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RIYADH: President Joe Biden’s upcoming July tour of the Middle East can repair his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia, something very important for the US to achieve, according to former senior CIA operations officer and Middle East expert Norman Roule.
The visit could not only have a major impact on US-Saudi and regional long-term ties, but also lead to the building of a relationship that will help both countries achieve their long-term goals, Roule told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking,” the Arab News talk show that features interviews with leading policymakers and business leaders.
Despite soaring fuel prices and quickening inflation in the US, the White House has denied that Biden’s visit will focus primarily on oil, a sentiment with which Roule agrees.
“The US and Saudi Arabia have multiple issues on areas ranging from green energy to space that will be important parts of the discussions that take place in Riyadh,” he said.
An Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC ministerial meeting in early June resulted in a pledge to increase oil production by 50 percent in July in order to alleviate the sharp rise in fuel prices.
Various other issues on the table include the waterways which surround Saudi Arabia that are vital to the functioning of the US economy, such as the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf.
Agriculture and food security, both regionally and in Africa, where Saudi Arabia’s influence is growing, and the fight against extremism will also be on the agenda.
“These issues just don’t get much press because I think they sound a little more boring than oil and gas prices and some more simplistic challenges,” Roule said.
Still, many argue that oil is the elephant in the room as Biden prepares to make his visit to a country that some Americans view as a giant gas station. Some imply that Saudi Arabia, as the largest and most profitable OPEC member, is somehow to blame for the recent surge in prices. Roule disagrees.
“President Putin deserves a fair amount of the blame,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has a role, but I wouldn’t overstate that.”
He said many other factors, including the cessation of Russian shipments of oil, gas and coal to Europe and rapid economic growth as the world’s economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, are playing their part.
He added: “There has been a failure of capital investment in the US and in other countries. We have an explosive growth of the economy as a result of our economic policies and coming out of COVID-19.”
One of the most interesting aspects of the upcoming Biden visit, according to Roule, is that “the economic goals of the US government and the Saudi government are almost identical.”
Aside from the more trans-global trade issues, both the US and Saudi Arabia are working to improve infrastructure and support the growth of their respective middle classes.
Roule thinks protecting the achievements of both countries is of great importance. “Each party wishes to avoid any conflicts in the region that might produce devastating conventional wars that would set back those economic and social gains,” he said.
“We need Saudi Arabia’s cooperation, partnership, and also to see how we can support Saudi Arabia’s own initiatives to prevent extremism throughout the Islamic world.”
On a more individual level, Roule said, “you’re going to have the president of the US and his vast staff see first-hand what life is like in Saudi Arabia. That will be powerful.”
“You are going to have a personal relationship potential between the president and all of the actors he meets on this trip, to include the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.”
Roule believes such a personal relationship between the two leaders has the potential to “see channels of communications and structures set up so that they can continue these discussions to build on this and actually achieve the goals these meetings were supposed to create in the months that follow this meeting.”
While Roule believes the US leadership respects the Kingdom’s ambitions for reform and challenges it faces in doing so, a wider audience “generally sees the Kingdom in terms of the 9/11 issue, the Jamal Khashoggi murder, and the oil issue.”
Saudi media must do more to counter these stereotypical images of the Kingdom, Roule said, adding that other Middle Eastern countries such as Israel and Qatar have 24-hour broadcasting stations which American television viewers can watch.
He suggests that a Saudi 24-hour television station could “show life in a flat, nonpartisan, non-political way.”
Just as Saudi Arabia is not without its faults, a potential Biden visit to Saudi Arabia is not without its detractors. Those who criticize the trip highlight human-rights issues and the now seven-year war in Yemen.
Roule calls these reservations “excessive,” saying that “I have spoken with many Saudi officials who have assured me, to my satisfaction, frankly, that they are trying to do everything they can to limit civilian casualties.”
He added: “I would stress that the Biden administration itself, in its rhetoric and its political statements, has repeatedly thanked the Kingdom for its strenuous diplomatic efforts that it has undertaken to achieve a political solution to this conflict, and it has been quite a while since you have had the Biden administration criticize the Saudi government, and that is based on what I am certain is the simple view of the facts.”
Roule has no doubt that the Iranian-backed Houthis are the primary opposition to a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
US-Saudi relations are critical to countering malicious actions by Iran, according to Roule, who spent 34 years with the CIA covering the Middle East.
