MUST-READS

• Security
  Yemeni army kills five Al-Qaeda suspects near Saudi border

  Five suspected members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group were killed near the Yemeni-Saudi border on Saturday in a gun battle with Yemeni troops. The shootout began when one suspect opened fire after a Yemeni soldier attempted to search the bus the suspects were travelling on in the city of Harad, 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the Saudi border.

• Alwaleed Bin Talal
  Kingdom Holding, Qatar own Savoy Hotel equally

  Katara Hospitality Company owned by the government of Qatar acquired a 50 percent stake in the London landmark Fairmont Hotel the Savoy from Lloyds Banking Group, making the famous London hotel equally owned by Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) chaired by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and the government of Qatar.

• ISIS Attack
  Saudi Arabia says arrests 3 over shooting of Dane, link to ISIS

  Saudi Arabia has arrested three Saudis over the Nov. 22 shooting of a Danish man in Riyadh, and initial investigations show the attack was carried out in support of ISIS, the kingdom's official news agency said.

• Saudi - Iran
  Iran Daily: FM Zarif “No Obstacle to Cooperation with Saudi Arabia”

  Throughout the winter, the Iranian regime has been denouncing Saudi Arabia. Amid falling oil prices adding to Tehran’s economic crisis. It has accused Riyadh of being part of a “foreign plot” to undermine Iran and the Islamic World. And only 10 days ago, officials were blaming Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud’s statements on Syria for Zarif’s failure to confirm a breakthrough summit in Saudi Arabia. However, last week before Abdullah’s death, Tehran suddenly shifted. Secretary of the National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, announcing the willingness to talk on all issues, including oil prices and the regional crises.

• Anti-ISIS Coalition
  Islamic State conflict: London hosts coalition talks

  Foreign ministers from 21 countries are meeting in London to discuss ways to co-ordinate their efforts to combat the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

  • Rudaw - British parliamentary committee breaks historic taboo on Kurdish independence
  • Atlantic Council - Opinion: Yemen and Syria: Making the Same Mistakes Twice
  • Washington Post - Kurds say they have ejected Islamic State militants from large area in northern Iraq
• Non-oil Exports
  Saudi nonoil exports hit $4.63bn in November

  Saudi nonoil exports registered a marginal drop of 0.33 percent in November 2014 to SR17.43 billion compared to figures of the same period last year, Saudi Press Agency reported quoting data released by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI).

• Saudi CAGR
  Construction Market in Saudi Arabia compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.06% to 2018

  The Saudi Arabian construction industry recorded a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.06% during the review period (2009-2013). During the review period, growth in the construction industry was supported by the Ninth Five-Year Development Plan implemented for the period 2010-2014.

• Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria
  The Threat of Terrorism from Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq

  Many U.S. and European intelligence officials fear that a wave of terrorism will sweep over Europe, driven by the civil war in Syria and continuing instability in Iraq. Many of the concerns stem from the large number of foreign fighters involved.

  Despite these fears and the real danger that motivates them, the Syrian and Iraqi foreign fighter threat can easily be exaggerated. Previous cases and information emerging from Syria suggest several mitigating effects that may reduce—but hardly eliminate—the potential terrorist threat from foreign fighters who have gone to Syria. Those mitigating factors include:

   
  • Foreign Policy - ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Investigation Turns Toward al Qaeda, Syria Connections
  • Newsweek - Europe 'Reacted Too Late' to Danger of Islamists Returning From Middle East
  • USA Today - After Paris Attack, DHS Stepping Up Security Measures
  • CNN - As France, Israel mourn terror victims, al Qaeda branch issues new warning
• Weather and Refugees
  As storm hits Mideast, refugees bear brunt

  A storm buffeted the Middle East with blizzards, rain and strong winds on Wednesday, keeping people at home across much of the region and raising concerns for Syrian refugees facing freezing temperatures in flimsy shelters.

• Regional Challenges
  Opinion: Saudi Arabia Faces Challenges in the New Year

  The next year will see the Sunni presence in Syria attempt to coalesce behind rebels acceptable to Western governments that are eager to see negotiations begin and greater local pushback against the Islamic State. More cohesive Gulf leadership will also present a more effective bulwark against Iranian and Alawite interests in the Levant. Most important, however, is the opportunity for regional Sunnis, led by Saudi Arabia, to present a more mature and capable response to mounting pressures. Whether through more assertive military moves in the region or by working with states such as Qatar to steer the Muslim Brotherhood rather than embolden the Islamist opposition, 2015 will likely see a shift in Sunni Arab strategies that have long shaped the region.

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