Saudi’s ‘Dear Diary’ Day: US Now Top Oil Producer
CROSSROADS ARABIA: It’s a significant moment that’s certainly not lost on the government and people of the Kingdom
‘Oil in the West Bank’: Guess Who’s Claiming It?
JONATHAN COOK: It’s clear that Israeli policy is to ensure that any possibility of a future Palestinian state being economically viable remains very remote
Why Are There So Few Good Books About Saudi Arabia?
STEVE ROYSTON: A recently published book on the Kingdom seems to be designed to pander to all of the usual Western prejudices. Why so?
The Trench Revisited: Another View of Saudi, Oil and Progress
The Trench is the second in a quintet that explores the corruption of society by oil, and of those who extracted it, exploited it and enriched themselves in the process.
STEVE ROYSTON: The Trench is the second in a quintet that explores the corruption of society by oil, and of those who extracted it, exploited it and enriched themselves in the process.
China and Middle East Oil, A Strategic Interest
China is taking a close interest in the Arab world as a source of its oil. It cares little about the politics of the region and cares less about who is in charge of Syria, but it desperately wants secure supplies of oil since 51 per cent — an astonishingly high quantity — of all its crude imports come from the Middle East.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: China is taking a close interest in the Arab world as a source of its oil. It cares little about the politics of the region and cares less about who is in charge of Syria, but it desperately wants secure supplies.
Elias Khoury’s ‘Beautiful Letter’ to Bab Al Shams
M. LYNX-QUALEY: The novelist Elias Khoury has written a letter to Palestinians who began building a village on land seized by Israel. A haunting, elegiac letter
Corruption ‘On the Increase’ Across Arab World
NADA AKL, CGNEWS: Corruption is so deeply ingrained in societies across the Arab world that promoting transparency seems an almost hopeless task
2012: Top 10 Developments in the Middle East
JUAN COLE: It’s been another extraordinary year across the Middle East. Here is my take on the most significant changes this year
Riyadh’s DQ: The Oasis that Became A Ghetto
AHMED AL OMRAN: It was supposed to be a model to inspire the development of modern Riyadh. So what’s gone wrong with Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter?
The ‘Immortal Olive Tree’: Part of Every Palestinian
MICH CAFE: More than 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed last year by Israeli settlers. A well-thought through assault
The ‘Educational Revolution’ That Is Transforming Saudi Arabia
ROB L. WAGNER: Free education overseas for Saudi nationals is having a massive effect on Saudi society.
Flexibility: Islamists First Great Test in the Face of RealPolitik
FRANCIS MATTHEW: Now that they have been elected into power they are being forced to demonstrate their commitment to pluralism. This is a challenge they did not plan for.
Healthcare in Saudi, the US and UK: Who does it Right?
STEVE ROYSTON: In one respect he is fortunate: Saudi has abundant resources to throw at these problems, unlike the US and the UK, where health services are competing for funds.
Could Saudi Arabia become a Net Oil Importer?
CROSSROADS ARABIA: If the rate continues as it is going, Saudi Arabia could be a net importer of oil in 17 years’ time. That’s plausible, based on the figures, but unlikely…
Jeddah: The Sculptural Capital of the Arab World
SUSIE OF ARABIA: It’s a little known fact but the original work of some of the world’s most famous sculptors is scattered throughout the Saudi port city.
Is Rachel Corrie the ‘Anne Frank’ Of Our Time?
JENNIFER LOEWENSTEIN, MONDOWEISS: Both individuals wrote diaries about their experience of oppression. Only one, however, is globally celebrated.
Saudis’ Water Consumption ‘Unsustainable’
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Advances in solar power and nuclear plants will help Saudis address their energy issues but water consumption is a major issue.
Arab Springs Eternal: Evolution of a Revolution
JAMES M. DORSEY: The civil war in Syria dominates the news the wave of protests in the smaller cities of Arab states foretells a groundswell of mass demonstration.
The Great and Not-So-Great About Ramadan
SUSAN AL SHAHRI: As the Holy Month draws to a close I find myself contemplating the various aspects of a modern day Ramadan
China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’
FRANCIS MATTHEW: Arab concerns are largely irrelevant to the Chinese as Beijing looks to reinforce its self-perception as the premier Asian power.
