As if Saudi Arabia did not already have enough worries in a fast-changing Middle East, another crisis recently hit home for the desert kingdom: the arrest of 11 princess and former ministers. The move ordered by King Salman and carried out by his impulsive son, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) could mark the beginning of the end for the kingdom. Read more here

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) policies toward Yemen, Syria, Qatar, and Iran are failing. But the policy toward Iran shows the kingdom’s desperate attempt to lessen the Islamic republic’s growing power. The KSA is trying to choke Iran’s economy by steeply cutting its own oil output, hoping to halt Iran’s overtures to international businesses. Oops, too late! Despite the tensions with its archenemy, the KSA, the Iranian regime is excited about its engagement with other co

As though there aren’t enough surprises in the Middle East, consider these: Speculation about the sale of at least some assets of the Saudi Arabian-owned oil company Aramco to investors, plus another shuffling of Saudi King Salman’s cabinet, starting with replacement of long-serving oil minister Ali al-Naimi with Khaled al-Falih, chairman of Aramco. This news has sent shockwaves throughout global economic and diplomatic realms. Read more here

If Saudi Arabia didn’t already have enough worries in a fast-changing Middle East, yet another crisis hit home for the desert kingdom: alleged hospitalization of King Salman, thought to have Alzheimer’s disease or some form of dementia. He only assumed the throne in January. While the 79-year-old monarch’s hospital stay surprised many in the West, the question global affairs and security analysts ask is: What might the future look like for Saudi Arabia now that the controvers

What is one to make out of the enduring tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia in light of the ongoing proxy wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, among others? The answer is more chaos and further tensions. Yet, ongoing conflicts underscore the profound rivalry between the Sunni and Shiite power. It does not help matters when the inexperienced Saudi defense minister, Prince Salman, 31, issues belligerent comments that there would be no dialogue with Iran given its religious aspirat