Dozens of prominent Saudi figures are being held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel. Many names are still secret, but the list is said to comprise at least 11 princes. It is part of an anti-corruption drive by the young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The BBC’s Lyse Doucet was the first journalist to be allowed inside the hotel. She was given access by Saudi authorities.
SF Source BBC News Nov 2017
James Corbett – The House of Saud is in crisis as MBS consolidates his hold on the kingdom and prepares to transform Saudi Arabia in his image. But what is behind the purge, and how does it relate to the future of the world monetary system. Join James for a classic Corbett Report debriefing on the Saudi purge and the rise of the petroyuan.
SF Source The Corbett Report Nov 2017
There are more strange connections and speculations coming out about the Las Vegas shootings and the connections to the Saudis…
Joseph P Farrell – Among the many articles I received this past week about the coup (and chaos) in Saudi Arabia, this one shared by Mr. V.T. is perhaps the one that gets down to the deep fissures that are beginning to show within the desert kingdom. Certainly the Saudis are not stupid: investments have allowed them to penetrate significant portions of the media, of technology and space, and so on, but the bottom line for the kingdom is oil, money, and a form of Islam that has remained extreme, though in the latter instance, we’re seeing some (slow) signals of royally-approved change.
Here’s the article:
How Broke is the House of Saud?
The graphs, and increasing population, say it all: Continue reading
Tyler Durden – According to a new report by Middle East Eye, Prince Bandar bin Sultan – Saudi Arabia’s most famous arms dealer, longtime former ambassador to the US, and recent head of Saudi intelligence – was among those detained as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) so-called “corruption purge” that started with the initial arrests of up to a dozen princes and other top officials last weekend.
If confirmed, the arrest and detention of Bandar would constitute the most significant and high profile figure caught up in the purge – even above that of high profile billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal – given Bandar’s closeness to multiple US administrations and involvement in events ranging from Reagan’s Nicaraguan Contra program (including direct involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal), to making the case for the Iraq War as a trusted friend of Bush and Cheney, to directing US-Saudi covert operations overseeing the arming of jihadists in Syria. Continue reading