For nine of those years, he was the national intelligence manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and he currently serves as a senior adviser to the political advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran.
Tehran may view the Biden visit as a threat, and the country and its proxies may attempt to disrupt the visit, according to Roule.
“They are not happy with this upcoming visit, particularly with the prospect of improved air defenses in the region, because an integrated air-defense system for the region would complicate Iran’s ability to conduct missile attacks and drone attacks directly or via its proxies,” he said.
Roule called the social and economic success witnessed by the Arabian Peninsula in the past several decades “the greatest threat to the Iranian government,” adding that Tehran views the achievements of the region as “a powerful corrosive that will undermine the stability of the Islamic Republic.”
In his opinion, Iran is attempting to cement its hegemony in the Arab world by force, belying former US President Barack Obama’s claim in an interview with The Atlantic magazine that Saudi Arabia and Iran finding a way to “share the neighborhood” is the best way to institute a “cold peace.”
Despite the obstacles that Iranian proxy force Hamas is creating with the intent of hindering an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Roule believes Saudi Arabia could have an effective role in a peaceful solution to the conflict.
As a guest in a previous episode of Frankly Speaking, Issawi Frej, Israeli minister for regional cooperation, said the “Saudi leadership would be central to any solution in the future.”
Roule concurred, saying: “The Kingdom has repeatedly said it supports a two-state solution, and once the Palestinian issue is resolved and some legitimate concerns and requirements of the Palestinians are resolved, it would see greater engagement with Israel, which it accepts as a part of the region.”
During his frequent travels to the Kingdom over nearly forty years, Roule has been impressed by many aspects of the Kingdom’s progress, and remains positive that such a visit could have a deeper impact on how the world views the country.
“The history of the Kingdom is more open than it has ever been, to include the pre-Islamic history,” he said.
“I have been struck by the number of contacts I have in the American business community who have told me with delight and astonishment of the trips they have taken to Saudi Arabia, which are increasingly touristic in nature.”
He also praised the opening of the UNESCO World Heritage site in AlUla to increasing numbers of tourists, a move which he called “the greatest development in archaeology, perhaps in the last 20, 30 or 50 years.”
Those who continue to visit the Kingdom from outside, Roule said, “come back with a magnificent appreciation of this unique geography, history, a very warm people, the similarity and values between the American people and the Saudi people and the Arabs in general.”
DUBAI: Imagination, the global experience-design company, is in the process of bolstering its presence and profile in Saudi Arabia and recently opened an office in the Kingdom.
It has announced a number of appointments to the senior leadership team in the new office, including Paulo Novoa as creative director and Clare Baarda as logistics director.
Novoa, who brings nine years of experience in senior creative roles, joined Imagination from Riyadh-based branding and strategy agency TOLD, where he was associate creative director, leading the creative team to deliver solutions and brand strategy for clients.
Baarda has more than 15 years of experience in events management, having worked with major international brands such as Audi, L’Oreal and Ericsson. She joins Imagination after working with the company as a freelancer on projects for the Saudi Ministry of Culture, the G20 Cultural Program, and the Kingdom’s NEOM smart city megaproject.
Novoa and Baarda are based in Imagination’s new Riyadh office and will work with existing clients in the public and private sectors.
“We hired our first employee and planned to launch our Riyadh office back in 2019 when we began working at scale in the Kingdom for Saudi entities,” Imagination CEO Patrick Reid told Arab News.
“We were proudly supporting the Saudi Secretariat and the Ministry of Culture in delivering the G20 cultural activities in March 2020, when the pandemic inevitably delayed our plans to expand.”
The company, which has 14 offices worldwide, intends Riyadh to serve as its regional headquarters.
“We see KSA as a strategic area of focus for our business,” Reid said.
Imagination has been working with clients in the Kingdom for 20 years but there has been a “clear paradigm shift” since the announcement of Vision 2030, which is “transforming and reimagining many sectors and industries,” he added.
“The power of storytelling and the shifts in media have been pivotal in the evolution of brand experiences in the Kingdom.”
For example, authorities have organized events such as Saudi Fashion Week and a pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, and introduced incentives for filmmakers to shoot their movies in the Kingdom, among many other initiatives, in an effort to boost the nation’s cultural and creative industries.
