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Ali Shihabi
علي سمير الشهابي
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Read more about the article No retreat at Hormuz — Iran must not control the world’s energy lifeline

No retreat at Hormuz — Iran must not control the world’s energy lifeline

  • Post published:April 28, 2026
  • Post category:Blog/Opinion Pieces

Accepting any tolls, quotas or selective permissions would legitimize extortion at a central economic artery

Continue ReadingNo retreat at Hormuz — Iran must not control the world’s energy lifeline
Read more about the article Is Saudi Arabia Drifting Away From the U.S.?

Is Saudi Arabia Drifting Away From the U.S.?

  • Post published:January 31, 2026
  • Post category:Blog

Saudi Arabia’s differences with the UAE and Israel do not stem from ideological backsliding or hostility to the West. They stem from a fundamental disagreement over how to deal with some of the most fragile states in the world.

Continue ReadingIs Saudi Arabia Drifting Away From the U.S.?

Influence Requires Responsibility

  • Post published:January 24, 2026
  • Post category:Blog

It is precisely because Riyadh takes stability so seriously that it watches some Emirati regional behavior with growing concern. The UAE is not a marginal actor. It is a major Arab success story with real capabilities

Continue ReadingInfluence Requires Responsibility
Read more about the article As Trump and MBS meet, a longtime partnership faces new realities

As Trump and MBS meet, a longtime partnership faces new realities

  • Post published:November 18, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

Although MBS comes to Washington as head of government rather than head of state, Trump will receive him with the full ceremony of a state visit. This isn’t about nostalgia

Continue ReadingAs Trump and MBS meet, a longtime partnership faces new realities
Read more about the article Why A US–Saudi Military Agreement Makes Strategic Sense

Why A US–Saudi Military Agreement Makes Strategic Sense

  • Post published:November 2, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

When Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman makes his official visit to Washington—expected in the coming weeks—it will offer both countries a moment to re-articulate a relationship that

Continue ReadingWhy A US–Saudi Military Agreement Makes Strategic Sense

How MBS Transformed Saudi Arabia Over a Decade

  • Post published:September 14, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

In 2014 I wrote a book, “The Saudi Kingdom,” that was, frankly, pessimistic about Saudi Arabia’s long-term prospects. After decades under a geriatric leadership class that had done too little

Continue ReadingHow MBS Transformed Saudi Arabia Over a Decade

The world has one last chance to save the two-state solution

  • Post published:June 20, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

Formally backing a Palestinian state is no longer a symbolic gesture. It’s a strategic imperative. The world should wait no longer to formally recognize the State of Palestine. This is

Continue ReadingThe world has one last chance to save the two-state solution
Read more about the article More Territory Won’t Bring Israel Security

More Territory Won’t Bring Israel Security

  • Post published:June 7, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

Israel’s continued obsession with expansion stands in stark contrast to this reality. Its pursuit of more territory at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population — cloaked in the language

Continue ReadingMore Territory Won’t Bring Israel Security
Read more about the article What Saudi Arabia Gained from Trump’s Visit

What Saudi Arabia Gained from Trump’s Visit

  • Post published:May 26, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

US President Donald Trump’s decision to make Riyadh his first foreign destination in his second term was not merely a gesture of diplomacy — it was a geopolitical statement. For

Continue ReadingWhat Saudi Arabia Gained from Trump’s Visit
Read more about the article President Trump’s Saudi Arabia trip sets up a strategic reset in the Middle East

President Trump’s Saudi Arabia trip sets up a strategic reset in the Middle East

  • Post published:May 10, 2025
  • Post category:Blog

As President Donald Trump returns to Riyadh for his second official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—once again choosing it as his first foreign destination in a new presidential

Continue ReadingPresident Trump’s Saudi Arabia trip sets up a strategic reset in the Middle East
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