Middle East and North Africa

Saudi Arabia

China

Economics

Politics

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sept. 11-12 visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi and discussed expansions in tech, trade and energy cooperation. According to Chinese state media, al-Budaiwi said ''an agreement on the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible'' is expected. 

China, GCC: China, Gulf States Seek Trade Agreement Progress 'As Soon As Possible'

Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Energy

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and other oil producers participating in OPEC+'s voluntary 2.2 million barrel per day production cut agreed to delay the cut's phase out from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, OPEC+ said in a press release published on its website on Sept. 5.

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Brazil

OPEC+ may delay a planned 180,000 barrel per day increase in oil production in October, Reuters reported on Sept. 4, citing three OPEC+ sources.

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

United States

Yemen

Military & Security

The U.S. Biden administration lifted a ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 9.

U.S., Saudi Arabia: U.S. Lifts Ban on Sale of Offensive Weapons to Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthi rebels and the county's internationally backed federal government agreed to stop their tit-for-tat banking sanctions, canceling all recent decisions, in a Saudi-brokered deal, Al Arabiya reported on July 23.

Yemen: Houthis, Yemeni Government To Halt Tit-for-Tat Banking Sanctions

A committee led by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is close to formalizing budget cuts to the country's Vision 2030 economic transformation model, Bloomberg reported on July 11.

Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince Preps Formal Cuts To Vision 2030 Projects

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels, criticized Saudi Arabia over several issues, including an order in April by the Central Bank of Yemen for banks to move their operations from the Houthi-controlled city of Sanaa to the Saudi-backed federal government's stronghold of Aden, Al-Alam News Network reported on July 7.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthi Leader Threatens To Attack Saudi Arabia

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he instructed his staff to review all holds on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported on June 13.

U.S., Saudi Arabia: U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Reviews Holds on Saudi Arms Sales

Media

Podcasts

Has Saudi Arabia accomplished its Vision 2030 goals?

Essential Geopolitics: Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030

Assessments

As Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 enters its final five years, the Saudi government is likely to deepen reforms designed to improve the country's economic attractiveness and performance. But as it struggles to compete with its neighbors' social reforms and absorb potential global geopolitical shocks, Riyadh could adopt more coercive policies at times.

Evaluating Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 as It Enters the Home Stretch

Bahrain

Oman

Qatar

Participants stand outside the pavilion of Oman as they attend day nine of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. 

The July terrorist attack in Oman will likely spark a regional security crackdown, despite the incident's limited political and economic consequences.

A Rare Terrorist Attack in Oman Portends a Regional Security Crackdown

Kenya

South Africa

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Europe

Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference at the 75th NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Biden's exit from the U.S. presidential race will free him to pursue more aggressive action against Russia over Ukraine and increase pressure on Israel to end its war with Hamas. 

What To Expect from Biden's Foreign Policy Farewell Tour

Egypt

Jordan

Morocco

Turkey

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

Columns

On Geopolitics

A man walks in front of the Maraya (Mirror), the world's largest mirrored building, in the desert canyon of Ashar Valley in Saudi Arabia's northwestern Al-Ula desert on Jan. 29, 2024.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Amid the rising costs of climate change, Saudi Arabia hopes an increasing reliance on market forces will keep its economy in the black.

Will Climate Change Singe Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030?

Snapshots

Sudan

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attends a signing ceremony following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on May 23, 2024. 

Bahrain-Iran normalization would reduce risks for Manama amid rising regional tensions, but security and some political vulnerabilities remain.

Normalization With Iran Would Reduce -- but Not Eliminate -- Security Risks for Bahrain

Taiwan

Spain

Ireland

Taiwanese President-elect William Lai (C) on Jan. 13 in Taipei, Taiwan. Lai will officially begin his four-year presidency May 20.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Kenya's President Visits Washington, Lai Inaugurated in Taiwan

Then-Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds a press conference in Riyadh on April 25, 2016, after unveiling the kingdom's economic diversification plan known as Vision 2030.

The kingdom's ambitious economic diversification plan has managed to survive the various geopolitical shocks that have emerged in recent years. But can it continue to do so?

Saudi Arabia's Adapted Vision 2030 Still Faces an Uncertain Future

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 29 at a Joint Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council-U.S. Strategic Partnership in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh will continue to progressively advance diplomatic relations with Israel and deepen defense ties with the United States, while maintaining its cautious outreach to Iran.

Riyadh will continue to progressively advance diplomatic relations with Israel and deepen defense ties with the United States, while maintaining its cautious outreach to Iran.

Assessing Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy During the Israel-Hamas War and Beyond

A picture taken on Nov. 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship (right), seized by Houthi fighters two days earlier, approaching a port in the Red Sea off Yemen's province of Hodeida. 

Even if the U.S.-led coalition adopts a restrained approach to the ongoing harassment of ships off the coast of Yemen, it would risk escalation and broadening the conflict to Iran.

Can the U.S. and Its Allies Secure the Red Sea From Houthi Attacks?

Ethiopia

Belgium

India

Leaders at the closing day of the BRICS Summit on Aug. 24, 2023, in Johannesburg. On Jan. 1, BRICS will admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after agreeing at an August summit to expand its membership.

The Weekly Rundown: Taiwan's Election Media Blackout, BRICS Expansion

Comprising a majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.  The kingdom's main geographic challenges are controlling its sparsely populated territory and maintaining shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.    Surrounded by vast deserts, the central Najd plateau is the core of Saudi Arabia and is home to the country's capital, Riyadh. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are protected by mountains in the west and flanked by the Red Sea. The security of these cities is a key to the monarchy's legitimacy.    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I set the stage for the House of Saud to unify the territory that became Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil and natural gas have been the country's main exports and source of wealth since their discovery in 1938.     A restive Eastern Province holds a majority of the kingdom's reserves and makes the country vulnerable to invasion from the north or the Persian Gulf. Cross border tribal ties also expose the kingdom to unrest in the south on the border with Yemen.    A scarcity of fresh water and a small population density limit Saudi Arabia's defensive capabilities. Since the vast majority of Saudi oil exports pass via the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, the kingdom has historically relied on a foreign power to balance regional rival, Iran and keep the Strait open.    As global oil consumption continues to rise, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a dominant role in the Middle East despite its geographic challenges.

The Syrian Civil War

The Saudi Survival Strategy

A Crude Recovery

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

China, GCC: China, Gulf States Seek Trade Agreement Progress 'As Soon As Possible'

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

U.S., Saudi Arabia: U.S. Lifts Ban on Sale of Offensive Weapons to Saudi Arabia

Yemen: Houthis, Yemeni Government To Halt Tit-for-Tat Banking Sanctions

Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince Preps Formal Cuts To Vision 2030 Projects

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthi Leader Threatens To Attack Saudi Arabia

U.S., Saudi Arabia: U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Reviews Holds on Saudi Arms Sales

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