MUST-READS

• Syrian Opposition Forces
  Syrians to be trained to defend territory, not take ground from jihadists, officials say

  Although moderate Syrian fighters are deemed essential to defeating the Islamic State under the Obama administration’s strategy, officials do not believe the newly assembled units will be capable of capturing key towns from militants without the help of forward-deployed U.S. combat teams, which President Obama has so far ruled out. The Syrian rebel force will be tasked instead with trying to prevent the Islamic State from extending its reach beyond the large stretches of territory it already controls.

• ISIS Media
  The Islamic State’s media warfare

  “The Islamic State believes that media warfare is equal in importance to military warfare,” Marwan Shehade, a Jordanian expert on Islamic movements, told Al-Monitor. “The media is essential when it comes to any of IS' activities; besides, they have been working on boosting their talents, especially with all the financial and human resources they acquired from around the Arab and Muslim world,” he said. According to Shehade, IS had the chance to equip itself with cutting-edge technology. “Analyzing the latest videos broadcast by the group shows that they have cutting-edge tools and professional operators. I have to say that they are generous when it comes to their media machine, and they pay good money to professionals.”

• 1970s Saudi Arabia
  The Burgundy Bonneville

  In the first few years after the 1973 oil boom, hundreds of European and American technocrats, construction superintendents, management experts and outright speculators had come and gone. An odd consequence of this phenomenon was that many of them left their dogs behind. I went to the Riyadh Zoo in 1974, and one of the enclosures displayed a pair of Great Danes, given to the zoo by some departing Scandinavian dignitary. So, I’m more than willing to believe the legend of the Dog Gang known to all in the expatriate community.

• Islamic State
  Saudi Arabia could aid talks with ISIS in hostage situations, says veteran negotiator

  He told Amanpour that if asked to engage in open talks with the terrorist group, he would have a “conversation… with somebody in Saudi Arabia”.

• Shi'a Protests
  Hizballah Cavalcade: The Shia Militant Response to Ayatollah Nimr al-Nimr’s Death Sentence

  Protests in Saudi began in early 2011 and in part addressed anti-Shia discrimination suffered by the group in the Shia majority area in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province; primarily zones around the Shia-majority towns and villages near the city of Qatif.4 Following the 2011 Saudi intervention in Bahrain, protests against the Saudi government increased in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia among Shia protesters.5 Following the 2011-2012 protests, links between Bahrain’s and Saudi Arabia’s protest movement spilled over into the more militant circles which actively promoted Nimr’s defiant stance and a hope to combine their fronts against common foes.

• INTERVIEW
  Saudi’s ACWA Power Eyes Expansion After IFC Investment

  The Wall Street Journal sits down with ACWA’s Chief Executive Paddy Padmanathan to discuss the investment and the company’s future projects.

• Food and Beverage
  Abraaj aims to seal purchase soon of Saudi fast-food chain Kudu

  Private equity firm Abraaj Group hopes to conclude a deal soon to buy a majority stake in Saudi fast-food chain Kudu alongside TPG Capital, a senior Abraaj executive told Reuters.

• Haqqani Network
  ‘Haqqani rebels held in Bahrain’

  Members of the Afghan Taliban, including the Haqqanis, have long moved relatively freely in Qatar, which in the past has mediated between the US and the militant group. The arrest of the two Haqqani leaders last week, however, may indicate that is changing, the Journal said.

• Saudi-Kuwait Neutral Zone
  Saudi Arabia, Kuwait shared zone tensions underlie oilfield closure

  Any differences between the two OPEC allies are watched closely by oil majors getting ready to return to Kuwait after years of fruitless talks and fierce political opposition to foreign firms taking a role in production in the past. Diplomatic and industry sources have told Reuters that Kuwait has been placing restrictions on the Saudi unit of U.S. oil major Chevron which operates another jointly run Neutral Zone field, Wafra, as a result of various disputes. The curbs have affected oil output from the Neutral Zone, which dates back to 1920s treaties to establish regional borders. Output capacity from the Zone has been around 600,000 bpd until last year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Non-oil Growth
  Non-oil private sector in Saudi Arabia surges to over 3-year high

  In the latest Saudi British Bank PMI report, it noted that the growth was underpinned by accelerated increase in new work and output. Latest data showed that new business rose at its strongest pace for 28 months, amid strong demand for goods and services. Notably, construction was reported by several sources to be a key area of demand growth, while others reported the benefits of higher marketing and promotional activities.

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