[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Kuwait summit: Arab unity or disunity? Joseph Kechichian argues that behind the seeming united front, representatives of the Arab states had serious disagreements in private.
Kuwait summit merely papers over Arab rifts Sylvia Westall and Amena Bakr report on the Arab summit and the deep rifts among the member states.
Qatar dispute not on Arab League agenda as summit begins The regional rift over the Muslim Brotherhood was kept off the agenda during the Arab summit.
Arab states pledge to work to end rifts Arab rulers promise to end their divisions at the end of the Arab summit.
Kuwait Declaration calls for bolstering ties A news report on the pledges that Arab rulers made at the Arab summit.
Mistrust overshadows Obama’s Saudi trip A news report on the tension in Saudi-US relations ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Riyadh.
Obama reassures Saudis over Mideast policies The US president sought to assure the Saudi king of his intention to support Syrian rebels and to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Saudi Arabia and the United States: Awkward relations An Economist article analyzing Saudi-US relations.
Milestones in complex Saudi-US partnership A list of significant dates and events marking the history of Saudi-US relations.
OBAMA DOCTRINE UNDER SECURITY IN AN ANXIOUS SAUDI ARABIA Michael Pizzi analyzes the US president’s visit to Riyadh in light of tensions between the two allies.
OBAMA SHOULD PRESS SAUDIS ON POLITICAL REFORMS Andy Fitzgerald argues that the US president should raise issues related to human rights and political reforms.
Saudi Arabia: Obama seeks to ease backlash over Syria A news report on Barack Obama’s second official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Obama lands in Saudi Arabia to help soothe relations with key ally Paul Lewis reports on Saudi-US ties on the eve of Barack Obama’s visit to the kingdom.
Obama-Saudi king talks may ease friction but no breakthrough seen William MacLean and Angus McDowall reflect on Saudi-US relations.
Is America's relationship with Saudi Arabia broken beyond repair? Martin Chulov reflects on the US president’s visit to the kingdom and the efforts to mend relations between Washington and Riyadh.
Obama seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia over Iran, Syria Jeff Mason and Steve Holland provide an account of the US president’s meeting with the Saudi king.
The US is paying the cost of supporting the House of Saud as cracks begin to appear Patrick Cockburn argues that the Saudi ruling family’s success in suppressing domestic upheaval and avoiding the censure of Western governments cannot bely the fact that the kingdom is divided and unstable.
Obama addresses Syria, Iran and women's right in Saudi visit Instead of raising human rights issues with the Saudi king, the US president meets Maha al-Muneef, a women’s rights activist.
Saudi rights abuses did not come up in Obama-Abdullah talks: US A news report on President Barack Obama’s silence on human rights violations in the kingdom during his visit to Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia calls for 'changing the balance of forces' in Syria The Saudi crown prince calls for “changing the balance of forces” in the fighting in Syria.
If the west wants to hurt Putin, could Saudi Arabia do its dirty work? Larry Elliot maintains that western states can hurt Russia economically through Saudi Arabia, if the latter agrees to bring the prices of oil down.
Riyadh’s patience with Qatar falters Joseph Kechichian reflects on the history of Saudi-Qatari disputes.
US Navy to boost long-term Gulf operations Habib Toumi reports on the US base expansion in Bahrain.
Qatar's emir to visit cash-strapped Sudan The Qatari ruler will visit Khartoum to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.
Yemen president urges Iran to stop interference Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi calls upon Tehran to withdraw its support of separatists in the south and religious groups in the north.
Qatar dismisses Iraqi charges that Doha funds 'terrorism' The first Qatari official reaction to the Iraqi prime minister’s accusation.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi Prince Muqrin named second-in-line The former intelligence chief is appointed deputy crown prince, which means he may become a king one day.
Saudi dynasty moves to forestall succession crisis Angus McDowall examines the implication of Prince Muqrin’s appointment as deputy crown prince for succession in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia: A kingdom on guard Roula Khalaf argues that the Saudi ruling family, anxious at the rise of political Islam, is increasingly aggressive abroad and at home.
Obama visit to Saudi Arabia: Women encouraged to drive during President Obama's trip Heather Saul reports on a campaign calling upon Saudi women to drive as the US president met with the Saudi king.
EXCLUSIVE: THE NOTORIOUS GITMO PRISONER AS A YOUNG MAN Jason Leopold reports on Zain Abidin Mohammed Husain Abu Zubaydah’s arrest and the six-volume diary that he wrote before his capture.