These industries are among the fastest-growing sectors in the world, delivering annual global revenues of $2,250 billion, providing 30 million jobs and contributing about 10 percent of global gross domestic product, according to UNESCO.
“In the UK for example, what we call the ‘creative industries’ accounts for roughly 9 percent of the GDP, which means it is a significant contributor to the economy as well as the cultural fabric and global standing of the country,” said Reid.
“At Imagination, we believe we have a role to play in building this economic and cultural multiplier in KSA.”
Imagination’s clients in the Kingdom include the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Culture, the Public Investment Fund, entertainment company MDLBEAST, and NEOM.
Smartphone company Xiaomi has responded to the digital transformation of the Kingdom by launching its most technologically advanced line of phones to date.
The Xiaomi Redmi 10 series — featuring the Redmi 10 2022, Redmi 10A, and Redmi 10C smartphones — has been specifically designed to cater to a digitally savvy generation of customers with a preference for advanced features that enable them to connect with their loved ones, express themselves and explore their interests on- and offline.
With Saudi Arabia distinguished by one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world, the Redmi 10 series is uniquely tailored to meet the demands of local customers keen to immerse themselves in seamless and engaging digital experiences.
Marked by operational efficiency, quality performance and top-of-the-line functionality, the Redmi 10 2022, Redmi 10A and Redmi 10C represent the next generation of smartphone technology, providing consumers added value in the way of increased convenience, ease-of-use, connect- edness, and versatility.
Reiterating Xiaomi’s goal of making quality technology accessible to people all over the world, the device is designed to offer unrivaled value for money. Introducing the series’ first 50 MP camera, it makes professional quality, high-resolution photography accessible to users. The phone is also perfect for entertainment, with its 90 Hz and 1,080p display allowing for stunning viewing of all manner of content. The Redmi 10 is available in two variants: 4 GB+128 GB, with price starting at SR699 ($186); and 6 GB+128 GB, with price starting at SR749.
A modern upgrade on Xiaomi’s most popular smartphone model to date — the Redmi9A — the 10A has been launched with a view to make customers’ lives simpler and smoother. The phone’s Helio G25 Octacore processor enables users to enjoy crisp, cohesive, and fun gaming experiences, while its 13 MP dual camera and 5 MP selfie camera allows customers to capture memorable moments in vivid clarity. The 10A’s long-lasting 5,000 mAh battery and 10 W fast charging also provides consumers with enough power to last a full day. The Redmi 10A will be available in two variants: 2 GB+32 GB, with price starting at SR459; and 3 GB+64 GB, with price starting at SR509.
Efficient, fast, and powerful, the 10C comes fully equipped with a Snapdragon 680 processor, providing a speed of up to 2.4 GHz and delivering the ultimate smart-phone experience while conserving power. As with the Redmi 10, the 10C boasts a top-of-the-line 50 MP main camera. It also features a sizable 6.71-inch Dot Drop display, offering an immersive daily entertainment viewing experience. The Redmi 10C is available in two variants: 4 GB+64 GB, priced at SR599; and 4 GB+128 GB, priced at SR649.
All phones are available for purchase through Jarir Bookstore.
With the summer holidays beginning, Hilton Riyadh Hotel and Residences is offering exclusive retreats for families seeking an extended getaway in Saudi Arabia’s capital city.
Home to 221 premium studios, apartments and deluxe suites, Hilton Riyadh presents comfortable housing and a plethora of high-end amenities in the hub of one of the region’s most prominent locations.
Families who choose to spend their holiday at the world-renowned hotel’s Riyadh location can expect to be welcomed with fantastic customer service as well as a central, metropolitan location.
Hilton Riyadh Hotel and Residences amenities include four restaurants, a gym, an indoor pool, a lady’s salon, and valet parking to help ease the commute of guests seeking to explore Riyadh.
The destination can house guests in one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, with deluxe apartments offering 95 square meters of space to accommodate visiting families regardless of their size.
Every unit within Hilton Riyadh’s 14-story residential apartment tower comes with exclusive access to upscale amenities, a private entrance and tailored reception to suit the wants and needs of residents.
Overlooking the Granada Mall and near Al-Faisaliah and Kingdom Towers, the spacious residential tower — located 20 minutes away from King Khalid International Airport — is ideal to accommodate families, tourists and those traveling for business.
