Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Mohammad bin Salman: Prince with Two Faces
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Democracy Now! Sarah Leah Whitson on Israel, Gaza & Trump-MBS Meeting
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Inside the Mind of Mohammed bin Salman: Karen Elliott House on Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi & Our Future
Nov 14, 2025 | Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Karen Elliott House joins Frank Schaeffer to talk about her remarkable new book, "The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia."
Across four decades of reporting on the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, Karen has developed rare access to the kingdom’s inner world — including seven in-depth meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), often late at night inside the palace.
Across four decades of reporting on the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, Karen has developed rare access to the kingdom’s inner world — including seven in-depth meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), often late at night inside the palace.
Thursday, November 20, 2025
”Donald Trump Loves Saudi Gold and Hates the American People.”
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Saudi Arabia Backs Elon Musk’s xAI With Data Center Deal
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Musk’s xAI will work with the Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain on a new data center, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s effort to diversify his kingdom’s economy.
Elon Musk has been hunting for partners to grow his artificial intelligence start-up xAI as it tries to keep pace with OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has been trying to diversify his oil-rich kingdom’s economy by making it a global hub for tech and artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, their intersecting interests led to a deal.
Mr. Musk’s xAI, which makes the Grok chatbot, agreed to work with the state-backed Saudi company Humain to build a new data center in the Persian Gulf kingdom. The project is set to consume as much as 500 megawatts of electricity, which would make it xAI’s biggest data center outside the United States. Humain and xAI did not disclose the value of the deal.
The project was part of a package of military and tech deals announced on Wednesday during Prince Mohammed’s visit to Washington. The United States and Saudi Arabia appear to have reached an agreement that clears the path for the kingdom to buy the U.S. semiconductors needed to power artificial intelligence, as the United States has used A.I. chips as part of geopolitical diplomacy. » | Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur | Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Elon Musk has been hunting for partners to grow his artificial intelligence start-up xAI as it tries to keep pace with OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has been trying to diversify his oil-rich kingdom’s economy by making it a global hub for tech and artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, their intersecting interests led to a deal.
Mr. Musk’s xAI, which makes the Grok chatbot, agreed to work with the state-backed Saudi company Humain to build a new data center in the Persian Gulf kingdom. The project is set to consume as much as 500 megawatts of electricity, which would make it xAI’s biggest data center outside the United States. Humain and xAI did not disclose the value of the deal.
The project was part of a package of military and tech deals announced on Wednesday during Prince Mohammed’s visit to Washington. The United States and Saudi Arabia appear to have reached an agreement that clears the path for the kingdom to buy the U.S. semiconductors needed to power artificial intelligence, as the United States has used A.I. chips as part of geopolitical diplomacy. » | Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur | Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Trump Gets 'Positive and Chummy' with the 'International Pariah' Saudi Arabia Leader
Nov 19, 2025 | "There was a huge kind of turnaround in his position internationally."
Trump was "positive and chummy" in a press conference with Saudi Arabia leader MBS despite the questions turning to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says White House Correspondent for Reuters Jeff Mason.
Trump was "positive and chummy" in a press conference with Saudi Arabia leader MBS despite the questions turning to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says White House Correspondent for Reuters Jeff Mason.
Trump's 'Piggy' Comment to Journalist a Sign of His 'Unease'
Nov 19, 2025 | “The optics are all very strange.”
Trump seems “very uneasy at the moment” after he calls a journalist ‘piggy’ in response to her question about Epstein, says The Times’s Ben Clatworthy.
Trump seems “very uneasy at the moment” after he calls a journalist ‘piggy’ in response to her question about Epstein, says The Times’s Ben Clatworthy.
The Saudification of America Is Under Way
THE GUARDIAN: Jamal Khashoggi’s plight and murder was a warning sign for the US, of the impending loss of freedom and censorship that would sweep the country
The first time I ever used the words “alhumdulilah”, which translates to praise be to God in Arabic, was the night of 16 November 2018. A Friday night news alert came through on my phone: “CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination.” I collapsed into my couch, repeating the words.
I am not Muslim. But Jamal, in life and death, has taught me a lot about faith and looking for hope in all the wrong places. As a writer with a history of criticizing America’s meddling in weaker countries, in normal circumstances, I should have been loath to celebrate the CIA.
