Saudi Arabia News

The Daily Signal covers Saudi Arabia with reporting and conservative analysis on the U.S.-Saudi partnership, oil production decisions, Abraham Accords normalization with Israel, countering Iranian aggression, human rights debates, and the Kingdom’s role in Middle East stability.
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    • News

    Justices Struggle Over Venue in Case Involving Big Tech, Saudi Arabia

    Supreme Court justices grew fiery at times, and occasionally comical, during Monday’s arguments in the case of a former Twitter employee who was a paid informant of the Saudi Arabian government.  Justices considered a narrow legal question about venue—whether a defendant can be prosecuted in a place where the alleged conduct didn’t occur.  In the…
    Fred Lucas
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    • News

    Saudi Arabia, Qatar Bail Out War-Ravaged Syria

    The Middle East was the source of some rare positive news on Sunday when Qatar and Saudi Arabia announced that they would be paying back the some $15 million that Syria owes to the World Bank. The payment will help enable the bank to assist in the rebuilding of Syria after nearly 14 years of…
    Jacob Adams
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    • News

    Biden Agrees to Sell Missiles to ‘Pariah’ Saudi Arabia

    The Biden administration has approved the sale of Patriot missiles and support equipment to Saudi Arabia, overriding prior campaign pledges to end arms transfers to the “pariah” country over human rights issues. President Joe Biden notified Congress of the $3 billion sale Tuesday, the day after a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vowed to extend a…
    Micaela Burrow
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    • News

    Trump Predicts Truce in Oil Price War Between Russia and Saudi Arabia

    President Donald Trump said Thursday evening that the oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia may end soon.  Trump said he had just had a 90-minute conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud about their oil price war, on the same day that the Organization of the…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    A Government-Managed Alliance With Saudi Arabia Isn’t the Solution for Low Oil Prices

    As the world collectively battles with the coronavirus pandemic, leaders on the world stage also are grappling with how to address the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. As prices plummeted, one idea floated is for the U.S. to form an alliance with Saudi Arabia to stabilize prices. Although it’s not clear what…
    Nicolas Loris
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    • Opinion

    What You Need to Know About the Attack on Saudi Arabia

    A major attack on Saudi oil production is stoking tensions in the Middle East. Heritage Foundation expert Peter Brookes discusses what happened, and what it means for the region and the United States. Read the lightly edited interview, pasted below, or listen on the podcast: We also cover these stories: President Trump is defending Justice…
    Katrina Trinko
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    • Opinion

    Ending US Military Support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen Would Trigger Dangerous Consequences

    In a new resolution, a bipartisan group of senators is calling for the United States to end its involvement—specifically its support of Saudi Arabia—in the Yemen conflict. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 63-37 to pass a procedural measure that will clear the way for a floor debate on the issue next week. The push comes…
    Madyson Hutchinson Posey
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    • Opinion

    What Saudi Arabia’s Reformer Prince Hopes to Achieve in US Visit

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is an ambitious young man in a hurry who is trying to reform his own country and secure the leading role of his wing of the ruling family. He came to Washington this week seeking American help in modernizing the Saudi economy, defending its interests in Yemen, and cooperating…
    James Phillips
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    • Opinion

    Q&A: How the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s Views on Islam, Economy Could Change Country

    Jim Phillips, senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The Heritage Foundation, gave his insight into the recent events related to succession that have taken place in Saudi Arabia in an interview Tuesday with The Heritage Foundation’s Genevieve Wood. Here is an edited transcript of the interview. Wood: So people understand, so currently the…
    Genevieve Wood
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    • News

    Women’s March Stays Silent on Saudi Arabia Allowing Women to Drive

    King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia finally decided to end one of the world’s most oppressive policies against women, issuing a decree on Tuesday allowing women to drive. In 2017, this is an incredibly big deal for women’s equality. In Saudi Arabia, women still need a male guardian’s permission to marry, divorce, travel, open…
    Paul Runko
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    • Opinion

    How Saudi Arabia Is Laying the Foundation for Improved Relations With Iraq

    The Iraq-Saudi Arabia relationship, while historically rocky, appears to be on the mend. Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 prompted Saudi Arabia to close its border with Iraq. Since then, only Iraqi religious pilgrims have been allowed to cross once a year during the hajj season. After 27 years, the two nations are now…
    Madyson Hutchinson Posey
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    • News

    America’s Iran ‘Tilt’ Likely Topic as Obama Visits Saudi Arabia

    President Barack Obama will visit Saudi Arabia Wednesday trying to salvage what he can from a historically stable partnership that has frayed over differing priorities related to major issues like the Syrian civil war and Iranian influence. As the Obama administration has focused its policies on defeating the Islamic State in Syria over ousting its…
    Josh Siegel
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    • Opinion

    Michelle Obama Goes Scarfless in Saudi Arabia

    First Lady Michelle Obama caused quite a stir when she arrived in Saudi Arabia for the funeral of King Abdullah. As she exited Air Force One, Obama wasn’t wearing the traditional head scarf worn by women in the extremely conservative country. Immediately, Twitter was abuzz. Saudi tweeters criticized her decision, using hashtags like #Michelle_Obama_NotVeiled. Many…
    Ericka Andersen
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    • News

    Q&A: What Does Death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Mean for the US?

    When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died on Friday, the loss could be felt in the United States. That’s because Abdullah, 90, who assumed the throne in 2005, had led one of the West’s key strategic allies in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is also the world’s largest exporter of oil. The king’s death creates…
    James Phillips
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    • News

    Geography Lesson for Top Obama Aide: Syria Doesn’t Border Saudi Arabia

    Speaking to reporters before President Obama’s Wednesday night address on the terrorist group ISIS, a senior administration official mentioned Saudi Arabia’s “extensive border” with Syria. Trouble is, Saudi Arabia and Syria share no border. The senior Obama administration official, who was not identified by name under well-established rules, was speaking about 6 p.m. on a…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    How U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize Fossil Fuels in Russia, Saudi Arabia While Being Penalized at Home

    Americans have to pay more for electricity and compete for fewer jobs because of President Obama’s regulatory curbs on fossil fuels at home, even as their tax dollars support expansion of those same energy sources abroad. The Obama administration last month rolled out its most recent brake on fossil fuels, a 645-page proposed rule to…
    Kevin Mooney
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