Foreign workers Saudi papers and media outlets have seen an uptick in discussions of foreign workers - probably concerns over Saudi citizens' employment once the economy starts to open up again + reported COVID-19 cases being disproportionately among expatriate workers in the Kingdom. These have ranged from fairly neutral discussions of statistics and labor markets … Continue reading Workers, Finance woes, and Israel (May 1-7)
Coronavirus II
COVID-19, 3D Medical animation (Wikimedia commons) It's getting a bit tricky to keep this updated with everything else going on - spending a fair amount of time at home with the COVID-19 closures and restrictions, but also spending more time on things like grocery shopping than I normally would. Hence no time to review social-media … Continue reading Coronavirus II
Coronavirus
COVID-19 (U.S. Department of State) Government Reactions and Commentary [Update] The government has announced a wave of flight cancellations, although airlines have been left to fill in the details for many cases: First, several MENA destinations along with South Korea and Italy: https://twitter.com/KSAmofaEN/status/1236782999934509056 Then several European destinations, including Germany and France as well as Turkey … Continue reading Coronavirus
The Deal of the Century
The Palestinian Issue Through the (Very Recent) Ages First, check out Ian Black's excellent review of GCC-Israel ties. Now, a look back at the past 5 years or so of prominent commentator Abdelrahman al-Rashed's main articles related to Palestine and the Palestinians. From 2014 - "The Secret of Palestine's Negotiations" I doubt that Kerry’s plan … Continue reading The Deal of the Century
Qassem Suleimani
[To be updated] Official and Semi-official: Restraint The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs was guarded in its official statement, despite implicitly referencing past Iran-associated actions as justification and motivation for the act. The Kingdom “calls for the importance of self-restraint” to avoid “aggravating the situation, with unbearable consequences.” https://twitter.com/KSAmofaEN/status/1213136791966027776 Adel Jubeir (Minister of State for … Continue reading Qassem Suleimani
The Return of Dhari
This holiday week saw the effective return, or at least rehabilitation, of Saud al-Qahtani, once deemed "the loudest and most visible Saudi official" online or off. This came as part of a round of verdicts announced in the trial of those accused of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs made … Continue reading The Return of Dhari
بينساكولا وعزل الرئيس الأمريكي ألخ
بينساكولا اشتباك سعودي مع مدرب. تواصل هيئة التحقيقات الفدرالية إجراء المقابلات مع الجميع في قاعدة بنساكولا البحرية الجوية التي ربما تكون ذات الصلة... بالملازم الثاني محمد الشمراني، وقد ظهر تقرير جديد أن المتدرب السعودي قدم شكوى رسمية في وقت سابق من هذا العام ضد أحد مدربيه، الذي سبب "غضبًا" في محمد الشمراني باستخدام المدرب لقب … Continue reading بينساكولا وعزل الرئيس الأمريكي ألخ
Aramco, Pensacola, Etc.
" Maj. Gen. Terrence J. McKenrick, US Army Central deputy commanding and Gen. Dhafer bin Ali Al-Shehri, Royal Saudi Land Forces northwest area commander, attend the Earnest Leader 17 closing ceremony held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 10, 2017. " U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Hanson Pensacola Shooting After a … Continue reading Aramco, Pensacola, Etc.
Iran, Aramco, and Other Things
"How do we attack Saudi Arabia?" - Fahad al-Khamisi, Al-Eqtisadiah, 11.19.2019 Iran Iran has been a consistent topic of discussion in recent weeks, owing to the framing of uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq as anti-Iranian revolts, protests within Iran itself, and lengthy investigations involving leaked documents that ran in the NYT and the Intercept this … Continue reading Iran, Aramco, and Other Things
Riyadh Agreement and Aramco IPO (11/4 to 11/11)
Riyadh Agreement One of the top stories for local media and commentary was the signing of the Riyadh Agreement, which "ended a three-month standoff that threatened to split the anti-Huthi bloc." (Peter Salisbury, ICG). A wide range of commentary presented this is a major diplomatic triumph for the Kingdom: Yemen could have been tossed into … Continue reading Riyadh Agreement and Aramco IPO (11/4 to 11/11)