But given that, a month before, a group of Saudi hitmen not only kidnapped my friend and writer from a consulate in Istanbul but allegedly cut his body into pieces, I might have been forgiven for looking for any hope that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, would face consequences – cutting off leaders who think nothing of cutting up human beings should be a basic tenet of any healthy country’s foreign policy. (Prince Mohammed has denied any involvement or responsibility for Khashoggi’s killing.)
This week, seven years almost to the day since the CIA announced the crown prince’s responsibility in the murder, Mohammed bin Salman returns to Washington, invited for an offical visit by America’s Temu pharaoh, Donald Trump. The reconciliation between Trump and MBS was perhaps inevitable, given that even before the first Trump presidency, Trump spoke often of his love for the Saudis and their wealth. (“I get along great with all of them; they buy apartments from me. They spend $40m, $50m,” he quipped in 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much!”) » | Karen Attiah | Tuesday, November 18, 2025
The first time I ever used the words “alhumdulilah”, which translates to praise be to God in Arabic, was the night of 16 November 2018. A Friday night news alert came through on my phone: “CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination.” I collapsed into my couch, repeating the words.
I am not Muslim. But Jamal, in life and death, has taught me a lot about faith and looking for hope in all the wrong places. As a writer with a history of criticizing America’s meddling in weaker countries, in normal circumstances, I should have been loath to celebrate the CIA.
But given that, a month before, a group of Saudi hitmen not only kidnapped my friend and writer from a consulate in Istanbul but allegedly cut his body into pieces, I might have been forgiven for looking for any hope that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, would face consequences – cutting off leaders who think nothing of cutting up human beings should be a basic tenet of any healthy country’s foreign policy. (Prince Mohammed has denied any involvement or responsibility for Khashoggi’s killing.)
This week, seven years almost to the day since the CIA announced the crown prince’s responsibility in the murder, Mohammed bin Salman returns to Washington, invited for an offical visit by America’s Temu pharaoh, Donald Trump. The reconciliation between Trump and MBS was perhaps inevitable, given that even before the first Trump presidency, Trump spoke often of his love for the Saudis and their wealth. (“I get along great with all of them; they buy apartments from me. They spend $40m, $50m,” he quipped in 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much!”) » | Karen Attiah | Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Once a Pariah, Saudi Prince Resets U.S. Relations on His Own Terms
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Seven years ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman couldn’t visit Washington. When he arrived at the White House on Tuesday, he got F-35s, the world’s fastest chips and the central role in the remaking of the Middle East.
Seven years after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was effectively banished from Washington after the murder of a prominent Saudi dissident, he returned on Tuesday to a welcome meant to signal that he sat at the center of President Trump’s effort to build a new Middle East.
It was, perhaps, the most astounding geopolitical restoration of modern times. The de facto leader of the largest and richest of the Arab states, who President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said should be treated as a “pariah” six years ago, reset relations on his own terms.
The crown prince got a commitment from Mr. Trump for F-35 stealth fighters, over Israel’s objections. At the same time, he managed to push off, most likely for years, any discussion of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and recognizing the Jewish state.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we also want to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office, uttering the phrase he knew that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would reject outright, as would much of the rest of Israel’s political establishment.
“We want peace with the Israelis,” he insisted. “We want peace with the Palestinians, we want them to coexist peacefully.”
Then, with the traditional business of the past 75 years of Middle East diplomacy pushed aside, Prince Mohammed uttered the words he knew his host wanted to hear, promising upward of a trillion dollars in purchases and investments in the United States — more than the size of his country’s sovereign wealth fund. (The crown prince carefully avoided saying over what period of time the investments would be made, recognizing that the president sought a big dollar figure, whether it was realistic or not.) » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents in more than four decades as a Times correspondent. He writes often on the tensions among superpowers, the subject of his latest book. | Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Seven years after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was effectively banished from Washington after the murder of a prominent Saudi dissident, he returned on Tuesday to a welcome meant to signal that he sat at the center of President Trump’s effort to build a new Middle East.
It was, perhaps, the most astounding geopolitical restoration of modern times. The de facto leader of the largest and richest of the Arab states, who President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said should be treated as a “pariah” six years ago, reset relations on his own terms.
The crown prince got a commitment from Mr. Trump for F-35 stealth fighters, over Israel’s objections. At the same time, he managed to push off, most likely for years, any discussion of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and recognizing the Jewish state.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we also want to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office, uttering the phrase he knew that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would reject outright, as would much of the rest of Israel’s political establishment.
