Foreign Policy Essay
Red Sea Geopolitics: Six Plotlines to Watch
Zach Vertin Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 10:00 AM
New rivalries among the Gulf states and beyond are redefining the region.
Latest in Saudi Arabia
Cybersecurity
DOJ Charges Two Former Twitter Employees with Spying for the Saudis
Jacob Schulz Wed, Nov 6, 2019, 5:34 PM
The Department of Justice has charged two former Twitter employees, one a U.S. citizen and one a Saudi citizen, after the two men allegedly accessed Twitter user's personal information on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The complaint can be found here and below.
Yemen
Saudi Arabia and the Civil War Within Yemen’s Civil War
Bruce Riedel Thu, Aug 22, 2019, 8:21 AM
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Order from Chaos.
Foreign Policy Essay
Lessons From the UAE War in Yemen
Michael Knights Sun, Aug 18, 2019, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: Yemen's civil war has dragged on for years, and the destruction and suffering there intensified after the Saudi and UAE intervention in 2015. Although Riyadh's role gets far more attention than Abu Dhabi's, it was UAE forces that often had the biggest impact on the ground. Earlier this year, however, the UAE announced it was suddenly ending its intervention. Michael Knights of the Washington Institute spent considerable time with UAE forces in Yemen, and he assesses the lessons that the UAE is learning, and should learn, from its intervention.
Congress
House Oversight Committee Report on Saudi Nuclear Transfer Deal
Vishnu Kannan Tue, Jul 30, 2019, 2:17 PM
On July 29, the House Oversight and Reform Committee released a report on the influence wielded by private individuals with connections to President Trump over the administration’s push to transfer U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, which it pursued without a bilateral agreement under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act. This report builds on the committee’s report of February 19, 2019, and is based on documents the committee obtained from several outside companies.
Saudi Arabia
U.N. Report Firmly Blames Saudi Arabia for the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Bruce Riedel Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 9:00 AM
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Order from Chaos.
Yemen
In Yemen, the Houthi Strategy Has Promise and Risk
Bruce Riedel Fri, May 24, 2019, 8:29 AM
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Order from Chaos.
Saudi Arabia
The Yemen Resolution and the Historical U.S.-Saudi Security Relationship
Elizabeth Allan Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:12 PM
On April 16, President Trump vetoed S.J. Res. 7, a joint resolution directing the United States to end support for the Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The veto was the second of Trump’s presidency and the second time a U.S.
Foreign Policy Essay
Understanding the Houthi Faction in Yemen
Sama’a Al-Hamdani Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: Yemen’s war, the world’s deadliest active conflict, has no end in sight. Many of its chief protagonists—including the Houthis, whose ties to Iran and hostility to U.S. allies put them at the center of the conflict—are not well understood. Sama’a al-Hamdani, the director of the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage and the Arts, does a deep dive on the Houthis. She details their goals and divisions, as well as how they might be induced to join Yemen’s nascent peace process.
Daniel Byman
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Foreign Policy Essay
Master Developers: The New Sino-Arab Gulf Visions of Economic Development
Karen Young Fri, Dec 21, 2018, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: As the United States withdraws both from the Middle East and from its traditional global leadership role under President Trump, rising powers like China and regional players like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are moving to take its place. Trade, investment, and reconstruction aid are all in flux. Karen Young of the American Enterprise Institute assesses these new dynamics and finds that the Gulf states and China are moving closer in ways that will shift regional dynamics.
Daniel Byman
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