More than money: The geopolitics behind Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy
There’s a saying in sports journalism: “The answer to all your questions is money.” But in the case of Saudi Arabia’s massive sports investment programs during the reign of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, money is not the whole story. In a simple sense, there is a clear profit motive. With US$925 billion in assets in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund exists to convert oil revenues into even greater national income. Last year, the country’s Public Investment Fund reported $36.8 billion in profits. Since 2016, it has spent $51 billion on sports properties. The point is not to turn...
Incoming EU foreign policy chief Kallas warns against Russia and China
(Reuters) - The European Union's next foreign policy chief has told lawmakers that strengthening security must be a priority, warning that Europe must be prepared as Russia and "partly China" exploit the continent’s open societies.
Opinion: Under its new president, Mexico’s foreign policy heads down dangerous path
Newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum has restricted the diplomatic work of the U.S. ambassador, humiliated the King of Spain and appointed a new secretary of Foreign Affairs known for his disturbing positions on Russia, Iran and Cuba.
Qatar's emir heads to Berlin for talks aimed at boosting economic ties
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will host Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at a baroque palace just north of Berlin on Tuesday for talks aimed at deepening economic and diplomatic ties.
Saudi Arabia forms global alliance to push for Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution
DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has formed a global alliance to push for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the country's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.
It’s Not Just Israel: Biden’s Foreign Policy Is a Mess
“The Middle East,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrote last October in Foreign Affairs, “is quieter today than it has been in decades.” Days after this smug assessment, before the print edition even arrived on subscribers’ doorsteps, Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 and taking another 250 or so hostage. In response, Israel launched the military operation in Gaza that has now killed over 42,000 Palestinians and counting.Unbelievably, Secretary of State Blinken made the exact same misstep as Sullivan two weeks ago—proclaiming in the very same magazine that the Biden administration had “put the United States in a much stronger...