“We want peace with the Israelis,” he insisted. “We want peace with the Palestinians, we want them to coexist peacefully.”
Then, with the traditional business of the past 75 years of Middle East diplomacy pushed aside, Prince Mohammed uttered the words he knew his host wanted to hear, promising upward of a trillion dollars in purchases and investments in the United States — more than the size of his country’s sovereign wealth fund. (The crown prince carefully avoided saying over what period of time the investments would be made, recognizing that the president sought a big dollar figure, whether it was realistic or not.) » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents in more than four decades as a Times correspondent. He writes often on the tensions among superpowers, the subject of his latest book. | Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Trump Lauds Saudi Prince in Lavish Visit, Brushing Off Journalist’s Killing
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump rejected a U.S. intelligence report finding that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the murder of a journalist.
A screenshot taken from this article. | President Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times
President Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s autocratic leader, to the White House on Tuesday, hailing him as a protector of human rights and a frequent phone friend. And in a remarkable Oval Office outburst, Mr. Trump defended him against a U.S. intelligence report that he had ordered the murder of a journalist.
It was a chummy scene that underscored the president’s desire to maintain strong relations with Saudi Arabia during a tumultuous period in the Middle East. Mr. Trump’s defense of his guest obscured the crown prince’s role in cracking down on domestic dissent and in the killing and dismemberment of a Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018.
“We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time,” Mr. Trump told reporters, cabinet officials and members of the Saudi delegation who had gathered there. “We’ve always been on the same side of every issue.”
The 42-minute appearance contained plenty of talk about business deals and diplomatic partnerships, as well as a presidential fit over pointed questions from reporters that was striking even for Mr. Trump, who is no stranger to televised dramatics. As he berated a reporter for asking about Mr. Khashoggi’s murder and about people who have accused the Saudi government of supporting the hijackers behind the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Trump brushed off the killing, appearing even more agitated about the question than his guest of honor. » | Katie Rogers | Reporting from Washington | Published: Tuesday, November 18, 3035. Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
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President Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s autocratic leader, to the White House on Tuesday, hailing him as a protector of human rights and a frequent phone friend. And in a remarkable Oval Office outburst, Mr. Trump defended him against a U.S. intelligence report that he had ordered the murder of a journalist.
It was a chummy scene that underscored the president’s desire to maintain strong relations with Saudi Arabia during a tumultuous period in the Middle East. Mr. Trump’s defense of his guest obscured the crown prince’s role in cracking down on domestic dissent and in the killing and dismemberment of a Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018.
“We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time,” Mr. Trump told reporters, cabinet officials and members of the Saudi delegation who had gathered there. “We’ve always been on the same side of every issue.”
The 42-minute appearance contained plenty of talk about business deals and diplomatic partnerships, as well as a presidential fit over pointed questions from reporters that was striking even for Mr. Trump, who is no stranger to televised dramatics. As he berated a reporter for asking about Mr. Khashoggi’s murder and about people who have accused the Saudi government of supporting the hijackers behind the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Trump brushed off the killing, appearing even more agitated about the question than his guest of honor. » | Katie Rogers | Reporting from Washington | Published: Tuesday, November 18, 3035. Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
阅读简体中文版 »
閱讀繁體中文版 »
Click here to watch the video.
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Monday, September 08, 2025
Faith, Oil & Power: The Real Story of Saudi’s Al Saud Dynasty
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Saudi Arabia: Influencers and the Regime of Fear | ARTE.tv Documentary
Wednesday, July 02, 2025
The LGBT Influencers Facing Arrest in Saudi Arabia • The Observers - France 24
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
U.S. and Russia Pursue Partnership in a Head-Spinning Shift in Relations
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The two sides met in Saudi Arabia for their most extensive discussions in years. In addition to Ukraine, business ties were on the table.
The United States and Russia moved toward a head-spinning reset of their relationship on Tuesday, agreeing to work together on ending the Ukraine war, financial investment and re-establishing normal relations. The meeting between senior officials from both countries was a striking display of bonhomie after three years of American efforts to isolate Moscow for its 2022 invasion.
After more than four hours of talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both sides had agreed to work on a peace settlement for Ukraine as well as to explore “the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians,” both geopolitically and economically.
“We weren’t just listening to each other, but we heard each other,” Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said. “I have reason to believe that the American side started to better understand our positions.”
