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Will the world go to Riyadh if coerced to do so by the Saudi government? With friends like Saudi Arabia, who needs enemies? Upon taking power, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was seen as a reformist, market-friendly leader able to take Saudi Arabia forward into a post-fossil fuel future. This impression has taken a big hit in recent years with the 2017 embargo on Qatar as well as the still-unresolved 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia's Turkish consulate. Taking endless potshots at its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members doesn't seem to be the way to signal that Saudi Arabia is open for business. More recently, Saudi Arabia has come up with its most outlandish power play yet: It has cautioned multinationals that, unless they place their regional (read: Middle East) headquarters in Saudi Arabia, they will not be able to ink government contracts. Obviously aimed at Dubai in the UAE which vastly outstrips Saudi Arabia in "ease of doing business" indicators that you would naturally think companies would gravitate to when siting regional headquarters, the outcry has been understandably strong:Saudi Arabia, in a bold and unexpected move, announced late Monday
that by 2024 its government would cease doing business with any
international companies whose regional headquarters were not based
within the kingdom.  The news has investors, bankers and expat workers buzzing — and scratching their heads.  Saudi
Arabia in recent years has pitched itself as a location for HQ offices
in its campaign to create private sector jobs and diversify its economy
as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030.But
what began as a pitch to global head offices has now become an ultimatum
for some: either relocate your headquarters to the kingdom, or lose out
on lucrative government contracts. And the move, Middle East analysts
and finance professionals say, appears to be targeted at the region's
current headquarters hub: Dubai.  Mind you, the UAE joined Saudi Arabia in the embargo on Qatar. Although regional economic rivalry is expected, punching below the belt in this way over restricting government procurement lest they headquarter in Saudi Arabia is widely perceived as unfair, especially since they are all supposedly part of a customs union in the GCC:The Saudis are "trying to lure companies out of
Dubai, I expect, and elsewhere," Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst at
risk consulting firm Stratfor, told CNBC. One
UAE-based financier, who spoke anonymously due to having business
operations in Saudi Arabia, described the move as "clearly targeting the
UAE" and a "jab in the face" to Dubai."It's a terrible
decision," the financier, a longtime veteran of the region, added. "It's
anti-common market, it's anti-competition, and it's essentially
corporate bullying."The truth of the matter is that Saudi Arabia is a less attractive place to site your regional HQ with its more restrictive environment--economically and socially. The latter is of particular concern to Western expats:The government aims to significantly increase Saudi Arabia's current share of less than 5% of the region's HQ offices...But will that be enough to lure expats out of Dubai, where they can
drink, wear bikinis on the beach and enjoy a far more liberal lifestyle,
comparable on many levels to the West? "The lifestyle in Saudi
is not comparable," said one Dubai-based venture capitalist, speaking
anonymously due to professional restrictions. "You don't have the same
freedoms you have here — here I can go on a public beach and hang out
... Dubai is a global city, Riyadh is far from that. It lacks the
diversity that Dubai has. That's a big deal for me." Indeed, one of Dubai's allures for foreigners is its majority expat
population — 90% across the UAE as a whole. The success of Dubai's
global openness model manifests itself in numbers as well: according to
the U.N.'s trade database, the UAE in 2019 received 300% more foreign
direct investment than Saudi Arabia, despite its economy being about
half the size.And the UAE ranked 16th on the World Bank's 2020 Ease of Doing Business Index, while Saudi Arabia ranked 63rd.Speaking of government contracts, the lure is unmistakable: a supposed $220 billion that Saudi Arabia states it will spend to make Riyadh a global city (comparable to *gulp* Dubai). What's more, there are those who say Saudi Arabia is actually coming on in leaps and bounds:The Saudi government is investing $220 billion in projects aimed at
putting Riyadh in the world's top 10 city economies, and is offering
competitive tax-free salaries to employees willing to relocate there... Still, many expats who've worked in the kingdom feel differently.
"There's no doubt that Saudi will compete with Dubai," said Alex Nasr, a
consultant with several years of experience working around the country,
adding that it's already competing on the salary front. "Now
with Vision 2030 and the radical changes the nation is pushing through,
it will begin catching up on the quality of life front … as soon as the
veil is lifted on the lifestyle restrictions, the expats will begin to
pour in."

"‎The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has threatened that if the bombing of Gaza does not stop, he will cut off the supply of gas to the world."

Mit dieser Ausgabe verabschiedet sich die Lage in die Sommerpause. Wir melden uns wieder am 8. September, rechtzeitig zur Bundestagswahl. Eventuell gibt es zwischendrin noch etwas, aber das können wir noch nicht versprechen. Wir wünschen Euch einen schönen Sommer!

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Philip und Ulf



G20



G20-Kritik: "Ein Durchregieren der Großen und Starken" (heute.de)

G20-Liveblog: Gipfel beginnt - Rauchwolken über Altona (NDR.de)



Katar



Katar (Wikipedia)

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR: Qatar Stands Up to the Neighborhood Bullies (NY Times)


Qatar's Gulf Neighbors Vow to Press Blockade After a Deadline Passes (NY Times)


5 Arab Nations Move to Isolate Qatar, Putting the U.S. in a Bind (NY Times)


Arab Nations Demand Qatar Shut Al Jazeera, Cut Islamist Ties and Detail Funding (NY Times)

Grafik: Isolating Qatar




Feedback: Wahlprogramme


"Für ein Deutschland, in dem wir gut und gerne leben. Regierungsprogramm 2017 – 2021" (CDU)



Trump: Prügel-Tweet



Trumps twittert CNN-Prügel-Video


Forum für Kindesmissbrauch ausgehoben


Schlag gegen Kinderpornographie: Ermittler schalten Darknet-Seite mit 87.000 Nutzern ab (heise.de)

BKA: Pressetermin der Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt am Main und des Bundeskriminalamts am 07.07.2017, 10:00 Uhr, im Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden (Bundeskriminalamt Pressestelle)



AlgorithmWatch: Datenspende BTW17



datenspende.algorithmwatch.org




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While Qatar has developed its own relationships in Latin America, it also stands to benefit as a trusted go-between in diplomatic rivalries.