MUST-READS

• The Politics of Water Insecurity in the Middle East

  The Middle East is no stranger to water scarcity and violence. For centuries, conflict has exacerbated water insecurity and vice versa. But the region is now at a tipping point. Groundwater aquifers are running dry or becoming contaminated, populations are exploding, and borders are more hardened than ever, making resettlement—a time-tested survival strategy—impossible. As is the case across much of the region, water security fell prey to the lack of political progress on resolving underlying conflicts. Without that political progress, donor governments and aid agencies have resorted to applying technical fixes to political problems. But in the Palestinian territories, as in much of the world, water insecurity has been a sign of deeper dysfunction.

• Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia to meet prince ahead of summit with U.S.

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia for a visit with its powerful crown prince ahead of his team’s meeting with America’s top diplomat. While Zelenskyy won’t be there, his team will try to repair the damage done when his Feb. 28 visit to Washington descended into an Oval Office argument with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. At stake is the military aid and intelligence previously offered by the United States that had helped Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Zelenskyy landed a few hours apart in Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea where the Ukraine-U.S. summit will take place Tuesday.

• Perspective: How Saudi Arabia and the US might reset the Middle East

  A new order is emerging in the Middle East. For decades, Iran wielded influence across the region by cultivating a network of proxies that created instability in several Arab countries, from Lebanon to Yemen. Today, however, Iran’s regional status is drastically diminished. In contrast, Saudi Arabia is establishing itself as the most influential power in the Arab world. With Donald Trump’s administration back in Washington, Saudi Arabia and the United States can strengthen their partnership to neutralize the threat of destabilization by Iran and alter the balance of regional power for a generation. Until 2023, Iran had prided itself on what it called the ‘axis of resistance’ – its network of proxies and allies in the Arab world. Today, that ‘axis’ is no more. Israel has defeated both Hamas and Hezbollah militarily. Most of Iraq’s PMFs have largely distanced themselves from the rest of Iran’s proxies’ war with Israel.

• Saudi market performance since March 2009 bottom

  Sixteen years have passed since the Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) hit its lowest level on March 9, 2009, at 4,130 points amid the global financial crisis. The benchmark rebounded in the second half of 2007 and early 2008, driven by petrochemical stocks that hit record highs, pushing the index close to 12,000 points. However, the global crisis, which sparked in mid-2008, weighed on the markets worldwide. TASI ended today, March 9, 2025, at 11,837 points — a surge of 187%, compared to its close on March 9, 2009. However, the index declined by 6.1% (763 points), down from 12,600 points in March 2024.

• Saudi Arabia tries to shed ‘pariah status,’ remaking itself as a key middleman in global conflicts

  MBS, as he is widely known, is trying to transform Saudi Arabia’s image from the deeply conservative, oil-rich theocracy whose officials murdered the American-based Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 into a regional giant built on diplomacy, business, tourism, entertainment and sports. “This is a new Saudi Arabia — better educated, well-traveled and more open to ideas than in the past,” added Lippman, author of the book “Saudi Arabia on the Edge.” As well as the Ukraine summit, Trump revealed last week that the first foreign visit of his second term would be to Saudi Arabia, just as it was during his first administration. As then, he said that, in return, the Saudis had agreed to invest a bonanza sum in American businesses, this time $1 trillion.

• Commentary: What Explains Saudi Arabia’s Sudden Wave Of Amnesty For Dissidents?

  In an unexpected turn, Saudi Arabia is witnessing a wave of prisoner releases for those who have completed their sentences, with some having spent years behind bars. Yet concerns persist over potential retrials or indefinite detentions without legal clarity. The reform was followed by an even bigger, long-awaited step: the unprecedented announcement allowing the "voluntary" return of exiled individuals. State Security Chief Abdulaziz al-Howairini announced the change, quoting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an appearance on a Ramadan program: "The homeland is for everyone, and the state rehabilitates and does not punish."

• Why did Iran ban the Saudi Ramadan TV series Muawiya?

  Iran’s media regulator (SATRA) has joined Iraq and scholars from Egypt’s Al-Azhar in banning Muawiya, a Ramadan TV series aired by Saudi Arabia’s MBC channel. MBC began airing Muawiya—widely regarded as the most expensive series ever produced in the Arab world—a few days ago. Although completed in 2023, its release was postponed until now due to anticipated controversies. The historical drama focuses on the life of Muawiya, recognized as the first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, an early Islamic empire. His reign began after the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali was assassinated in 661 AD, an event that profoundly impacted the political and religious landscape of the Muslim world.

• Chinese food delivery giant dishes out deep discounts to win Saudi customers

  Keeta, the international arm of China’s biggest food delivery app, Meituan, has become the third-largest food delivery platform in Saudi Arabia just four months after its overseas debut. Its aggressive, price-slashing strategy is squeezing smaller players and challenging dominant platforms in the lucrative Middle Eastern market, which could be a springboard for other international markets. Since Keeta launched in Saudi Arabia last October, it has taken 10% of the Saudi food delivery market in terms of order volume, according to a recent report from Bengaluru-based business consulting firm Redseer. Its market share as of January has surpassed that of more than 10 smaller delivery apps, and challenges the domination of the country’s two locally developed platforms HungerStation and Jahez, the report’s lead researchers told Rest of World.

• A landmark for the Kingdom as PIF launches Al Waha, first Saudi-owned duty-free retailer

  In a breakthrough for the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving aviation and tourism landscape, Public Investment Fund (PIF) today announced the establishment of travel retailer Al Waha Duty-Free Company (Al Waha), the first Saudi-owned duty-free operator. Al Waha, a wholly owned PIF company, pledges to become a leader in travel retail and secure a greater share of passenger spending for the Saudi economy. Al Waha will develop premium and luxury stores in select locations across the country and feature a variety of merchandise including distinctive, high-quality Saudi products. The newly formed entity will operate its airport stores on a duty-free basis. It will also explore additional travel retail opportunities at land border crossings and seaports and channels such as inflight shopping.

• Saudi Investment Recycling Company aims to drive the circular economy

  Every year, millions of tons of waste are generated by humans around the world – from unwanted food to single-use plastics. Less than 20% is currently recycled, with most of it still sent to landfill sites. This inflicts a heavy toll on the environment, affecting the soil, water and air, and adversely impacts people’s health and wellbeing. The largest waste management company in the GCC, SIRC is taking serious measures to improve recycling and treatment facilities in Saudi Arabia. Covering 14 kinds of refuse – such as everyday garbage, medical waste, and construction and demolition waste – the company aims to meet the targets set by the Waste Management National Regulatory Framework for 2035. Utilizing a variety of methods, including recycling, reusing, treatment and waste-to-energy conversion, SIRC’s goals include diverting 82% of all waste from landfill by 2035.

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