DESERT MIRAGE
*Nagapushpa Devendra is a Research Assistant in the
West Asia Centre, Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses
(IDSA), New Delhi. She worked in International Institutions
like Greenpeace and BBC. Her interests lie in International
Law, International Theories, Refugee Crisis, Proxy Wars
and Political Co-existence of West Asia with International
Communities/ Actors.
References:
i
BBC News. (2018). Saudi summit website attacked by
hackers. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/
business-45945644 [Accessed 25 Oct. 2018].
ii
Basu, Z. (2018). The companies who have backed
away from Saudi business over Khashoggi. [online] Axios.
Available at: https://www.axios.com/companies-saudi-
arabia-conference-khashoggi-disappearance-153deaec-
1282-4723-91f2-2ea8998d5fe2.html [Accessed 25 Oct.
2018].
Last month, Germany approved the sale of €416m
(£367.7m) worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
iii
Alkhalisi, Z. (2018). Saudi conference opens in
Khashoggi's shadow. [online] CNN. Available at: https://
edition.cnn.com/2018/10/23/business/saudi-arabia-
investment-conference/index.html [Accessed 25 Oct. 2018].
iv
v
Khashoggi is a very strong critic of Prince Salman’s plan
to spend over $500 billion on Neom, a brand new futuristic
desert city nearly as large as Belgium, fearing the failure of
project can bankrupt the country.
vi
The National. (2018). Saudi Arabia bankruptcy
law comes into effect. [online] Available at: https://
www.thenational.ae/business/economy/saudi-arabia-
bankruptcy-law-comes-into-eff ect-1.761273 [Accessed 26
Oct. 2018].
Oxford Business Group. (2018). New sector development
plan to strengthen Saudi fi nancial services. [online] Available
at: https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/new-sector-
development-plan-strengthen-saudi-financial-services
[Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
vii
Unctad.org. (2018). [online] Available at: https://
unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/wir2018_en.pdf
[Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
viii
allow-foreigners-strategic-stakes-in-listed.html [Accessed
26 Oct. 2018].
Wintour, P. (2018). Saudi Arabia wants more UK trade
deals, say crown prince's team. [online] the Guardian.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/
mar/08/saudi-arabia-wants-more-uk-trade-deals-say-crown-
princes-team [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
x
U.S. (2018). UK's May defends Saudi ties as crown
prince gets royal welcome in.... [online] Available at: https://
www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-saudi/uks-may-defends-
saudi-ties-as-crown-prince-gets-royal-welcome-in-london-
idUSKCN1GI2ZQ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
xi
Arab News. (2018). Joint ministerial group sign accord
for stronger Saudi-New Zealand cooperation. [online]
Available at: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1354406/saudi-
arabia [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
xii
Tradingeconomics.com. (2018). Saudi Arabia Foreign
Direct Investment - Net Infl ows | 2006-2018 | Data. [online]
Available at: https://tradingeconomics.com/saudi-arabia/
foreign-direct-investment [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
xiii
GulfNews. (2018). Saudi Arabia freezes trade relations
with Canada. [online] Available at: https://gulfnews.com/
news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-freezes-trade-relations-
with-canada-1.2262084 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
xiv
xv
In 2015, the kingdom temporarily recalled its
ambassador to Sweden after the Scandinavian nation singled
out Saudi writer Raif Badawi’s arrest and trial as an example
of broader human rights failures in the Middle Eastern
monarchy. (The activist at the center of the current Saudi-
Canadian dispute is his sister, Samar Badawi,)
Global.handelsblatt.com. (2018). Saudi Arabia freezes
out German fi rms as diplomatic relations sour. [online]
Available at: https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/saudi-
arabia-german-companies-boycott-928152 [Accessed 28
Oct. 2018].
xvi
euronews. (2018). Which EU countries sell arms to
Saudi Arabia?. [online] Available at: https://www.euronews.
com/2017/11/30/which-eu-countries-sell-arms-to-saudi-
arabia- [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].
xvii
U.S. (2018). Macron slams calls to halt arms sales to
Saudi as populist. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.
com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-france/macron-slams-calls-
to-halt-arms-sales-to-saudi-as-populist-idUSKCN1N01XV
[Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
xviii
Pacheco, F. (2018). Saudi Arabia may allow foreigners
strategic stakes in listed companies. [online] https://www.
livemint.com/. Available at: https://www.livemint.com/
Politics/5Hmy838qAI9eq7ifh1WBCN/Saudi-Arabia-may-
ix
14 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 10 • Oct-Nov 2018, Noida