Saudi Arabia


 * Inside Saudi Arabia’s Campaign to Charm American Policymakers and Journalists, Lee Fang, The Intercept, December 1, 2015
 * Reuters, Feb. 5, 2016:A Saudi general said the kingdom was "ready to participate in any ground operations that the (U.S.-led) coalition (against Islamic State) may agree to carry out in Syria". Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, who is also the spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Iranian-backed forces in Yemen, was speaking to Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the Saudi offer.
 * A top Iranian military commander says a "definite" defeat awaits Saudi Arabia if it sends troops to Syria, Presstv, Feb. 6, 2016
 * A convoy, said to be about 100 Humvees, transported on trucks, is videoed near Syrian border. It is said that more convoys and more equipment arrived- report, Feb. 9, 2016


 * How Zionism helped create the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nu'man Abd al-Wahid, Mondo Weiss, January 7, 2016

Nuclear?
It is believed that Saudis invested in Pakistani program, and feel that they can buy the bomb at will (BBC, Nov. 2013).


 * Kerry: (Saudis do not have the bomb)--Interview With CNN's Wolf Blitzer, January 18, 2016


 * ''QUESTION: Because the Saudis have not even ruling out the possibility, given their concern about this nuclear deal with Iran, they could go forward and buy some – maybe buy a nuclear bomb, maybe from Pakistan. You’ve heard those concerns.


 * ''SECRETARY KERRY: Sure, we’ve heard those things. But you can’t just buy a bomb and transfer it.


 * ''QUESTION: Why not? They got a lot of money.


 * ''SECRETARY KERRY: There are all – there’s all kinds of NPT consequences. I mean, there are huge implications of that. And Saudi Arabia knows, I believe, that that is not going to make them safer, nor is it going to be easy, because the very things that Iran went through, they would then be subject to with respect to inspection, NPT, and so forth.


 * Saudi Political Analyst Dahham Al-‘Anzi: KSA Has Obtained Nuclear Bomb. Test May Be Held Soon, we have it for two years, and the superpowers know (RT Arabic, video posted Feb. 16, 2016).
 * Saudi Foreign Minister refuses to answer question on acquiring nuclear weapons from Pakistan, Independent, Jan. 22, 2016

Socio-Economic

 * 'Universal basic income', 1200 riyals (around 350 USD) per months in the lowest bracket
 * Health care provided by the goverment
 * GDP per capita, around 20 thousand USD nominally, 50 thousand adjusted buying power (close to nominal is USA)

Historic

 * Sykes-Picot, Churchill White paper and other historic documents here
 * Nov. 20, 1979- Dec. 3, 1979 Siege of Grand Mosque of Mecca.
 * How the 1979 Siege of Mecca Haunts the House of Saud -Stratfor, 2 July. 2017
 * Trofimov book website: collection of declassified documents
 * Background:
 * January 1978-February 1979, Iranian revolution, Khomeini returns to Iran after 14 years exile on 1 February 1979
 * December 27, 1979. USSR deployment in Afghanistan (Alpha and troops entering)