Page 16 - Trends

Focus: Saudi Arabia

© Reuters

For an unknown period of time, KSA and Israel have been cooperating behind /LPLWLQJ :HVWHUQ LQÁXHQFH LQ WKH UH-
gion — and thereby increasing his own
the scenes and, in late 2017, reports of their rapprochement become open. LQÁXHQFH ³ DSSHDUV WR EH 3XWLQ·V JRDO
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Arabia appears to be coming around SDUWQHUVKLS ZLWK ,UDQ %RUVKFKHYVND\D he moves closer to that goal.
WR 0RVFRZ·V YLHZ RQ 6\ULD ³ LQFOXG- says, while noting that that outcome ap- 0LOLWDULO\ 6DXGL $UDELD·V FKDOOHQJ-
LQJ 6\ULDQ 3UHVLGHQW %DVKDU DO $VVDG·V pears a little doubtful. es will continue to include Yemen and
FRQWLQXLQJ RFFXSDQF\ RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW·V “The Kremlin will welcome the invest- Syria with little change in sight, ac-
RIÀFH ³ DQG KDV GHFLGHG WKDW IURP D ments, of course, but that is not going to cording to Kubursi. “Saudi Arabia has
pragmatic point of view, it has to deal change its political orientation,” she says failed in its war in Yemen,” he says, in
with Moscow. in her analysis. spite of overwhelming military supe-
5XVVLDQ 3UHVLGHQW 9ODGLPLU 3XWLQ·V riority and countless airstrikes by the
Boosting investment priority has always been the survival of Saudi-led coalition.
The recent visit to Moscow by Saudi his own regime and he believes that, to “You have the richest Arab country
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud VXUYLYH KH KDV WR XQGHUPLQH WKH 8QLWHG attacking the poorest and that alone
points to this, along with massive plans 6WDWHV· VXSUHPDF\ VSHFLÀFDOO\ DQG WKH will create the seeds for problems,” he
for Saudi investment in Russia. The West more broadly. notes, adding that Saudi Arabia had

16 TRENDS | February 2018