As the World Splits Over Ukraine, Saudi Arabia Must Race to Secure Its Diversification Strategies

For Saudi Arabia, the fighting in Ukraine is a distant European war, but the fallout is nonetheless reaching Riyadh by upending oil markets and the post-Cold War world order. In addition to potentially expediting the global transition to renewables, the West's sweeping economic sanctions on Russia are rapidly drawing new lines in the sand that could complicate Saudi Arabia's push to gain more strategic independence from the United States and its allies. And as a result, the oil-rich Arab Gulf country will be forced to quickly update its playbooks, from Vision 2030 to its defense and diplomatic diversification plans. ...