The Saudi Survival Strategy

In this podcast, Emily Donahue speaks with Emily Hawthorne about the negotiations that began last month regarding a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal.

The White House is expected to approve some weapons deals, but only if Abu Dhabi and Riyadh’s behavior stays aligned with U.S. regional goals.

The ongoing fighting will pressure Washington into helping Riyadh blunt more Houthi advances that would worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

Slow COVID-19 vaccine rollouts across the Muslim world portend another lackluster pilgrimage, depriving the kingdom of crucial tourism revenue.

U.S.-Saudi efforts to end Yemen’s war may soon face a major blow, as Houthis rebels inch closer to seizing the resource-rich city of Marib.

The White House’s renewed criticism of the kingdom’s leadership and human rights record will undoubtedly clash with Riyadh’s own imperatives.

The Arab states could turn to France and the U.K., as well as U.S. adversaries like Russia and China, if Biden follows through on canceling arms shipments.

Riyadh is trying to appease the incoming Biden administration, but U.S. concerns with its nuclear program and regional behavior will continue to drive rifts.

In this episode of the Essential Geopolitics podcast, Emily Donahue speaks to Emily Hawthorne, a Middle East and North Africa analyst for Stratfor and RANE, about warming relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Without an uptick in private sector activity, Riyadh’s spending cuts will raise the risk of social unrest.