestically and internationally without the knowledge and approval of the senior leadership, particularly… Continue Reading
by James M. Dorsey A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticizing Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott… Continue Reading