Wahhabism
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The world according to Mohammed bin SalmanProve your loyalty, Saudis – deny reality
Saudi Arabia first denied the Khashoggi murder and then blamed it on rogue security agents. Neither version has enjoyed much credibility, but the ability to make the population repeat incredible claims is itself a form of power for Arab autocrats, argues Hannes Baumann
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Malaysiaʹs Mahathir targets corruptionGraft links to the Gulf
Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir is adopting policies that could re-shape the southeast Asian nationʹs relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. By James M. Dorsey
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Geopolitics in the Middle EastEnd the Arab-Iranian tug-of-war
You can’t change regional geography, notes the political analyst Khaled Hroub. Iran and the Arabs will always be neighbours, but we can change and re-shape history and politics. The common interest must therefore lie in ending the period of conflict and moving towards co-operation and regional security
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Saudi Arabian and UAE foreign policyA finger in every pie
When it comes to furthering their own interests, few political actors are currently attempting to influence developments in the Middle East and North Africa on so many fronts as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). By Matthias Sailer
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Gulf StatesSaudi economic policy: How much reform?
Last year King Salman of Saudi Arabia announced a comprehensive reform programme called “Vision 2030”. Its aim is to prepare the Saudi economy for a future without oil. Whether it will go smoothly is doubtful. By Nassir Djafari
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Africa's MuslimsPawns of the Saudis
Rich Saudis are investing millions in building mosques in Africa. And they are being accused of using radical preachers to destabilise the region. But there has long been much more at stake on the African continent than proselytising. By Gwendolin Hilse
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Power play in Saudi ArabiaCharting a seismic shift
With an unprecedented wave of arrests, the young Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to consolidate his power in the country. But he is making some dangerous enemies. An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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Reform in Saudi ArabiaProgress or megalomania?
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia says he wants to fundamentally change his country. But the inexperienced and impulsive young Mohammed bin Salman could quickly find himself in over his head, says Nader Alsarras
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Atheism in Saudi ArabiaGod's own country
Atheism remains one of the most extreme taboos in Saudi Arabia. It is a red line that no one may cross. Regarded on a par with terrorists, atheists in Saudi Arabia suffer imprisonment, marginalisation, slander, ostracisation and even execution. Efforts at normalisation between those who believe and those who don′t remain bleak. By Hakim Khatib
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Sufi music under attack in PakistanAs the sea of love recedes
In parts of modern Pakistan, being a qawwali musician is now a high-risk occupation. By intimidating those who play, listen or even dance to this devotional music, puritan hardliners in Pakistan are insulting and violating an indigenous culture that for centuries has celebrated love both earthly and divine, says Jurgen Wasim Frembgen
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Iran and Saudi ArabiaChalk and cheese
Iran and Saudi Arabia are more than just two regimes, they are also two societies. And these are fundamentally different. Charlotte Wiedemann assesses the differences, from their fundamental attitude to life, to the pace and scale of modernisation
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Islam in the Middle EastThe curse of religiosity
Some regard the fanatical and raging tide currently sweeping through Arab societies as variations of a "latent Daesh-isation". Indeed, argues Khaled Hroub, despite falling short of the use of violence or arms, in its most extreme form, its ideological principles and convictions share common ground with the heinous beliefs of Islamic State