King Salman, his sons and Airbus
Summary: a historic bribery case involving Saudi Arabia and an Airbus subsidiary comes before a UK court threatening a much more recent Airbus deal masterminded by MbS.
Summary: a historic bribery case involving Saudi Arabia and an Airbus subsidiary comes before a UK court threatening a much more recent Airbus deal masterminded by MbS.
Summary: Morocco implements new legislation regarding the production and sale of cannabis but full decriminalisation is still a long way off.
Summary: a sister battles for her brother’s freedom and that of thousands of other prisoners of conscience held in Saudi Arabia’s prison system.
Summary: following the prime minister’s meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in March, a Saudi Shura Council delegation visits Westminster and meets with the business minister Kwasi Kwarteng to the horror of the Saudi opposition.
Summary: the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh cannot be left to the Israeli authorities to investigate. Only an independent body can establish the truth of her death.
Summary: with resentment growing in Turkey towards Syrian refugees, President Erdoğan offers homes and promises of a ‘self-sufficient economic infrastructure’ to encourage 1 million to leave.
Summary: as President Biden seeks to turn Putin into a global pariah, he has let slip another target, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is increasingly gaining international approval and acceptance despite his ruthless suppression of Saudis at home and attacks on critics abroad.
Summary: MbS paying Jared Kushner US$2 billion and the UAE hacking the UK Prime Minister’s office attracts little comment from Western policymakers.
Summary: the dominant narrative in Western media is that Vladimir Putin is losing his war in Ukraine but MENA expert Christopher Davidson, looking at the war through a Gulf lens, offers an alternative and thought-provoking take.
Summary: the government now says that Boris Johnson’s quick trip to the Gulf was not seeking a quick fix to the energy price crisis. But he didn’t get what he was looking for while MbZ and MbS got exactly what they wanted.