Why developing countries should be wary of foreign aid
As part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has been offering many countries foreign aid in the guise of loans to build critical infrastructure. Initially, most recipient countries were...
Why the GCC and EU should restart negotiations on a free trade agreementOn June 27 and 28, a large Gulf delegation traveled to Berlin to participate in the first Gulf-German forum on security and cooperation, organized by the German Federal Academy for Security Policy and...
Why is civic honesty lacking in Arab, Islamic countries?Late June saw the leading scientific journal, Science, publish an article ranking a sample of 40 countries in civic honesty, where people voluntarily refrain from opportunistic behavior. Worryingly...
Should the Gulf countries ditch customs taxes?The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries currently have a single market with a common external tariff of five percent. The introduction of a value-added tax (VAT) in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the...
Why Saudi Arabia should consider increasing some public sector salariesSaudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is predicated upon making the private sector more attractive to citizens, and decreasing the economy’s dependence upon expatriates, especially in high-skilled...
Should the China-US trade dispute worry Gulf countries?US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up the pressure on China in the Sino-American trade war, with the latest salvo being an increase of tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods from 10 percent to...
Getting the most out of Saudi Arabia’s new residency permitSaudi Arabia’s Shoura Council just approved a special residency permit for entrepreneurs, investors, and skilled expatriates. This is a potentially positive step for the economy, as it addresses...
Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the perils of military involvement in the economyThe IMF’s April 2019 Regional Economic Outlook for the Middle East and Central Asia offered some positive news for the Saudi economy, revising its 2019 growth estimate for the economy upward...