The meeting, the most extensive negotiations in more than three years between the two global powers, was the latest swerve by the Trump administration in abandoning Western efforts to punish Russia for starting Europe’s most destructive war in generations. It signaled Mr. Trump’s intention to roll back the Biden administration’s approach toward Moscow, which focused on sanctions, isolation and sending weapons to Ukraine that helped kill tens of thousands of Russian soldiers. » | Anton Troianovski and Ismaeel Naar | Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Leer en español aquí.
The United States and Russia moved toward a head-spinning reset of their relationship on Tuesday, agreeing to work together on ending the Ukraine war, financial investment and re-establishing normal relations. The meeting between senior officials from both countries was a striking display of bonhomie after three years of American efforts to isolate Moscow for its 2022 invasion.
After more than four hours of talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both sides had agreed to work on a peace settlement for Ukraine as well as to explore “the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians,” both geopolitically and economically.
“We weren’t just listening to each other, but we heard each other,” Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said. “I have reason to believe that the American side started to better understand our positions.”
The meeting, the most extensive negotiations in more than three years between the two global powers, was the latest swerve by the Trump administration in abandoning Western efforts to punish Russia for starting Europe’s most destructive war in generations. It signaled Mr. Trump’s intention to roll back the Biden administration’s approach toward Moscow, which focused on sanctions, isolation and sending weapons to Ukraine that helped kill tens of thousands of Russian soldiers. » | Anton Troianovski and Ismaeel Naar | Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Leer en español aquí.
'Witnessing First-hand the Betrayal of Ukraine': US and Russia Meet in Saudi Arabia
Zelensky Postpones Trip to Saudi Arabia amid US, Russia Talks
What the US and Russia Might Agree On without Ukraine and Europe | DW News
Feb 18, 2025 | US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov today in Saudi Arabia.
Talks are aimed at setting up negotiations for a peace plan for Ukraine without Kyiv or Europe at the table. It's the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor three years ago. A day earlier, European leaders held an emergency summit in Paris over the prospect of being excluded from peace talks.
Talks are aimed at setting up negotiations for a peace plan for Ukraine without Kyiv or Europe at the table. It's the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor three years ago. A day earlier, European leaders held an emergency summit in Paris over the prospect of being excluded from peace talks.
Monday, February 10, 2025
Riyadh Slams Israel's Netanyahu for "Palestine in Saudi Arabia" Remark | Firstpost Spotlight
Feb 10, 2025 | Riyadh Slams Israel's Netanyahu For "Palestine In Saudi Arabia" Remark | Firstpost Spotlight | N18G
Riyadh condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's suggestion that Saudi Arabia's land can be used to establish a Palestinian state. In a statement on February 9, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called the suggestions to displace Palestinians from their land an "extremist" idea. Saudi Arabi also affirmed that the "Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants" who could be expelled as per the wishes of Israeli leadership. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump doubled down on his earlier proposal that Washington D.C. will "take over" and "own" Gaza by resettling people of Palestine elsewhere.
Riyadh condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's suggestion that Saudi Arabia's land can be used to establish a Palestinian state. In a statement on February 9, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called the suggestions to displace Palestinians from their land an "extremist" idea. Saudi Arabi also affirmed that the "Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants" who could be expelled as per the wishes of Israeli leadership. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump doubled down on his earlier proposal that Washington D.C. will "take over" and "own" Gaza by resettling people of Palestine elsewhere.
Sunday, February 09, 2025
Netanyahu: Saudi Arabia Has ‘a Lot of Room’ to Build a New Palestinian State
THE TELEGRAPH: Arab League and UAE say Israeli prime minister’s comments are a ‘complete detachment from reality’
Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that a new Palestinian state could be established in Saudi Arabia, triggering outrage among Arab leaders.
The Israeli prime minister said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 that “the Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there”.
The Arab League pushed back on Mr Netanyahu’s remarks, saying they were “a complete detachment from reality”. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also pushed back against the comments. » | Jotam Confino in Tel Aviv | Sunday, February 9, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that a new Palestinian state could be established in Saudi Arabia, triggering outrage among Arab leaders.
The Israeli prime minister said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 that “the Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there”.
The Arab League pushed back on Mr Netanyahu’s remarks, saying they were “a complete detachment from reality”. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also pushed back against the comments. » | Jotam Confino in Tel Aviv | Sunday, February 9, 2025
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