Saudi Arabia's 'Futuristic' City: Another Desert Mirage Built on Displaced Lives
📰 THE STORY: The Independent reports that Saudi Arabia's ambitious $500 billion Neom project, specifically 'The Line' city, is being significantly scaled back, with initial population targets drastically reduced. Experts are quoted suggesting the project was always an impossible dream for Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'scaling back' is not
just about architectural impossibility; it's a direct result of ongoing, violent repression of the local Howeitat tribe. In 2020, Howeitat tribesman Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was shot dead by Saudi special forces for resisting eviction to make way for Neom. His killing was followed by the forcible displacement of thousands more, many of whom are now imprisoned or face death sentences for their
opposition, a chilling echo of countless indigenous displacements for 'development' worldwide, from the U.S. frontier to South American land grabs. Double Standard: Western media outlets frequently highlight human rights abuses in nations they deem adversaries (e.g., China's treatment of Uyghurs, often based on dubious sources), while framing similar or worse abuses in allied Gulf states like
Saudi Arabia as mere logistical 'challenges' or overambitious failures. The forced eviction and killing of local populations for this project rarely receive the sustained, condemnation-focused coverage afforded to other geopolitical targets, despite direct evidence of state violence. Follow the Money: While the project itself is funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the 'experts' and