Saudi Arabia
Betting Everything on Restraint
As Houthi attacks squeeze Saudi Arabia's access to global trade, Riyadh is struggling to avoid being drawn into a wider war. From the Red Sea’s oil terminals to its luxury resorts, a New Lines report offers a firsthand look at how the kingdom’s postoil ambitions have become a strategic vulnerability.
Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Dilemma
The collapse of the de facto Saudi-Houthi truce in July 2026 has reopened a question long treated as taboo in Gulf commentary: whether Riyadh's decade-long reliance on the internationally recognized Yemeni government still serves its interests, or whether the Southern Transitional Council should be given a larger role.
Saudi Arabia’s Coffee Renaissance
Coffee in Saudi Arabia has never been just a drink, and now a specialty cafe boom is renewing the tradition of coffeehouses as spaces for culture, conversation and community.
Saudi Arabia’s Break With Interventionism
After decades of shifting alliances that failed to deliver stability, Saudi Arabia now has a “zero-conflict” policy toward its neighbors. It is this, rather than a turn to Islamism, that is paradoxically creating tension with the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Saudi Arabia’s High-Stakes Bet on Gaming
Saudi Arabia is quietly becoming a global gaming superpower, investing billions in the owners of franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The move says a lot about the kingdom’s soft power, cultural values and potential influence on a generation raised on games.
In Saudi Arabia, Ancient Desert Walls Are Rewriting the Stone Age
Humans in Stone Age Arabia left monumental structures behind to honor their deities and their dead, along with abundant rock art. The extent and regularity of their art and architectural styles show that this was no isolated society, but a shared culture that spanned an improbable 116,000 square miles, unheard of in any other archaeological site of the same period, and long before any of the societies that gave rise to the Abrahamic faiths. Result after result from the Saudi deserts is transforming how we think about our prehistoric ancestors.
How Henry Kissinger Bungled the Arab Oil Embargo
Most public debate about Kissinger’s legacy has concerned the morality of his “realism.” Yet examining his approach to U.S.-Saudi relations at a key moment reveals little strategic thinking and more of an ad hoc style, influenced by deep ideological values and a naive understanding of the Middle East.