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  • Blinken’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ‘open and candid’

    Meeting after midnight in the seaside city, the senior officials spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, a US official said. They discussed the wars in Yemen and Sudan, among other subjects. “There was a good degree of convergence on potential initiatives where we share the same interests, while also recognising where we have differences,” the official said. An issue of top priority is the possible normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, even though officials had played down the likelihood of any major progress on the topic. “They discussed the potential for normalisation of relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue,” the US official said.

  • Blinken’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ‘open and candid’

    Meeting after midnight in the seaside city, the senior officials spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, a US official said. They discussed the wars in Yemen and Sudan, among other subjects. “There was a good degree of convergence on potential initiatives where we share the same interests, while also recognising where we have differences,” the official said. An issue of top priority is the possible normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, even though officials had played down the likelihood of any major progress on the topic. “They discussed the potential for normalisation of relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue,” the US official said.

  • Why Are Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman So Popular in the Middle East?

    According to the well-respected Arab Barometer, in Jordan, Saudi Arabia ranks second only to Turkey in the public’s approval. Nearly half of Tunisians view Saudi Arabia—along with France and Turkey—favorably. Iraqis favor Saudi Arabia more than any country except China, and Mohammed bin Salman is their favorite leader only after the United Arab Emirates’ president, Mohammed bin Zayed.

  • Why Are Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman So Popular in the Middle East?

    Overall, it seems that as Saudi Arabia pursues a foreign policy independent of Washington, people in the region see the country as an engine of prosperity and a regional stabilizer. It is almost the exact mirror image of how the kingdom is perceived in the West. It would behoove U.S. officials and policymakers to take the polls and the reasons—however anecdotal they may be—for the kingdom’s popularity seriously.

  • The Son Also Rises: The One-Year Anniversary of Mohammed bin Zayed’s Presidency

    May 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the appointment by the Federal Supreme Council of Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan as president of the United Arab Emirates. The appointment came the day after his accession as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, following the death of his half-brother, Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The anniversary provides a useful opportunity to review developments in the UAE that followed this pivotal transfer of power, particularly the Abu Dhabi ruler’s March 29 decision naming his son, Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, crown prince, and related appointments affecting three of his full Bani Fatima brothers.

  • Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud

    They discussed a number of global and regional matters, to include ongoing diplomacy related to ending the war in Yemen.  Mr. Sullivan highlighted the remarkable progress in Yemen over the past year, during which fighting has nearly ceased under a UN-mediated truce.

  • Who is Qatar’s New Prime Minister? Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

    Qatar’s ruler appointed Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as prime minister, calling on an experienced diplomat who has helped the gas-rich Gulf state assert its political influence abroad. Sheikh Mohammed will take on the PM role while continuing as foreign minister, a position he’s held since 2017, the royal court said in a statement Tuesday. He’ll step down as chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund, to be replaced by Central Bank Governor Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani.

  • Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Eritrea’s president Isaias Afwerki

    President Afwerki arrived a day earlier in Riyadh, where he was received by Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of Riyadh region, and other officials at King Khalid International Airport.

  • Rate of executions in Saudi Arabia almost doubles under Mohammed bin Salman

    The rate of executions carried out by Saudi Arabia has almost doubled under the rule of the de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, with the past six years being among the bloodiest in the Kingdom’s modern history, a report has found. Rates of capital punishment are at historically high levels, despite a push to modernise with widespread reforms and a semblance of individual liberties. Activist groups say the price of change has been high, with a total crackdown on the crown prince’s political opponents and zero tolerance for dissent.

  • Saudi death penalty use has almost doubled under rule of Mohammed bin Salman: Report

    The number of executions annually has risen from an average of 70.8 between 2010-2014, to 129.5 per year since 2015, when the current king and crown prince came to power. Despite official claims that the death penalty does not apply to minors, at least 15 child defendants have been executed in the Kingdom since 2010, according to the data published by the human rights groups. Over 1,000 executions have been carried out in Saudi Arabia since 2015, the report said.