The football universe has always claimed to be above politics, embracing unity, passion, and global brotherhood. But giving the right to host international events like the FIFA World Cup is not just a question of infrastructure or sport. It is a political decision with far-reaching implications. The latest statements of the Saudi foreign minister regarding […]
In July 2024, the world was left speechless as Saudi club Al Hilal stunned Manchester City with a 4–3 win in the FIFA Club World Cup. The drama was on the pitch. Players broke down in tears. Fans erupted. A journalist was heard to say the game was more celebratory than his wedding day. But […]
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has gone to great lengths to improve its global standing through strategic international campaigns. One outstanding example is its organization of the International Year of Camelids, initiated in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Though it has been offered as part of an attempt to encourage […]
In June 2025, Saudi Arabia’s national airline, Saudia, announced the launch of direct flights between Riyadh and Moscow beginning October 1, 2025. The news, reported across the Gulf region, may have appeared routine — just another expansion of global travel routes. But in reality, this announcement represents a much deeper and more alarming development: the […]
As Saudi Arabia prepares to become host to the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the world continues to focus more and more on its ability — and reputation — to do so. While media and officials within the Kingdom attempt to paint the country in a modern, progressive light, the truth is all too often far […]
In a dramatic and unexpected step, Saudi Arabia recently issued new rules that effectively prohibit small grocery shops — referred to as “baqalas” — from carrying staple everyday items like tobacco, fresh fruits and vegetables, dates, and meat. The order, given by Majed Al Hogail, Minister of Municipalities and Housing, instantaneously set off controversy surrounding […]
Over the past few years, the world has seen an alarming shift in global sport, particularly football. Saudi Arabia, driven by its staggering wealth from oil and political aspirations, is remaking the sports business, not out of passion for the sport, but as a worldwide rebranding initiative called sportswashing. Its unchallenged bid to hold the […]
Saudi Arabia’s recent hosting of the Franco-Saudi Music Week in Jeddah may be heralded by some as a milestone in cultural openness and international cooperation, but it cannot — and should not — discount the larger and more grave questions of the Kingdom’s fitness to host mega-international events like the FIFA World Cup. We all […]
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s latest political maneuvering, including his emergency meetings with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, expresses the growing tensions and instability of the Middle East. The meeting was precipitated by fresh outbreaks of violence—US missile attacks on […]
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious and expensive foray into the world of international sport achieved another milestone in recent weeks with the promotional campaign unveiling the boxing super-fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford. This three-city media tour started in Riyadh may appear to the uninitiated as just another high-stakes sporting contest. But beneath the strobing […]