Mohammed bin Salman
All topics-
Politics, inequality and a lack of transparency
Coronavirus and the Middle East's ongoing state of emergency
Plagued by troubled state-citizen relationships on the one hand and conflict on the other, states in the Middle East could discover new uses for COVID-19 lockdown measures. By Abdalhadi Alijla
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COVID-19 pandemic
A golden opportunity for Middle East autocrats?
When it comes to tackling the coronavirus pandemic, Middle Eastern autocrats are keenly following China's lead. An analysis by Thomas Demmelhuber and Tobias Zumbraegel
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Rentier economies and the clean-energy transition
Cashing out – Saudi Arabia’s radical new oil strategy
Though coinciding with the coronavirus crisis, Saudi Arabia's recent decision to hike oil production reflects a more fundamental strategic shift. By Bernard Haykel
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Press freedom under attack
The Arab world's new wave of media repression
Since the 2011 uprisings, authoritarian rulers in the Arab world have worked out how to manipulate and instrumentalise the media to their own ends, nipping any new democratic quake in the bud. By Lydia Khalil
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Interview with democracy activist Iyad el–Baghdadi
Jeff Bezos, blackmail and MbS
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is accused of being behind the hacking of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' smartphone. Diana Hodali talked to democracy activist Iyad el–Baghdadi, who cooperated with Jeff Bezos' security team, about the background to the attack
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A year to the day
The infamous murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Key Saudi figures in the Jamal Khashoggi murder investigation have so far escaped trial for his death. But while UN efforts to deliver justice have stalled, difficult questions about the killing still won't go away. By Tom Allinson
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Jamal Khashoggi: A mysterious disappearance and death
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Between religion, oil dependence and reforms
Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman
An expert on Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Guido Steinberg explains that the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities last week were partly a manifestation of complex religious and historical forces. By Sabine Peschel
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Farewell to multilateralism in the Middle East
The death of Arab unity
The collapse of traditional multilateralism in the Arab world has been accompanied by a significant shift in American Middle East policy under President Donald Trump, writes Jasmine M. El-Gamal in her essay
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Rapprochement between India and the Gulf States
The realpolitik of Modi and MbS
Abu Dhabi and Riyadh see a natural partnership with Modi’s government, a co-operation that could change the dynamics of the South Asian-Gulf nexus. By Jean-Loup Samaan
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Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities
Hitting Saudi Arabia where it hurts
After the drone attacks on two oil plants in Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Trump warned that the USA was ready with a "loaded" weapon to react to the attacks. But against whom is his warning directed? By Karim El-Gawhary
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Sudan in transition
Darfur refugees dream of return
Military and pro-democracy leaders signed a power-sharing agreement in August paving the way for a promised democratic transition after 30 years of authoritarian rule in Sudan. But refugees who fled genocidal violence in Darfur are expressing their reservations about the deal. Marta Vidal met them in Amman, Jordan