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Saudi Arabia announces plan to build mega-city.

 
 
edgarblythe
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 Oct, 2017 05:53 pm
I remember when Walt Disney first announced plans for Epcot. It was originally to be a self sufficient domed city. But he had to settle for what they actually built.
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Tue 31 Oct, 2017 06:04 pm
@edgarblythe,
What I like about Neom is that it will be powered 100% by wind and solar energy. They've got the sun and wind for it.
0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Wed 1 Nov, 2017 11:28 pm
Saudi Arabia might recognize Israel because of Neom.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-27/saudi-arabia-might-recognize-israel-because-neom
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Nov, 2017 01:47 am
@coluber2001,
The Saudis and Israelis are thick as thieves. The Saudis won't officially recognise Israel because, as the custodians of Mecca, the shitstorm they'll face will be catastrophic.

This video says it all.


0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Nov, 2017 01:10 pm
"The half-a-trillion-dollar initiative to build a tristate city at the Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian border in the Gulf of Aqaba will more than likely lead to Riyadh recognizing Israel and integrating Tel Aviv into the project.
The ambitious Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman unveiled a $500 billion project at an investment forum earlier this week in an effort to bring some serious substance to his Vision 2030 project of fundamentally diversifying his country’s oil-dependent economy in the coming decade. The proposal calls for a gigantic city called NEOM to be built at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba in the northeastern corner of the Red Sea, with the plan being for it to eventually extend into neighboring Egypt and Jordan as well. The Crown Prince promised that it would be a technologically advanced city with its own laws and administration, and it will also be free from anything “traditional”.

The latter remark hints that Mohammed Bin Salman won’t allow the Kingdom’s traditional Wahhabi socio-cultural “regulations” to be enforced there, which goes along with his other headline-grabbing statement during the event when he said that Saudi Arabia will “return…to moderate Islam” and “swiftly deal a blow to extremist ideologies”. Quite clearly, as analyzed in the author’s earlier piece this month about Saudi Arabia’s shifting grand strategy, a “deep state” conflict is indeed being fought in the country between its monarchic and clerical factions, with the former poised to carry out a “soft coup” against the latter as it seeks to “modernize” the country. This will surely result in some behind-the-scenes tumult in the coming future, if not overt destabilization, but the point of the present article isn’t to dwell too much on that tangent."

For the complete text refer to the url above.

This is a very complex proposition, economic and political, involving China, Israel, Russia, et al. China is interested because , for one, it wants access to and from the Red Sea other than through the Suez canal.
China would ship up the Gulf of Aquaba and then link to rails through Israel.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Nov, 2017 03:28 pm
@coluber2001,
The Crown Prince is ambitious, Saudi Arabia is deeply conservative, Wahhabism is like Al Qaida without the bombs. It looks like wishful thinking to me.
0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Nov, 2017 03:30 pm
I think Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's vision for Saudi Arabia spells political and economic hope for the area and points toward a liberalizing affect for the entire region.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Nov, 2017 03:34 pm
@coluber2001,
Rome wasn't built in a day. Relations with Israel aren't the problem anyway. They're well chummy behind closed doors. The relationship with Iran is what's important, and this will be seen as Sunni Islam trying to dominate the are at the expense of the Shia.
0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Nov, 2017 09:33 am
https://42mzqz26jebqf6rd034t5pef-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/neom-site-645x425.png
Outline defining limits of Neom on Red Sea and Gulf of Aquaba. Bridge to be built across strait.
0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 11:19 am
Saudi Arabia's $500 Billion Fantasy of a Utopian Megacity

https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/11/saudi-arabias-latest-planned-city-costs-500-billion-and-is-insanely-huge/544748/
0 Replies
 
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 12:45 pm
Quote:
A loud explosion has been heard near Riyadh's airport, with unconfirmed reports saying Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile from Yemen.
Saudi air defence forces were quoted by broadcaster Al-Arabiya as saying they intercepted the missile north-east of the capital.
A TV channel linked to Houthi rebels in Yemen said the missile was launched at the airport.
Saudi forces have reported shooting down Houthi missiles before.
It is unclear if any damage was caused or if there have been any casualties.
Yemen has been devastated by a war between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement.
Saudi Arabia is leading a campaign to defeat the Houthis.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41872995
0 Replies
 
