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591 - 600 from 1018 . In "Opinion / OP-ED"
EU-KSA relations and the regional context
As Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, I headed a visit of Members of Parliament to Riyadh, Kuwait and Tehran in mid-February. My first impression of Riyadh was very positive. It is a city in motion, with many construction sites and ongoing works. I could feel that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at a turning point in its modern history and its relations with the European Union.Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, is seen as a modernizer and has already made a series of socio-economic reforms, including the establishment of an Entertainment Authority and the Vision 2030 program. The decision to lift the driving ban on women and the promised review of the male guardianship system give hope that further...
July 15, 2018

EU-KSA relations and the regional context

Who is responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of mosques?
Okaz newspaper recently published an investigative report by Abdullah Al-Dani, which dealt with the maintenance of mosques financed by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, as well as by other benefactors. The report noted that there are 2,500 mosques under the supervision of the ministry in Jeddah alone. There are also a number of other mosques that belong to special endowments that are supervised by endowment officials.The report quoted Saeed Al-Maliki, director general of the mosques department in Jeddah governorate, as saying that there are 11 groups under his department and that these groups are in charge of the maintenance of designated mosques. Each of these groups undertakes the maintenance of around 100 mosques for a long-term period of up to three years. Although...
July 11, 2018

Who is responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of mosques?

Revisiting the expat dependent tax
There are expectations that the conclusion of Haj this year will also spell the end of service of many expats. With rising levies on each expat every successive year, many have made preparations for an early departure. For those unfamiliar with the levy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia instituted a series of financial reforms in an effort to wean the nation off a dependency on oil, which in recent years has not proven to be a stable or reliable source of income.Expats most hard hit by these new economic measures fall primarily in the lower income group, fast joined by some in the middle-income group. So much so that a large number of expat families have decided to send their children back to their homelands to offset the levies and continue working here on a bachelor status. The countries most...
July 11, 2018

Revisiting the expat dependent tax

Can Iran block the Hormuz Strait?
What a fiasco!! Within 48 hours, Iran threatens the USA, its neighbors and the world ... the USA responds with a stiff warning ... Iran backs down! Its president takes a big stand, and his military commanders pronounce their support and declare readiness to turn words into actions. Then, just as swiftly, his office clarifies that he does not mean what he says, and he says what he does not mean! However, his commanders still insist otherwise. That is typical Iranian bravado and contradiction—empty threats and sneaky actions.Here’s the story: During a visit to Switzerland, Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, hinted last Tuesday that Tehran could obstruct oil exports from neighboring countries if sanctions were imposed on Iranian oil exports.His threat was later backed up by General Qasem...
July 10, 2018

Can Iran block the Hormuz Strait?

The absence of the German moment!
Germany won the last World Cup held in Brazil with an impressive performance considered by observers and critics to be the culmination of the German moment in the world. The German team was the best in the world, Germany led Europe, its products were launched around the world with great success and Volkswagen was at the forefront of automotive companies around the world in terms of production volume and sales. Germany’s major companies were known for their reliability, precision and quality, and German brands had become the masters of the world’s economy.However, four years later, in the current World Cup, the situation has been turned upside down. The German team was humiliated, with the World Cup champions being defeated in the third game by South Korea’s very modest team.This...
July 09, 2018

The absence of the German moment!

Is the US returning to isolationism?
The slogan of America First used by US President Donald Trump during his election campaign was not new. It was in line with the policy of isolationism practiced by some US administrations, beginning in the 19th century with the Monroe Doctrine, when President James Monroe directed the US Congress to guarantee the independence of Western Hemisphere countries against European intervention.The purpose of the doctrine was to make it clear that the United States would not allow either the creation of new European colonies in the Americas or the further expansion of existing colonies. It stated that any efforts by European nations to take control of any independent state in North or South America would be viewed as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.A number...
July 04, 2018

Is the US returning to isolationism?

Critical thinking is the order of the day
Ours is a young society from what government statistics keep telling us. The population swing is in favor of the youth who make up a sizeable majority of the population. These young people have to be directed and their energies and focus channeled toward contributing to a prosperous and stable future for themselves and the country.At a recent gathering, the issue of freethinking among our youth came up. Some parents were bemoaning the trend of robot-like behavior in the speech and thought processes of their young. And they were worried that so much of this behavior seemed to be negative.Our society has undergone so much transformation in the past three decades, some for the better and some for the worse, and now it looks to its youth with questions. Where did we go wrong?As parents, the...
July 04, 2018

Critical thinking is the order of the day

E-govt: Thanks to Vision 2030!
Technology is meant to make our lives easier. Electronic communications and services are great tools to help service providers give us more at less. With computers, robots and fast communications, a highly trained staff in a small office can efficiently serve a great number of people at a very low cost.Customers may cut expenses, time and effort by logging in a bank website from the comfort of their offices, homes or smart phones to manage their accounts, transfer money and pay bills. No need to waste time and fight traffic to get to a bank branch before closing hours, fill forms and stand in long queues, just to make a deposit or a withdrawal. You may do all of the above and more at the nearest ATM faster, easier and quieter.Government’s bureaucracy was slow to catch up with the private...
July 03, 2018

E-govt: Thanks to Vision 2030!

June 24: A day unlike any other!
AS I am writing these lines, the streets and roads in Saudi cities are witnessing the dawn of a new era with women driving their cars and thus consigning the meaningless debate around it to the dustbin of history.People in the Kingdom have realized that when women drive their cars, it does not remove them from their religion, does not shake their faith, does not break the security rules, does not violate the law and does not affect their reproductive system and these were only some of the motivated misinformation campaigns launched by a group of people who did not want women to drive and they thought the lifting of the ban on women driving would destroy the nation.However, it turned to be a normal day and also an extraordinary day because women in Saudi Arabia were prevented from driving...
July 02, 2018

June 24: A day unlike any other!

GCC perceptions of US withdrawal from the JCPOA
The Secretary-General of the GCC, Dr. Abdul Latif Zayani, welcomed the decision made by US President Donald Trump regarding the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, re-imposition of sanctions and the imposition of more severe sanctions. “It is a brave decision that expresses his desire for a nuclear-free Middle East and to respond to Iran’s hostile policies in the region,” he said.Most GCC member states also hailed the US decision to review and reshape the deal to face down the Iranian threat to regional security. In fact, GCC member states initially welcomed the Iranian deal as they believe that the prevalence of stability and peace in the Gulf region ensures stability in the Middle East and in the world as a whole. They also believe that tackling the nuclear issue through...
June 28, 2018

GCC perceptions of US withdrawal from the JCPOA

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