Saudi money will lure thousands to the Saudi "Future Investment Initiative" Conference, also known as Davos in the Desert. Speaker Stephen Schwarzman, a Blackstone Goup co-founder and prominent Trump advisor, represents the greed and leverage boys.
Two former Trump officials, Jared Kushner and Steven Mnuchin, have private equity firms with major Saudi investments. Mnuchin spoke at last year's Davos in the Desert event while Kushner met with the Saudi Crown Prince earlier this year. Kushner's Affinity Partners has $3 billion in assets under management, much of it Saudi money.
Vox reported:
Four years after Khashoggi’s killing, the rehabilitation of MBS is complete.
President Joe Biden, after pledging on the 2020 campaign trail to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” capitulated and traveled to the country in July, in a visit that gave MBS the legitimacy he craves. The US has been sending huge amounts of weapons to the kingdom. And the grave human rights concerns do appear in summaries of the leaders of the US and Saudi Arabia but hardly rise to the level of a top priority for Biden’s foreign policy team.
Don't count on private equity underwriters (PEU) or their sponsored politicians to stand up to dark forces. Authoritarian greed will bring new global disorder
Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.
Update 10-25-22: Reuters reported:
No Biden administration officials were visible at the forum on Tuesday. Jared Kushner, a former senior aide to then-President Donald Trump who enjoyed good ties with Prince Mohammed, was featured as a front-row speaker.
In what sounds like a LIV press conference the Saudi Energy minister said the kingdom decided to be "the maturer" party in the oil price spat with President Biden. "The maturer" guy Crown Prince makes fun of Biden behind his back, showing him to be a true Clown Prince.
FT noted Kushner and Mnuchin would speak at the event.
Comedian Hassan Minhaj was on CNBC talking Saudi Arabia and the PEU boys:
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is working with Lazard on funding options and a potential initial public offering of Masar, a $27 billion mega project in the holy city of Mecca.
Greed is as greed does.
Lazard Geopolitical Advisory will combine some of the world’s most experienced geopolitical minds with Lazard’s unmatched business expertise.
It's an unholy alliance.
Update 12-6-22: The U.S. court case against the Crown Prince was dismissed under the guise of sovereign immunity, something the Prince did not have at the time of the execution. The judge said his hands were tied by the Biden administration's recommendation to the court. Thugs win.
Update 10-21-23: Davos in the Desert starts this coming week. It's theme is "The New Compass." The Israel-Gaza war may impact who actually attends. The theme is meant to capture "the essence of a new global world that is rediscovering its bearings in the realm of investment." Translation: Do as the Crown Prince says and you will be paid handsomely.
