Saudi Arabia

Crocodiles of Arabia

Thanks and Appreciation from the Syrian National Council to the Saudi Kingdom

Pioneer Bloggers in the Gulf Arab States

Long before Facebook updates and 140-character tweets, a number of cyber activists defined the landscape of non-government led opinion in the Gulf Arab states. In less than a decade, a group of bloggers—many of whom have never met—has paved the way for the emergence of the “other opinion” that was and continues to be largely missing from the government controlled Gulf Arab media. The shake-up to traditional media that these blogging pioneers caused was no less significant than what Al Jazeera’s arrival did to the moribund government-controlled television channels of the Arab world. Today the number of Twitter and Facebook users in the Gulf is estimated to be in the ...

Open Letter to National Press Club and Their Subsequent Decision to Rescind Suspension of Sam Husseini

The Ethics Committee of the National Press Club has asked me to present my journalistic credentials following the controversy of my suspension from the Club because of my questioning of the former head of Saudi intelligence Amb. Turki bin Faisal al-Saud. (Click here for video of the questioning). The proof that I am a journalist is the very fact that I asked the question that I did:  There's been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has, sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports ...

Journalist Who Questioned Legitimacy of Saudi Regime Suspended from National Press Club

On Monday, 14 November 2011, I went to a news conference at  the National Press Club, where I am a member, titled "His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia." I asked a tough question at the news conference -- a question that dealt with the very legitimacy of the Saudi regime. Before the end of the day, I had received a letter informing me that I was suspended from the National Press Club "due to your conduct at a news conference." The letter, signed by the executive director of the Club, William McCarren, accused me of violating rules prohibiting "boisterous and unseemly conduct or language." After several days ...

Democracy Now! Interview with Toby Jones on "Iranian Assassination Plot"

This is an interview conducted with Toby Jones on Wednesday, 12 October, in regards to the alleged Iranian-backed plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. The interview addresses the facts that have been revealed thus far, potential explanations for why the Iranian regime would engage in such an an act, as well as questions and problems with the narrative of events that is currently unfolding. The interview also discusses the broader background and implications for both the United States and Saudi Arabia. In a 21-page indictment filed in New York federal court, two Iranian agents are charged with conspiring to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir ...

New Texts Out Now: Adam Hanieh, "Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States"

Adam Hanieh, Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Jadaliyya: What made you write this book? Adam Hanieh: Although this book is very much focused on the political economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman), it has its origins in the six years (1997-2003) that I lived in the West Bank, Palestine. During that time, I had the opportunity to travel throughout the Middle East, and was repeatedly struck by the centrality of the Gulf to the political economy of the region as a whole. This was true not just concerning migration and remittance flows between the Gulf ...

Democracy Now! Interview with Toby Jones on Saudi Arabia's Role in Bahrain and Yemen

This is an interview conducted with Toby C. Jones on Thursday, June 16, in regards to Saudi Arabia's counter-revolutionary role in both Bahrain and Yemen. Transcripts of the interview follow the below video. While the United States remains heavily involved in the Libya conflict, it has been noticeably silent on the violent suppression of popular uprisings against autocratic regimes in Bahrain and Yemen, both of which are close allies of Saudi Arabia. In March, Bahrain called in Saudi troops to help crush massive pro-democracy protests. We discuss the role of Saudi Arabia in recent regional uprisings with Toby Jones, assistant professor of history at Rutgers University ...

Letter from Saudi Citizens Calling on King to Free Manal al-Sharif

[The following letter was issued by a variety of Saudi citizens calling on King Abudllah to free Manal al-Sharif who revlead that she had been driving in the Kingdom (see video here) as part of a larger call for Saudi women to drive themselves on June 17, 2011. As of early morning on Wednesday May 25, 2011, the letter has received over  1100 signatures. The original Arabic version of the letter is reproduced below can be found here. The below English translation is an edited version of the translation found here.] In the name of god, most gracious, most merciful. To the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Peace and god's blessings be upon you. We the children of ...

Saudi Women Respond to Exclusion from Voting: Baladi Campaign [My Country Campaign]

[The Baladi Campaign was launched by a group of women activists from across Saudi Arabia after the Saudi government announced in March that it would deny women their right to political participation in the upcoming September 2011 elections. The government justified its ban on female voters on the same premise used to prevent them from voting in the 2005 elections: lack of institutional preparedness. Several Saudi women have recently challenged this ban by showing up at voter registration offices in different Saudi cities demanding voter identification cards. To my knowledge, only two women were able to register their names, both in Khobar in the Eastern ...