MUST-READS

• Present without impact? How the Middle East perceives China’s diplomatic engagement

  In a new Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative issue brief, “Present without impact? How the Middle East perceives China’s diplomatic engagement,” Jonathan Fulton argues that despite economic advancements and high-profile diplomatic engagements, China’s influence remains largely economic rather than political. Middle Eastern perceptions of China vary; it is seen as a cautious, transactional actor with limited capacity for addressing key regional conflicts and security concerns. Fulton adds that while Iran views China as a crucial partner, Gulf states leverage their ties with Beijing to maintain strategic flexibility.

• Saudi leader parlays oil wealth into global diplomatic clout

  Saudi Arabia, a country that is largely made up of desert, has fewer than 40 million people, and boasts a middling military with no nuclear arms, may be emerging as the 21st century’s most improbable superpower. He has drawn closer to China, and to Russia, as a fellow oil producer. He has been welcomed into the BRICS economic coalition of countries in the Global South. And he is also a major player on two international policy fronts where his interests and Washington’s could clash. The first is artificial intelligence and technology, a centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed’s vision of a post-oil economy. He has earmarked billions of dollars to attract experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs in AI to visit, teach, invest, and set up shop in Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials are worried that this initiative could transform the kingdom into a sanctions-busting back door for China, as Beijing seeks top flight technology.

• Eid al-Fitr: Employees, students in Saudi Arabia to enjoy long Eid holiday

  This year’s month of fasting began on March 1. The official Eid holiday in Saudi Arabia will start on Sunday March 30, meaning that employees will enjoy a long holiday with Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, already off as weekend days. The Eid al-Fitr break will be extended to four days ending on Wednesday, April 2, with work resuming on Thursday, April 3. For students on the other hand, the break will begin on March 20 and studies will resume on April 6, according to the education ministry’s academic calendar. The actual date of the first day of Eid al-Fitr will be confirmed when the crecent moon is sighted.

• Saudi Arabia’s Emergence as a Diplomatic Broker

  Although Riyadh’s audition for the global spotlight began years ago, it has kicked into overdrive this year, with the kingdom hosting multiple bilateral and multilateral meetings since January alone. These include the first high-level, direct meeting between Russia and the United States in years; an emergency Arab League summit to discuss postwar reconstruction plans for Gaza; an international meeting on securing assistance for post-Assad Syria; and the first foreign trips by interim Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and newly minted Lebanese president Joseph Aoun. Most recently, Riyadh hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky this week amid high-level U.S. discussions on resolving the Ukraine war, and a follow-up summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin may take place there as well.

• Saudi Arabia – Rise of a global diplomatic power?: Video

  Saudi Arabia is increasingly positioning itself at the center of various high-stakes diplomatic processes. In recent months, it has taken on key roles as backer, mediator, or host to ongoing negotiations, including on a Gaza settlement, Russian-US normalization and a cease-fire in Ukraine, support for Lebanon and Syria, as well as efforts to end the Sudanese civil war. How do such Saudi diplomatic interventions fit into the kingdom’s broader political-economic transformation efforts? This on-the-record briefing featured Middle East Institute (MEI) Associate Fellow Norman T. Roule, a 34-year veteran of the CIA whose current work focuses on issues concerning the Gulf states and Iran. The briefing also featured F. Gregory Gause III, Visiting Scholar at MEI and author of three books focused on the Persian Gulf.

• Saudi Arabia’s rise as a global diplomacy broker

  Saudi Arabia is solidifying its position as a global and regional diplomatic hub. On Friday, Riyadh will host the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in addition to Jordan and Egypt, to discuss an Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its 2.2 million inhabitants. Once approved, the plan will be presented at the meeting of Arab leaders in Cairo at the end of the month. It will become a counterproposal to President Donald Trump’s plan to displace the people of Gaza while taking over the beleaguered enclave and turning it into a regional riviera. So, when Jordan’s King Abdullah met with Trump at the White House last week, his response to Trump’s idea was that Arab leaders had been invited by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has rejected any attempt to displace the Palestinians from their land, to work on an Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza without the displacement of its people.

• Top US diplomat arrives in Israel on first trip to Middle East
  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel late Saturday on his first trip to the Middle East, Anadolu reports. He was welcomed at the Ben Gurion International Airport by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who shared a photo on his X account. The US diplomat will hold meetings on Sunday with top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following his visit to Israel, Rubio will travel to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet senior officials to discuss regional cooperation, stability and peace.

• Explorer completes first stage of bid to cross Saudi Arabia on foot

  Writer and TV presenter Alice Morrison, from Edinburgh, began her journey on New Year’s Day at the border with Jordan. Accompanied by two camels – named Juicy and Lulu – and local guides, the 61-year-old has now covered the 930 kilometres to the Prophet’s Mosque, also known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, in Madinah. The seven-week journey saw the seasoned explorer average about 23km – or 33,000 steps – per day. During the journey, Ms Morrison, who speaks fluent Arabic, explored numerous pieces of the country’s rich history – including ancient ruins, bronze age tombs, and relics from the old Hejaz railway.

• Saudi Arabia logs SAR 1.3B in mining exploration spending in 5 yrs

  Saudi Arabia invested SAR 1.3 billion in mineral exploration over the past five years, a significant sum in the sector, according to Abdulrahman Al-Balooshi, Deputy Minister for Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. Drilling activity in the Kingdom exceeded 500,000 meters in 2023 alone, Al-Balooshi told CNBC Arabia. The number of exploration companies surged from six to 133 between 2018 and 2023, driven by improved geological data access and ministry incentives such as financial support and land allocations.

• Armada to deploy containerized Edge data centers in Saudi for Aramco

  The California-based company offers ruggedized and self-contained satellite-connected data center modules (in 3-rack 20ft and 6-rack 40ft models) known as Galleons that use SpaceX’s Starlink network, and an Edge device and computing management platform. It also offers Edge/AI applications. "The deployment of Galleons in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Aramco Digital and Microsoft, marks a significant milestone in advancing real-world AI through edge computing," said Dan Wright, co-founder and CEO of Armada. Armada has raised more than $100 million to date. Investors in the company include Microsoft, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Shield Capital, 8090 Industries, Felicis, Contrary, Valor Equity Partners, Marlinspike, 137 Ventures, Koch Real Estate Investments, and 8VC.

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