Crossroads Arabia

Take Causeway To Bahrain? Prepare for a Long Wait

Take Causeway To Bahrain? Prepare for a Long Wait

CROSSROADS ARABIA: Traffic across the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain is increasing hugely year on year. What’s to be done?

 Crossroads Arabia

‘Where To, Guv?’: London’s Black Cabs Head to Gulf

‘Where To, Guv?’: London’s Black Cabs Head to Gulf

CROSSROADS ARABIA: A true London icon – the Black Cab – is set to take to the streets in number in Riyadh and Dubai. It’s good the vehicles are so robust.

 Editor, MEP

Wadjda – the official trailer

VIDEO: WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries…

 Steve Royston

‘Wadjda’ – A Beautiful, Nuanced Evocation of Saudi Life

‘Wadjda’ – A Beautiful, Nuanced Evocation of Saudi Life

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s the story of a young girl’s everyday life in Riyadh. How many Saudis, though, will give up the chance to see the latest CGI blockbuster to view it?

 Crossroads Arabia

Saudi Authorities Greet Departure of Morsi With…Delight

Saudi Authorities Greet Departure of Morsi With…Delight

CROSSROADS ARABIA: Most Gulf countries have been circumspect in their reaction to the toppling of Morsi’s government. Not so Saudi Arabia

 Abu Muhammed

Better Than The West: An Immigrant’s View of Saudi Arabia

Better Than The West: An Immigrant’s View of Saudi Arabia

ABU MOHAMMED: Sometimes life in the Kingdom can be more than a little testing but it has unqualified advantages.

 Crossroads Arabia

In Saudi Restaurants ‘A Woman’s Place Is In The Kitchen’

In Saudi Restaurants ‘A Woman’s Place Is In The Kitchen’

At least in restaurants in Saudi Arabia, that’s where women ‘belong’. Arab News reports that the Ministry of Labor still bans women from working as waitresses or cashiers in restaurants, permitting them only to work in kitchens. The reason, of course, is to prevent the ‘mingling’ of the sexes in the workplace. It’s easy to […]

 Steve Royston

‘A Step Backwards?’ Bahrain Set to Curb VoIP Services

‘A Step Backwards?’ Bahrain Set to Curb VoIP Services

STEVE ROYSTON: The reason for the crackdown is predictably ‘security’. The impact on much-needed inward investment may, however, be profound.

 Crossroads Arabia

Grilled Loin of Hyena: A Surprising Saudi Delicacy

Grilled Loin of Hyena: A Surprising Saudi Delicacy

CROSSROADS ARABIA: It may not feature high on the menu at many restaurants around the world but Saudis have a taste for hyena

 Steve Royston

‘The Devil’s Fire’: Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror

‘The Devil’s Fire’: Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror

STEVE ROYSTON: The situation in Syria is so desperate, so serious and so wide-ranging that it has the potential to affect every individual living in the region

 Eman-Al-Nafjan

‘Wadjda’: Is It The First Good Saudi-made Movie?

‘Wadjda’: Is It The First Good Saudi-made Movie?

EMAN AL NAFJAN: Go see it is my recommendation and the movie reminds me of my own childhood growing up in the Kingdom

 Steve Royston

In Praise of The Late Carol Fleming Aka ‘American Bedu’

In Praise of The Late Carol Fleming Aka ‘American Bedu’

STEVE ROYSTON: I was inspired to blog by Carol Fleming. She wrote with great feeling and affection about the country she loved, Saudi Arabia

 Eman-Al-Nafjan

Is It Time for Europe to Ban Saudi Men from Driving?

Is It Time for Europe to Ban Saudi Men from Driving?

EMAN AL NAFJAN: So Kuwait is thinking about changing its laws to suit Saudi Arabia. Maybe it’s time for the European Union to take a leaf out of their book

 Crossroads Arabia

Patenting Disease: Saudi Authorities ‘Must Pay To Protect Citizens’

Patenting Disease: Saudi Authorities ‘Must Pay To Protect Citizens’

CROSSROADS ARABIA: A Dutch laboratory has patented the virus that is currently killing Saudi citizens.

 James M. Dorsey

‘Women Welcome’: Progress But Heat Rises in Saudi Stadiums

‘Women Welcome’: Progress But Heat Rises in Saudi Stadiums

JAMES DORSEY: It’s a significant move by the Saudi authorities but rising discontent is evident on the terraces in the Kingdom

 Eman-Al-Nafjan

Saudi’s ‘White Ribbon Campaign’: Conservatives Lash Out

Saudi’s ‘White Ribbon Campaign’: Conservatives Lash Out

EMAN AL NAFJAN: Saudis are generally at ease with international campaigns such as Breast Cancer Awareness. Why the furore over the White Ribbon campaign?

 Crossroads Arabia

Unsustainable: The Bell Tolls For Subsidies in Saudi Arabia

Unsustainable: The Bell Tolls For Subsidies in Saudi Arabia

CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Herbert Stein Law runs: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” The tautology is starting to surface in Saudi Arabia.

 Tabsir

Thomas Friedman in Yemen: ‘An Innocent Abroad’?

Thomas Friedman in Yemen: ‘An Innocent Abroad’?

DANIEL M. VARISCO: I felt the ghost of Mark Twain speaking to me as I read about Tom Friedman’s latest adventures in Yemen.

 Dhofari Gucci

‘Cover Up Now’: Oman’s Islamists Target School Girls

‘Cover Up Now’: Oman’s Islamists Target School Girls

DHOFARI GUCCI: A disturbing propaganda campaign is being spread throughout schools in Dhofar.

 Tabsir

Banished: The Man Who’s ‘Too Handsome’ For Saudi Arabia

Banished: The Man Who’s ‘Too Handsome’ For Saudi Arabia

DANIEL M. VARISCO: He’s a danger to Saudi society. Women in the Kingdom must be protected from his dazzling good looks. All hail Handsome Omar!