Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Politics

Military & Security

A plane carrying around 100 of Suadi Arabia's Houthi rebel prisoners arrived in Aden, Yemen, where the Red Cross will help facilitate their transfer back to Houthi territory as part of an overall cessation of fighting in Yemen, the AP reported May 6.

Yemen, Saudia Arabia: Saudis to Transfer Prisoners to Houthis as Part of Cease-fire

The Yemen Civil War

Security

The Saudi Survival Strategy

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss economic relations and regional developments, Al Jazeera reported April 28.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Turkish President Visits Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah

Turkey's Resurgence

Iran

Iran and Saudi Arabia held their fifth round of bilateral talks in Iraq on April 21, and the two sides discussed visa allotments for Iranians who are making their hajj pilgrimages, politically settling the Yemen conflict, and other matters, Al Jazeera reported April 23.

Iran, Saudi Arabia: Countries Hold Fifth Round of De-escalation Talks

Iran's Arc of Influence

Economics

A Turkish prosecutor has asked an Istanbul court to dismiss the charges related to the 2018 Saudi-ordered assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and allow the case to be transferred to Saudi Arabia, the Hurriyet Daily News reported March 31.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey: Ankara Proposes Transferring Khasshogi Case to Riyadh

Israel

Mohammed Alyahya, a former editor for Dubai-based news channel Al Arabiya, wrote an op-ed in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post on March 29.

Israel, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Op-ed in The Jerusalem Post Continues Alternative Normalization

Israel's Survival Strategy

On March 29, Saudi Arabia planned to host talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) about ceasefire strategies in the ongoing war in Yemen, but the Houthi movement boycotted the talks because they were being held in Saudi Arabia, the AP reported the same day.

Saudi Arabia, Yemen: GCC to Hold Peace Talks Without Houthis

China

Energy

Saudi Arabia and China are discussing ways to price some of state-owned energy company Saudi Aramco's oil sales to China in yuan, The Wall Street Journal reported March 15.

Saudi Arabia, China: Talks Over Trading Oil in Yuan Remain Mostly Symbolic

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Iran suspended a round of regional talks with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh executed 81 people on March 12 in the largest mass execution in Saudi history, The Guardian reported March 13.

Saudi Arabia, Iran: Tehran Calls off Talks After Riyadh Conducts Mass Executions

Oil made Saudi Arabia rich, but it also stunted its ability to diversify its economy — much more so than its fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The government in Riyadh has therefore embarked on an ambitious reform plan to lure investment to the private sector — investment it will sorely need to ensure the comfort levels to which its citizens have grown accustomed. But the plan, as envisioned, is untenable, mostly because the government has set an unrealistic timetable for its completion. But all the time in the world wouldn’t make it any less difficult to recruit and train native workers and attract foreign businesses.

Oil made Saudi Arabia rich, but it also stunted its ability to diversify its economy.

United States

Bahrain

Kuwait

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

Social Issues

The Jihadist Wars

Assessments

A photo taken in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 21, 2022, shows people walking under mock drones and missiles set up by supporters of the country's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which earlier conducted attacks against Saudi energy facilities.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

With Washington focused elsewhere, Riyadh will increasingly look to countries like China and Turkey to mitigate pressing threats from Yemen and Iran.


Waning U.S. Interest Will Compel Saudi Arabia to Find Other Security Partners

Columns

On Geopolitics

A worker at one of the stands at Saudi Arabia's first World Defense Show in Riyadh is seen wearing clothes in support of Ukraine on March 8, 2022.

The West's sweeping sanctions on Russia are rapidly drawing new lines in the sand that are inching closer to Riyadh's economic, defense and diplomatic interests.

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

Saudi-backed government troops repel a Houthi rebel offensive in Yemen’s oil-rich Marib province on Feb. 14, 2021. 

As the 7-year civil conflict grinds on, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis will deepen and a peace deal will become harder to reach. 

Yemen Braces for Another Year of Devastating War

Guidance

Journalists watch Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (center right) welcome Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (center left) on a screen ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the Saudi city of al-Ula on Jan. 5, 2021. 

Developments like a more aggressive Iran or a resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood could still see Riyadh retake an aggressive stance against Doha.

The Threats to Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s Post-Blockade Detente

The flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel are seen outside a meeting at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. on Oct. 14, 2021. 

Guided by the UAE’s success, Riyadh will find clever and covert ways to gradually reshape public opinion toward normalization.

In Normalizing Ties With Israel, Saudi Arabia Will Copy the UAE’s Playbook

Members of Kuwait’s stateless Bidoon community protest to demand citizenship and other rights in Jahra, northwest of Kuwait City, in December 2011. 

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Compared with Qatar and the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will be much slower to naturalize the descendants of desert nomads living within their borders.

What Greater GCC Citizenship Means for the Arab Gulf’s Stateless Residents

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) sits next to UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (right) during an investment summit in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Oct. 24, 2018.

The once-close Saudi-Emirati relationship is fraying amid overlapping economic interests and strategic differences on issues like Yemen. 

The Inevitable Unraveling of Saudi-UAE Ties

Iraq

Lebanon

A fighter with forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government holds a position against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the northeastern province of Marib on April 6, 2021. 

Bilateral talks between two of the Middle East’s biggest rivals could de-escalate conflict in areas where they both have influence, including Yemen.

Can Saudi Arabia and Iran Ease Tensions? 

Snapshots

An F-35 military aircraft participates in a NATO training exercise in the Netherlands.

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The White House is expected to approve some weapons deals, but only if Abu Dhabi and Riyadh’s behavior stays aligned with U.S. regional goals.


UAE and Saudi Policy Changes Pave the Way for U.S. Arms Sales

Houthi rebels hold a funeral for fighters killed in Marib, Yemen, on March 23, 2021. 

The ongoing fighting will pressure Washington into helping Riyadh blunt more Houthi advances that would worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis. 


In Yemen, Another Failed Saudi Cease-Fire Will Force U.S. Support

Indonesia

Malaysia

India

Pakistan

Hajj pilgrims gather around the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 2, 2020.

Environment, Science & Technology

Slow COVID-19 vaccine rollouts across the Muslim world portend another lackluster pilgrimage, depriving the kingdom of crucial tourism revenue. 

Without Vaccines, Saudi Efforts to Restore Hajj 2021 Won’t Be Enough

COVID-19

A Houthi fighter stands outside at a funeral for rebels killed in Marib, Yemen, on Feb. 28, 2021. 

U.S.-Saudi efforts to end Yemen’s war may soon face a major blow, as Houthis rebels inch closer to seizing the resource-rich city of Marib. 

The Saudi Survival Strategy

SITUATION REPORTS

Yemen, Saudia Arabia: Saudis to Transfer Prisoners to Houthis as Part of Cease-fire

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Turkish President Visits Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah

Iran, Saudi Arabia: Countries Hold Fifth Round of De-escalation Talks

Saudi Arabia, Turkey: Ankara Proposes Transferring Khasshogi Case to Riyadh

Israel, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Op-ed in The Jerusalem Post Continues Alternative Normalization

Saudi Arabia, Yemen: GCC to Hold Peace Talks Without Houthis

Saudi Arabia, China: Talks Over Trading Oil in Yuan Remain Mostly Symbolic

Saudi Arabia, Iran: Tehran Calls off Talks After Riyadh Conducts Mass Executions

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