King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia
All topics-
Jamal Khashoggi's murder and U.S. intelligence
Mohammed bin Salman – from darling to international pariah?
U.S. President Biden has announced he will be excluding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from future talks between Washington and Saudi Arabia. Is this just lip service that will soon be subsumed by Saudi Arabia’s powerful bargaining position? Analysis for Qantara.de by Karim El-Gawhary
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Appealing to U.S. President Joe Biden
Tawakkol Karman: Ending the Yemen war requires U.S. action
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman says the time has come to pressure Saudi Arabia and the UAE to withdraw from Yemen so that the country can resume the peace process and restore a Yemeni state. Interview by Rafiah Al Talei
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Interview with Yemen expert Marie-Christine Heinze
"Now is the time to start preparing for reconstruction"
Islam scholar and social anthropologist Marie-Christine Heinze is head of an academic exchange project with the University of Sanaa on "Post-conflict Reconstruction in Yemen". In conversation with Elisa Rheinheimer-Chabbi, she talks about weapons from Germany, crucial reforms and why Yemeni women are the ones healing social rifts
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Green hydrogen in Saudi Arabia
From oil giant to green powerhouse?
Although Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its energy sector and economy away from fossil fuels, the OPEC leader is eager to maintain its status as a fuel exporter giant by leveraging cheap solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen. By Stasa Salacanin
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Reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
A turning point for the whole Middle East?
Saudi Arabia and its allies have agreed to set aside their differences with Qatar at a summit meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The restoration of diplomatic relations could have strategic resonance far beyond the Gulf nations and change the entire region. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Book review: Kim Ghattas' "Black Wave"
The rivalry that completely transformed the Middle East
In "Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the rivalry that unraveled the Middle East", Dutch Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas describes the past 40 years in the Middle East and North Africa as a struggle for hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Throughout the book, she focuses above all on the societal dimension of this rivalry. Daniel Walter read the book
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Architecture in Sanaa
As Yemen's mudbrick legacy crumbles before our eyes
Report from a disintegrating world: the early Islamic buildings of Sanaa are suffering from the effects of climate change and war. This world heritage site could be lost forever. By Paul-Anton Kruger
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Interview with Saudi social anthropologist Madawi al-Rasheed
"Gradual change is a myth, Saudi society is ready"
Madawi al-Rasheed is one of a group of Saudi exiles responsible for founding NAAS – the National Assembly Party. Set up on Saudi National Day in September, it is the first ever organised political resistance to challenge the House of Saud. Al-Rasheed talked to Jannis Hagmann about the party's aims and ambitions
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Book review: Ben Hubbard's "MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman"
Ruling Saudi Arabia from the wings
Is he a reformer, a despot, or both? Ben Hubbard's detailed biography explores Mohammed bin Salman's style of rule – even though he has not yet acceded to the Saudi throne. Moritz Baumsteiger read the book
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Omitted from the United Nations' list of shame
Yemen's dead and injured children haunt Saudi-led war
Just one day after the UN Secretariat omitted Saudi-led forces from a "list of shame", an airstrike killed four children. The UN is under pressure to acknowledge Saudi Arabia's role in killing and maiming children. By Lewis Sanders IV and Kerstin Knipp
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Non-fiction: Ulrike Freitag's "A History of Jeddah"
The legacy of Jeddah's migration history lives on
Jeddah is very different from other cities on the Arabian Peninsula, says Ulrike Freitag, historian of the Modern Middle East. In her book "A History of Jeddah", she explores the turbulent history of this former Ottoman port city, which has been uniquely shaped by trade and pilgrimage. Jannis Hagmann spoke to her about the city and the book
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COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus pushes Yemen to the brink
War, poverty, cholera – and now coronavirus has taken hold in Yemen. The country could collapse, aid organisations fear. A Yemeni journalist talks about the situation in her country. By Diana Hodali