Saudi Arabia Braces for Tougher Post-Election U.S. Attitude

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

Mohammed bin Salman: Too Big to Fail

by Thomas W. Lippman A month after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, an international consensus is emerging about how to respond: deplore the crime, demand justice, but don’t cut ties with the kingdom.… Continue Reading

Desert Chieftains, Modern World

by Richard Sindelar As the Riyadh Comedy Club’s hit show, “How Am I Gonna Explain It Today” keeps ‘em rolling in the aisles, media pundits, analysts, and a wide range of governments are sorting through the dislocations, damage, and even… Continue Reading

Turkey and Kuwait: A New Regional Alliance?

by Javad Heiran-Nia and Somayeh Khomarbaghi NATO member Turkey recently signed a joint defense plan for 2019 aimed at enhancing military cooperation with Kuwait. Bilateral relations between the two countries have strengthened in recent years with deals in several realms,… Continue Reading

The Politics of the Turkish-Saudi Clash

by Eldar Mamedov As Saudi Arabia improvises cover-ups of the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a dedicated group of pundits goes into an overdrive trying to minimize the blow to Saudi Arabia’s international reputation. One of the strategies they… Continue Reading