Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Saudi efforts to attract superstars in entertainment and sports are part of two government programs aimed at transforming the identity of Saudi cities and citizens.
Divergent interests have prolonged the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia for years, yet there are a number of factors that could sustain a new, mutually beneficial relationship.
Household labor has become popular content in a region where the distribution of such tasks is among the world’s most inequitable.
The recent deal in the heart of the Gulf has raised questions about the American position vis-à-vis China.
Riyadh’s biggest takeaways from the China-brokered deal with Iran are decreased military tensions and political independence from Washington.
In formulating energy policies, Saudi policymakers must contend with competing demands and pressures from internal and external sources.
In a vote that highlights the fraught international politics of women’s rights, Iran was recently expelled from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
A Saudi-Emirati-Israeli military alliance is unlikely and runs counter to the Gulf states’ security interests and diplomatic efforts with Iran.
Biden’s visit produced a few tangible gains but also raised questions about the future of Saudi-American relations.
Women empowerment in the Gulf has become a tool of deflection rather than a genuine effort to promote women’s full and equal participation in society.
Terminating the contracts of hundreds of Yemenis in Saudi Arabia constitutes a tremendous political, social, and security hinderance to short and medium-term plans for peace in Yemen.
Measures taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to diversify their economies are beginning to undermine pre-existing social contracts that hinge on the paterfamilias figure of the ruler, the tribal care of the state, and the preservation of cultural norms and citizen privileges.
Saudi Arabia is building a new megacity to woo international partners. But the plans may pit Saudi against its long-time partner, the UAE.
The fruitless protracted blockade of Qatar not only failed to reform Doha’s “destabilizing behaviors,” but also strengthened Iranian-Qatari relations for the foreseeable future.
Mohammed bin Salman’s growing repression emboldens opposition abroad and creates more challenges for the rising leader.
GCC countries are caught up in Chinese-U.S. competition over tech infrastructure. A failure to appease both powers risks endangering critical relationships.
While the Egyptian and Ethiopian dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has high stakes for local stability, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are well-positioned to play a leading role in mediating the conflict.
Saudi Arabia’s economic hurdles also pose as opportunities as the country prepares for a post-pandemic world.
The shifting relationships between armies and civil society are revealing new balances within defense structures.
In the last decade, Saudi Arabia’s approach to the porous frontier with Yemen has gradually shifted from patronage for and cooperation with local tribes to incremental militarization.