Getting Saudi Arabia back on track
Saudis want the world in 2019 to refocus on economic investment, after unwelcome and distracting publicity
In the early part at least of 2019, Saudi Arabia's most urgent task will be to repair the damage to its international reputation. This was tainted over the past three years by the kingdom's conduct of the war in Yemen and the ensuing civilian suffering, which has left nearly 2mn people on the verge of starvation. But the real damage was caused by the murder in October 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. International revulsion at the manner and circumstances of the killing—and the kingdom's initial attempts to insist that Khashoggi was still alive—will not evaporate overnight. Despite allegations that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew about or even orde

Also in this section
3 June 2025
China will play a huge role in driving gas demand, with its Qatar partnership crucial to this growth amid global structural challenges
3 June 2025
Datacentres to drive demand for gas and position the fuel as more than just a bridging solution
2 June 2025
It is time to acknowledge that the US-Saudi Arabia nexus is driving a fundamental shift in OPEC strategy
2 June 2025
More than anything else, weak Chinese gas demand is providing relief to EU consumers, but it is uncertain how long this relief will last