Posted on 11/29/2023 11:15:13 AM PST by Cecily
The Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday won the right to host the 2030 World Expo, defeating rival bids from Italy and South Korea as well as overcoming objections from rights activists to take hold of another global mega-event.
With a pledge for an Expo "built by the world for the world", Saudi's bid smashed the opposition after a years-long lobbying campaign whose intensity caused some gnashing of teeth among its Italian rivals.
The World Expo -- which traces its history back to the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris that saw the construction of the Eiffel Tower -- is a months-long showcase event attracting millions of visitors that aims to respond to the specific challenges of the current time.
Hosting the Expo is of immense importance for Saudi Arabia whose bid has been spearheaded by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, as he seeks to secure the world's top events to showcase the kingdom across the globe.
The date of 2030 is also hugely symbolic as it coincides with the key milestone in the Vision 2030 programme of MBS to diversify Saudi Arabia economically and also culturally.
(Excerpt) Read more at independentnews.com ...
Remember when Obama went to the Olympic Committee and His Majesty thought he could talk them into guaranteeing a spot in the USA for the next Olympics?
And then they eliminated USA in the first round?
That was funny
Riyadh is a wonderful place!
You can swing by the local stadium and see some heretics getting their heads chopped off...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/15/saudi-arabia-mass-execution-81-men
More often the routine beheadings are carried out at Deera Square. It’s a place where one can see the utmost beauty of Islam on public display and you can celebrate Islam by seeing the blood of heretics washed into the sand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deera_Square
Maybe you might get lucky and see a rape victim be whipped to death for having the temerity to be out in public without a male relative!
https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3899920&page=1
Oh yeah...good times ahead in Riyadh!
Women are property in Saudi. Waiting for NOW to chime in in 3.. 2.. 1..
What is an ‘expo’?
Should one care??
I know I’m gonna get flamed - but I see the Saudis as wanting to get past their past. Over the years, a number of people in the Royal Family have said “Wow, we have all this money but a good chunk of the world looks at us like we’re goatherders and camel jockeys”.
The Saudis are less than perfect. Yes, I am aware of the connection with September 11th.
They’ll never get a 5-Star rating from Human Rights Watch but they’re making an effort to curb some of the excesses in their nation. They’re allowing (in some ways) freedoms that many of their people haven’t enjoyed in years. They want to be known as more than just a nation sitting on an ocean of oil. The Saudis who want reform can’t move too fast in fear of provoking the radical elements still in power.
In a Middle East full of crazies, they may be our only ally against Iran.
One of the reasons the Obamatollah regime is hamstringing Israel.
Thanks for the amusing post.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/world/europe/turkey-saudi-khashoggi-dismember.html
“less than perfect”
—Beheaded
—Fingers chopped off
—Body parts stuffed in suitcase
It sounds like high civilization right there.
Lol.
I think this Expo is something like the World’s Fair in New York in 1964-1965 , or Expo 67 in Montreal.
This could get difficult for visitors who are not accustomed to Islamic laws and rules of public behavior, dress codes, etc. Especially for women, going there as a tourist could be really tough.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you were easily amused.
The Saudis are a work in progress. As I indicated to you, they are less than perfect. I don’t like some of the stuff they’re doing. I can name the same things you do as problems they have.
In a happy decent world, the Saudis would have underwent a five-year plan in which they radically changed EVERYTHING. But you and I both know that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon.
They’re never gonna rank high on the list of countries I’d like to visit. But given the small steps they seem to be making, socially and financially, they are at least aiming in the right direction. I’ll take that. Given the other power in the Gulf (Iran), I’ll take the lesser of two evils.
Until a time and place where this nation becomes self-energy reliant, we need the Saudis.
We need the Saudis—but we also need to have total honesty with ourselves about who we are dealing with...
The notion that they are “improving” is highly debatable—probably at least 90% self-delusion.
(When I went to B school decades ago one of my friends was a Saudi—probably a member of the royal family but nobody dared ask—and he was a great guy—funny, intelligent, articulate, great to be around. However I had absolutely no doubt that he would have no problem ordering hands and heads chopped off to defend his family and their way of life.)
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