Saudi Arabia

List of Saudi Arabia articles

A plaque used to reserve the seat of the delegation from Israel, is seen during the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on Sept. 11.
A plaque used to reserve the seat of the delegation from Israel, is seen during the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on Sept. 11.

Bibi’s Dead-End Road to Riyadh

Netanyahu wants a normalization deal with the Saudis, but his hard-right coalition partners will undermine his plans.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Ethiopian migrants walk on foot along a highway to cross into Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 23, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen.
Ethiopian migrants walk on foot along a highway to cross into Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 23, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen.

Biden Is Letting Saudi Arabia Get Away With Murder, Again

Riyadh’s forces are killing defenseless Ethiopian migrants at its border, and Washington and its allies don’t seem to care.

A Saudi man wearing a white traditional headdress walks past a framed Andy Warhol artwork.
A Saudi man wearing a white traditional headdress walks past a framed Andy Warhol artwork.

Saudi Arabia Really Wants You to Think It’s Cool

The desert kingdom’s rebranding project goes way beyond sportswashing. But it’s all a little too contrived.

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo runs across the grass on a pitch as he celebrates a goal. Ronaldo's arms are outstretched, and he sticks out his tongue as he looks up at the crowd in the stands.
Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo runs across the grass on a pitch as he celebrates a goal. Ronaldo's arms are outstretched, and he sticks out his tongue as he looks up at the crowd in the stands.

The Gulf Is Playing Hardball With European Soccer

Critics say petrodollars are wrecking the beautiful game—in a way that rubles, euros, and baht never quite did.

An Iranian holds a cardboard cutout of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a demonstration against airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi and allied positions in Yemen, outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, on April 13, 2015.
An Iranian holds a cardboard cutout of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a demonstration against airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi and allied positions in Yemen, outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, on April 13, 2015.

Peace With Israel Means War With Iran

There’s a dangerous flip side to Saudi Arabia’s potential new diplomatic deal.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with fellow BRICS leaders Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a family photo, along with delegates from six nations invited to join the alliance at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. they stand on a stage and wave and smile.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with fellow BRICS leaders Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a family photo, along with delegates from six nations invited to join the alliance at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. they stand on a stage and wave and smile.

BRICS Expansion Is No Triumph for China

But it is a warning shot for the West to end its strategic slumber in the global south.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, pauses after drawing a red line on a graphic of a bomb while discussing Iran during an address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2012 in New York.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, pauses after drawing a red line on a graphic of a bomb while discussing Iran during an address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2012 in New York.

Bibi Isn’t Serious About Preventing a Regional Nuclear Arms Race

Benjamin Netanyahu has long warned of the perils of a nuclear Middle East. Now he seems willing to allow Saudi nukes in exchange for normalization.

Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16.
Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16.

The Arab Gulf’s New Nationalism

Ambitious leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are restructuring national identity to solidify their rule.

Li and Mishustin walk down a red carpet flanked by Chinese military members.
Li and Mishustin walk down a red carpet flanked by Chinese military members.
Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum.
Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum.

How Sudan Became a Saudi-UAE Proxy War

Gulf heavyweights view the conflict as an opportunity to cement their hegemonic status in the Middle East.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greet at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 15, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greet at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 15, 2022.

America Is Pushing Its Security Ideas on a Lukewarm Middle East

Rare consensus in Washington is an opportunity the Gulf countries and Israel should not waste.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in Tehran.

The Middle East Might Be Moving Toward Stability

Heightened great power competition is allowing nations to make deals in their own best interests.

Abraham Ancer of Mexico looks on during Day Four of the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 05, 2023 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia.
Abraham Ancer of Mexico looks on during Day Four of the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 05, 2023 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia.

The International Relations of Saudi Arabia’s Golf Empire

What the latest dealmaking in professional golf reveals about foreign policy.

Alireza Bigdeli, Ali Al-Yousef, and others cut a red ribbon outside of the Iranian Embassy building.
Alireza Bigdeli, Ali Al-Yousef, and others cut a red ribbon outside of the Iranian Embassy building.

Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement Has Failed to Bring De-escalation

From Syria to Israel’s borders to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian de-escalation is nowhere to be found.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.

6 Swing States Will Decide the Future of Geopolitics

These middle powers of the global south should be the focus of U.S. policy.

Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds meetings at the State Department in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021.
Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds meetings at the State Department in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021.

Is Saudi-Israeli Normalization Worth It?

It would be a dramatic accomplishment, but not nearly as transformational as many may think.

An image depicting former Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Saud (left), King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen on a building in Riyadh on April 16.
An image depicting former Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Saud (left), King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen on a building in Riyadh on April 16.

Saudi Arabia Is Extremely Popular in the Middle East

Mohammed bin Salman’s middle finger to Washington is burnishing Riyadh’s image.

Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)

What Saudi Arabia’s Reconciliation With Iran Means for the Region

Plus: How could this affect the conflicts in Yemen and Syria?

Newspapers in Tehran feature stories about the China-brokered deal to restore ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia on March 11.
Newspapers in Tehran feature stories about the China-brokered deal to restore ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia on March 11.

Adam Tooze: A New Middle East?

How the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia could reorder the region.

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