Saudi Arabia

Over the past two decades, tribal groups from Saudi Arabia and the broader Arabian Peninsula have staged a socio-political comeback, claiming greater influence in the public sphere.

On July 18 the Saudi Ministry of the Interior held a press conference in Riyadh in which it announced the arrest over the past few weeks of 431 suspects allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the self-styled “Islamic State.” While some critics of the Saudi government...

The strategic impact in the Gulf region of the nuclear agreement with Iran will hinge on the perceptions of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as to whether or not it helps to curb Iranian “adventurism” and, especially, its support for destabilizing activities in the region. The potential emergence of Iran as a more responsible regional actor...

With the passing of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, 75, Saudi Arabia lost its iconic foreign minister who had for over 40 years helped shape the Kingdom’s foreign policy while maintaining his personal commitment to a robust U.S.-Saudi strategic alliance. While his friendship with the United States was fostered during his time at Princeton University, from where...

DOHA, Qatar — The old joke among foreign policy wonks began thus: After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the world was surprised to discover that it still had two superpowers: the United States and … Kuwait. And, it went on, after Kuwait was chastened by the Iraqi...

Despite Washington’s initial support for Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s air campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, recent U.S.-Houthi talks in Muscat, Oman, may suggest a shift in U.S. policy that now prioritizes establishing a political process over continued military operations. Washington may also have concluded that Salman’s unconditional support for the return of President...

ISIL’s two suicide bomb attacks against Shiite mosques in eastern Saudi Arabia in the past week are, perhaps, even more disturbing than its recent territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. These attacks are intended to put Saudi Arabia in a no-win situation, and a position in which its responses will inevitably play into the hands...

Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world, one of only three producers able to sustain production around 10 million barrels per day (b/d) and the only oil producer that can increase production by 2 million b/d rapidly.