Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Abdullah Abuthnain, represented the Kingdom at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) labor session in Baku on September 23–24. Saudi Arabia brought attention to its “efforts for youth empowerment, social security, and digitalization” across the Islamic world. But behind this façade of liberal-sounding rhetoric is […]
Saudi Arabia is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, and the world of football needs to look at what is happening here for what it is: not a celebration of football, but a measured propaganda endeavor. If we want to know how the Kingdom will utilize the World Cup, we can find […]
During the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Saudi Economy and Planning Minister Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim uttered powerful words: youth are the “key” to international sustainable development. He commended Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision oriented towards youth and outlined Saudi Vision 2030 as a blueprint for future planning and youth investment. But rhetoric is […]
September 25, 2025, saw Human Rights Watch (HRW) issue a harsh alert as the Saudi government kicked off the first-ever Riyadh Comedy Festival, touted as the “world’s largest comedy event.” While the festival offers mirth and entertainment, HRW warned that it has a far more sinister intent: to “deflect attention” from the kingdom’s institutionalized human […]
Saudi Arabia has been in the headlines over the past few weeks for signing a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan, a nuclear power, in response to the first-ever Israeli air attack on a Gulf nation. This precipitous action taken without advance consultation with its American partners has created shock waves of unease in Washington and […]
When Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labour, Abdullah Abuthnain, headed the Kingdom’s delegation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Labour Centre executive council session in Baku earlier this September, the message was loud and clear: Saudi Arabia is keen on positioning itself as a labor reform leader. He […]
Saudi Arabia’s most recent attempt to bring Japanese firms into its special economic zones, which it announced at the Saudi-Japan Investment Forum in Osaka, is not just business news. Beneath the surface, this forum, where more than 1,500 participants from both countries were present, was presented as a bilateral economic cooperation celebration. But under the […]
Saudi Arabia is back in the news, but this time not only for its football ambitions. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index, the Tadawul All Share Index, jumped as much as 5% after reports indicated the Kingdom is poised to open public companies to majority foreign ownership, Bloomberg reports. This possible shift may draw in billions of […]
Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has spent a lot on rebranding itself globally. The Kingdom regularly promotes success in tech, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation as it positions itself as the epitome of modernization. All of this, Raied Al-Jadaany and Rehab bint Saad Al-Arfaj insisted, was proof of innovation. They spoke with pride […]
As Saudi officials closed more than two dozen music lounges in Riyadh and Jeddah this month, the world was reminded of the uncomfortable reality: while its billion-dollar campaign to modernize is ongoing, the kingdom remains profoundly repressive at its core. The lounges, where young Saudis flocked for live shows, shisha, and co-ed socializing, represented a […]