UAE wants to host cricket World Cup Farass Ghani reports on the efforts of the Emirati cricket authorities to host the 2027 World Cup.
After popular protests, Oman starts to pursue graft A news report on government efforts to fight corruption in Oman.
Kuwaiti minister asked to deny terror funding claims or resign A Kuwait lawmaker challenges the minister of justice to either deny allegations of terror funding made by a US official or to resign.
Qatar in $23b arms spending spree A news report on Doha’s new contracts to purchase attack helicopters, guided missiles, and other weapons from different arms companies, including Boeing Co and Airbus.
Repression in Bahrain
Dissident says taking Formula One to Bahrain increases human rights abuses Owen Gibson reports on the Bahraini activist Maryam Alkhawaja who has called upon the Formula One chief executive to cancel the race in Bahrain citing human rights violation by the regime.
Bahrain jails 16 for life A Bahraini court on Sunday sentenced sixteen men to life in prison and two others to ten years in prison for an attack on two policemen in a village near the capital.
Bahrain jails 29 for attack on police A Bahraini court imprisons twenty-nine opposition activists for up to ten years for an attack on a police station in 2012.
Booby-trapped bike explodes injuring two Bahrain policemen Two policemen are hurt when a motorcycle exploded in al-Quraya, two weeks ahead of Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix.
Bahrain gives two weeks to jihadists to return The Bahraini authorities announced a two-week grace period for citizens fighting abroad to return.
Crisis in Yemen
Yemen kidnap victims freed in capital Sanaa Security forces free two United Nations employees a few hours after they were kidnapped.
Four killed in Yemen military raid Two Yemeni soldiers and two suspected al-Qa‘ida fighters died during a military raid in Daleh.
Yemen pro-government militiamen killed in ambush Two members of the Popular Resistance Committees are killed in an ambush by suspected al-Qa‘ida fighters in the south.
Migrant Workers
Qatar report into migrant death toll due Owen Gibson writes about an upcoming independent report that the Qatari regime commissioned on the condition of migrant workers.
UN agency criticises Qatar over migrant workers' rights Thirty-six Nepalese and Indian workers died in Qatar in February.
Qatar ‘promises to improve labour laws’ The Qatari regime promised to improve labor laws after criticism of the treatment of foreign workers.
The tale of a Yemeni migrant worker: Driving a Saud An article on a Yemeni man who worked for a member of the Saudi ruling family.
Media
Peter Greste trial: Tony Abbott asks Egyptian president to release journalist Oliver Laughland reports on the Australian prime minister’s request to Egyptian authorities that the Austrian journalist be released.
Egypt accuses Al Jazeera editor of Mursi-linked espionage The Egyptian minister of interior accuses Ebrahim Hilal, an editor of Al Jazeera television, of leaking classified intelligence documents.
Saudis arrest 3 over YouTube appeals, activists say A news report on the arrest of three Saudi citizens who posted videos on YouTube criticizing corruption and calling upon the authorities to improve the standard of living.
Greater media role for youth needed, minister says Habib Toumi reports on the Bahraini state minister of information, who said that the youth needed to have a prominent role in the media.
Al-Jazeera trial: Peter Greste calls charges ‘preposterous’ The journalist describes charges of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood as “preposterous.”
Human Rights
Qatar: Urgent concern related to arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression and of association in Qatar / Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 19th Session of the UPR Working Group The Gulf Center for Human Rights, along with other human rights organizations, expresses concern over human rights violations in Qatar.
Saudi Arabia: Obama, on Visit, Should Raise Rights Human Rights Watch calls upon the US president to raise questions of human rights violations in the kingdom, including the harassment of activists and the ill-treatment of foreign workers.
Whether Princesses or Paupers, Long Road to Saudi Women’s Rights Bothna Begum and Adam Coogle, from Human Rights Watch, write on women’s rights in the kingdom, where women “are still not treated as full legal adults.”
Bahrain: Renewed Imprisonment For A Victim of Excessive and Random Use Of Force The Bahrain Center for Human Rights deplores the collective punishment of people protesting and demanding freedom in villages and towns.
Bahrain: After Bomb Blast, Detainees Reportedly Tortured The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern over allegations of the torture of four individuals who were recently arrested with connections to the bomb blast in Diah.
Death sentences and executions 2013 Amnesty International publishes its annual report on capital punishment, wherein Saudi Arabia and Yemen are among the top ten countries with the highest numbers of executions.
Culture
Saudi Arabia's King of YouTube Alice Su reports on Saudi-Iranian Alaa Wardi who became “a Middle Eastern YouTube darling.”