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 12:47 pm
Quote:
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has resigned, saying in a televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia that he feared for his life, while also fiercely criticising Iran.
He accused Iran of sowing "fear and destruction" in several countries, including Lebanon.
Mr Hariri's father, former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, was assassinated in 2005.
The Hariri family is close to Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional competitor.
Mr Hariri has been prime minister since December 2016, after previously holding the position between 2009 and 2011.
"We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri," he said in the broadcast from the Saudi capital Riyadh.
"I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life."
Mr Hariri also attacked the Iran-backed Shia movement Hezbollah, which wields considerable power in Lebanon.
Addressing "Iran and its followers" he said Lebanon would "cut off the hands that wickedly extend into it".
Iran said the resignation would create regional tensions and rejected Mr Hariri's accusations as "unfounded".
Mr Hariri has made several visits in the past few days to Saudi Arabia, whose leadership is strongly opposed to Iran.
His announcement came a day after a meeting in Beirut with Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei.
Taking up the prime minister's office last year, Mr Hariri promised a "new era for Lebanon" after two years of political deadlock.
The coalition government he led brought together almost all of the main political parties in Lebanon, including Hezbollah.
Rafik al-Hariri was killed by a bomb in 2005 in an attack widely blamed on Hezbollah.
The prime minister's resignation has opened up a chasm of uncertainty in Lebanon.
It's still not clear why he announced his decision in Saudi Arabia - an extraordinary move that left even his own MPs bewildered.
But the move will be seen through the lens of the great Shia-Sunni divide that's fuelling much of the violence across the Middle East.
It's pitted the Sunni power, Saudi Arabia, against the Shia power, Iran - with both sides backing different players to wield influence.
In Lebanon, the Saudis support Mr Hariri while Iran backs the Shia movement, Hezbollah.
In recent years, Lebanon has largely been spared the violence seen elsewhere in the region.
But with this stunning resignation, many Lebanese will now fear that their country is firmly in the crosshairs of the two regional superpowers.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41870406
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 02:00 pm
@izzythepush,
I'm not knowledgeable on most of this, so I"m listening, and thanks for the posts.
coluber2001
 
  2  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 03:40 pm
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has a vision and the means, to a certain extent, but he has to work with other countries to execute the plan. The question is, can he do it? Saudi Arabia, like many other countries, has its own reactionary elements he has to deal with.

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
0 Replies
 
rosborne979
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 04:12 pm
@edgarblythe,
I think they might want to find a way to bring the masses out of poverty and religious ignorance before they try to build a liberal utopia right in their midst.
roger
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 04:38 pm
@rosborne979,
If they can't get rid of the poor and the ignorant, I guess they've just decided to leave them behind.
0 Replies
 
coluber2001
 
  2  
Reply Sat 4 Nov, 2017 06:30 pm
@rosborne979,
I guess we could say the same thing about us. Let's bring the masses out of poverty and religious ignorance before we start looking for a vision of the future.
0 Replies
 
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Sun 5 Nov, 2017 05:44 am
@ossobucotemp,
Thanks Jo, someone has been voting my posts down on this thread. I suspect it may be the OP who seems a bit of a Saudi propagandist.

Basically every country in the ME has both Shia and Sunni. Iran is mainly Shia, Saudi Arabia Sunni. Each country supports their own group which is why there are proxy wars going on in Yemen and Syria, and now it looks like Lebanon will kick off.

They're both as bad as each other, but the Sunni/Shia divide is a running sore that makes the Israeli/Arab situation look like a hangnail.

All this talk of magic cities in the desert is a distraction. Btw, the Saudis are all pretty well off, the poor people are the migrant workers in the gulf, other Arabs, mostly Palestinian and Indians, Filipinos and other South East Asians.

And if you think chrome, glass and ostentatious displays of wealth equal western values look at Dubai.

Quote:
A British man and woman jailed in Dubai for kissing in public have lost their appeal against their conviction.
Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Adams, 25, were sentenced to a month in prison with subsequent deportation and fined about £200 for drinking alcohol.
The pair were arrested in November after a local woman accused them of breaking the country's decency laws by kissing on the mouth in a restaurant.
Najafi said he was "very disappointed". The pair plan to make a second appeal.
The initial complaint against them was made by a 38-year-old woman who said she was offended by their behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.
The pair's defence lawyers said the woman - who did not appear in court - had not seen the kiss herself, but had been told by her two-year-old child that the girl had seen them kissing.
The defendants also claimed they had merely kissed each other on the cheek, and therefore had not broken any laws.
The BBC's Ben Thompson, at the court, said the judge spoke entirely in Arabic as he quickly dismissed the appeal, saying he upheld the previous sentence.
They were fined 1,000 dirhams, which is about £200. They now have 30 days to appeal.
It was left to the defence lawyer to explain the verdict to Najafi and Adams.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8602449.stm
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Sun 5 Nov, 2017 08:13 am
@izzythepush,
Remind me not to go there..

I think I remember reading about the work force there, particularly about Filipinos and other migrant workers and their hardships, but assuming I remember correctly, that was now a few years ago, so I can't source the article.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Sun 5 Nov, 2017 08:14 am
@ossobucotemp,
The thing is it attracts a lot of western tourists who think it's just another seaside resort, like Crete or Spain. It's not.
0 Replies
 
 

 
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