“We are delighted to welcome all guests and families to our residence, which provides visitors a home away from home as they explore the wonders of Riyadh,” said Hans Schiller, general manager of Riyadh Hotels and Residences.
“Hilton Riyadh is excited to fulfill the wants and needs of travelers, as the tourism sector in the Kingdom continues to grow in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.”
Starting at 85 square meters, every residential room comes fitted with a living/dining room, complimentary Wi-Fi, a 42-inch HDTV, a full kitchen with a microwave oven, a dishwasher, a Nespresso Coffee Machine and a washing machine. Other amenities include an in-room safe, minibar and sofa bed.
As a trusted provider of luxury, long-stay serviced apartments, the Hilton Riyadh is aiming to uphold its globally practiced ethos of providing innovative services and top-notch hospitality to meet guests’ evolving needs.
With nearly 600 hotels across six continents, Hilton Hotels and Resorts properties are located in the world’s most sought-after destinations.
Curves for the Mathematically Curious is a thoughtfully curated collection of 10 mathematical curves, selected by Julian Havil for their significance, mathematical interest, and beauty.
Each chapter gives an account of the history and definition of one curve, providing a glimpse into the elegant and often surprising mathematics involved in its creation and evolution.
In telling the 10 stories, Havil introduces many mathematicians and other innovators, some whose fame has withstood the passing of years and others who have slipped into comparative obscurity.
SULAIMANIYAH: Nearly a week ago, Iraqi Kurd Barham Hama Ali found himself in the unimaginable position of being aboard a deportation flight set to take off for Kigali, thousands of miles from home. The 25-year-old was among a handful of asylum seekers who were due to be the first of many sent from the United Kingdom under a controversial resettlement deal with Rwanda. "We were seven migrants, each one of us was escorted by four guards," Ali said. "They put us on the plane by force." "We were all crying. We faced psychological and physical pain," he said. But he and his fellow passengers got a reprieve when the flight was cancelled at the 11th hour, thanks to an "urgent interim" ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. Like thousands of Kurds, Syrians, Afghans and others fleeing war-torn or impoverished homes, Ali had arrived in Britain from France in the spring. "The economic situation is bad and unemployment is rampant" in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, he told AFP in a phone interview from a detention centre outside London. He said he was also fleeing "attacks by foreign forces" -- namely Turkey, which has launched successive offensives in the Kurdistan region targeting insurgents from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), at times causing civilian casualties. He left his small town of Sayyed Sadiq, "taking many risks" by trekking north to Turkey, then making his way to France and the UK. "I spent about $15,000 on my trip," he said. But the journey would prove to be only the first of his hardships. Once he arrived on May 23, British authorities placed him in a camp. "I stayed there for two days, after which they... asked us to appoint a lawyer with whom to discuss our situation and the issue of asylum," Ali said. He was later transferred to Colnbrook migrant detention centre, close to Heathrow Airport. Early this month, he was handed "a ticket to Rwanda", unwittingly becoming one of the first contingent of irregular migrants that the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to send to the tiny East African country. The deal between London and Kigali has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups, the UN refugee agency and church leaders in England. Rwanda, which suffered a genocide in 1994, has won praise for rapid economic development in recent decades. But the government has also repeatedly been accused by rights groups of widespread abuses, extending to targeting exiled dissidents. Rwanda insists that it is a safe country for migrants. On June 14, Ali was aboard the Rwanda-bound plane with six other migrants at a UK military base, when the European court order arrived and the "voyage was cancelled". "Aside from me, there was another Kurd from Sulaimaniyah (in Iraqi Kurdistan), two Iranian Kurds, one Iranian, one Vietnamese and one Albanian," he recounted. The migrants were returned to Colnbrook, where Ali remains. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel later slammed the ECHR ruling as "politically motivated" and vowed to introduce legislation to override some of the court's orders. Nearly a week after the planned flight, Ali said he demands "to stay in Great Britain". "We asked for asylum in the United Kingdom because our lives were not safe, and yet they want to send us to a country destroyed by conflict," he said. "I fear it will all end with a decision to send us to Rwanda" after all, he added, noting that such a move "spells death" for his family's hopes of making a viable living.