Saudi Chairmanship of G20 Proves a Mixed Blessing

Saudi Arabia’s chairmanship of the Group of Twenty (G20) is proving to be a mixed blessing. The country and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman saw the kingdom’s chairmanship as an opportunity to showcase its leadership and ability to be a visionary global player. But plans to dazzle the grouping and the international community with glamorous events at which officials, experts, analysts, and faith representatives would develop proposed cutting-edge solutions for global problems at a time of geopolitical rivalry and jockeying for a new world order had to be shelved as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the worst global economic downturn since World War II.

The Pakistan-Saudi Spat: Hitting the Kingdom Where It Hurts

A rift between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia throws deepening fissures in the Muslim world into sharp relief. Coupled with the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and myriad conflicts in the Middle East, the dispute poses serious challenges to Saudi Arabia’s quest for geopolitical and religious leadership of the Muslim world.

Indonesia: A Major Prize in the Battle for the Soul of Islam

Saudi support for religious ultra-conservatism in Indonesia contradicts Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s promotion of an undefined form of moderate Islam intended to project his kingdom as tolerant, innovative, and forward-looking. It also suggests that Saudi Arabia is willing to work with the Muslim Brotherhood despite its denunciation of the group as a terrorist organization.

How Western Institutions Benefit from Corrupt Islamists in Saudi Arabia

The recent revelations about Sa’ad Jabri, an Islamist and corrupt former Saudi intelligence officer, highlight the discrepancy between Western institutions' criticism of Saudi Arabia in the name of human rights and their support for the former officials most responsible for human rights abuses and security threats associated with the Kingdom. A tangled web of relations between pro-Brotherhood Muhammad bin Nayef regime apparatchiks, pro-Qatar members of US law enforcement (like Ali Soufan), and ideologically sympathetic intermediaries (like Jamal Khashoggi) are threatened by Muhammad bin Salman's reforms.

Freedom of Speech in Saudi Arabia

Dr. Edy Cohen
July 19, 2020
Paper No. 1650

Saudi journalist Abdul Hamid Ghabin has appeared multiple times in the international media, including the Israeli media, to express support for Israel. On live broadcasts from Riyadh, one of the most conservative states in the Persian Gulf and an absolute monarchy, Ghabin—who once opposed normalization with Israel—has criticized both the Palestinians and Iran and has spoken openly about his support for Israel’s proposed sovereignty plan for parts of the West Bank. He now languishes in prison on false allegations and faces a possible sentence of at least 10 years.

Qatar’s Anti-Saudi Seeds of the Islamist Quartet

Irina Tsukerman
July 2, 2020
Paper No. 1622

The Islamist Quartet consists of Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The seeds of its agenda were planted by Qatari Emir Hamad’s and Libyan dictator Muammar Qhaddafi’s plot to take down the Saudi royal family and divide the Kingdom. Qatari lobbyists have since managed to bury the long history and strategic depth of these relationships by reshaping the narrative with a focus on the 2017 Gulf Crisis.

Saudi Arabia’s Problems: Coronavirus, the Economy, and Geopolitics

Combatting the coronavirus pandemic and coping with its economic fallout may be Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s most immediate challenge. Equally urgent is repairing strained relations with the US and ensuring the kingdom’s competitiveness with Iran as the two rivals compete for China’s favor.

Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the USA: Slippery Oil Triangle

Jonathan Ariel
May 6, 2020
Paper No. 1552

Oil relationships are as unstable and volatile as romantic ones. Following a deadlocked OPEC summit in February, Moscow and Riyadh announced they would ramp up production, sending already low prices tumbling. Since both countries’ budgets are almost entirely dependent on energy exports, this suggests they have decided geopolitical interests trump purely economic ones.

Coronavirus Threatens to Drive Wedge into US-Gulf Relations

It is early days, but first indications are that the global coronavirus pandemic is entrenching long-drawn Middle Eastern geopolitical, political, ethnic, and sectarian battle lines rather than serving as a vehicle to build bridges and boost confidence. Gulf states are taking contradictory approaches to the problem of ensuring that entrenched conflicts do not spiral out of control as they battle the pandemic and struggle to cope with the economic fallout.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Both Persecute Religious and Ethnic Minorities

A series of recent measures in Saudi Arabia and Iran that gravely violate the rights of religious and ethnic minorities call into question their moral claims of adhering to core faith-based values of mercy and compassion.