In the News

Oil Climbs to 6-Week High, Nears $47 (Reuters, Jan 10) ..Buying interest sharpened after news that Saudi Arabia had cut crude allocations to major oil companies with global refining systems in February compared to January. . [more]

Saudi Police Kill Terror Suspects (BBC, Jan 9) ..Four Saudi militants with suspected links to al Qaeda have been killed in a desert shoot-out with police on [Jan. 9]..
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Saudis Donate Generously to Tsunami Fund Through Telethon (Arab News, Jan 8) ..Saudis responded enthusiastically to a telethon staged to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster, donating more than SR300 million ($82 million).. 
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Over 1.2 Million Haj Visas Issued (Arab News, Jan 8) ..Umrah visas issued during the current Islamic calendar year, 1425, increased by 16 percent to more than 2.6 million. The largest number of Umrah pilgrims came during Ramadan. The number of Umrah pilgrims during the previous year was 2.26 million..
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Kingdom Gets 7th Ranking as 'Most Free' Economy in MENA (Arab News, Jan 8) ..Saudi Arabia the seventh ranking as the "most free" economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The annual "global economic freedom" rating names Bahrain as the first and the UAE and Kuwait the third and fourth-ranks in the listing..
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Saudis Boost Aid to Wave Victims (BBC, Jan 7)  ..The organizers of a marathon fundraising event on Saudi Arabian TV say they have raised more than $80m to help the victims of the Asian tsunami..
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Saudi Arabia Asks Libyan Ambassador to Leave (Reuters, Jan 6) ..Diplomatic tensions have risen between the two oil-rich countries since Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Tripoli in December over what it called an "atrocious" plot to kill Crown Prince Abdullah. Libya denied the accusation..
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Women in Saudi Arabia Demand Municipal Posts (Khaleej Times/AFP, Jan 5) ..Saudi women, who are banned from participating in this year's landmark polls to elect half the members of the kingdom's municipal councils, are demanding representation through appointment by the government..
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Riyadh Attacks Targeted Nayef, Says Al Qaeda  (Khaleej Times/AFP, Jan 5)  ..The Saudi wing of Al Qaeda said it had tried to assassinate the kingdom's interior minister during two suicide bombings in Riyadh last week, according to an Internet statement posted [Jan 4]..
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Only 7 Left on Saudi 'Most Wanted' List (Khaleej Times, Jan 5)  ..Saudi Arabia has announced that only seven out of the 26 persons on the wanted list announced two years ago are now on the run, following the death of one of them in the suicide attack which targeted the Interior Ministry premises in Riyadh [Dec. 29]..
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Book News

Editorial Review (Amazon.com)
The Middle Eastern and North African region (MENA) dominates world energy exports today and will likely do so for decades to come, even if world consumers make steady progress in conservation, renewable energy sources, and increases from gas, coal, and nuclear power. The MENA region, however, has been the scene of both internal crises and external conflicts. On several occasions, these crises have affected either the flow of MENA energy exports or the development of energy production and export capacity. The politics, economics, and social dynamics that shape threats to regional stability are complex. Cordesman details the factors behind these diverse forces and outlines current supply levels and future trends, taking each of these variables into consideration.

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