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Saudi power centralisation faces medium-term risks

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

Those freed include senior prince Walid bin Talal and other heads of large companies: it is unclear whether they handed over economic assets in exchange. Crown Prince Mohammed bin…

Riyadh’s radical power centralisation risks a backlash

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

This follows the detentions on November 4 of multiple important royal family members, ministers and former ministers, most notably the powerful head of the National Guard.

Saudi purge will quell critics but worry investors

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SAUDI ARABIA

This follows unprecedented arrests of senior princes, ministers and businesspeople in an anti-corruption purge beginning on November 4. The move has alarmed many in the ruling…

Lebanon will struggle to turn loans into prosperity

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LEBANON

Lebanon won aid pledges exceeding eleven billion dollars on April 6 during a conference in Paris, named CEDRE, that aimed to rally international support for a massive investment…

Saudi crown prince may move against his detractors

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SAUDI ARABIA

The scandal over Khashoggi’s death has been a profound embarrassment to the government, which has belatedly acknowledged that senior officials were implicated. However, there is…

Riyadh will court investors for diversification

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SAUDI ARABIA

Mohammed bin Salman in 2016 spearheaded ‘Vision 2030’, a grand plan for a more diversified economy, accompanied by a step-by-step transformation programme. A key element is to…

Riyadh’s rapid-fire reforms may cause policy overload

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SAUDI ARABIA

The outlook for the Saudi private sector.

Saudi social reforms will create economic openings

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SAUDI ARABIA

The rapid social changes under way, such as letting women drive and reopening cinemas, largely focus on creating new economic opportunities. They also serve a political purpose…

Saudi bureaucratic lag will hamper change

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

The state is central both in the economy and in the lives of citizens. Government has been the key driver of economic diversification, but it also poses major obstacles to private…

Saudi privatisation will privilege state interests

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

Riyadh’s privatisation plans.