Jewish Insider reported on the the Saudi "Davos in the Desert":
The annual extravaganza in Riyadh’s palatial Ritz Carlton Hotel aspires to set the world’s financial agenda like its older counterpart in the Swiss Alps.
Under orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the Ritz Carlton served as a prison for many members of the Saudi Royal Family and Saudi business leaders.
Private equity underwriters (PEU) with Red Team stripes include Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman, Affinity Partners Jared Kushner and Liberty Capital's Steven Mnuchin.
...veterans of the Trump White House took to the stage at Saudi Arabia’s flagship international conference in Riyadh on Tuesday to remind investors of their accomplishments in connecting Israel and the Arab world. Jared Kushner, who as a White House senior advisor brokered the Abraham Accords on behalf of former President Donald Trump, his father-in-law, went so far as to hail Saudi Arabia as a “startup nation,” using the nickname Israel earned by generating thousands of technology companies. Kushner, who now runs a private equity firm backed by $2 billion in Saudi investment, is reportedly putting some of the cash in Israeli startups.
A wider PEU representation can be seen below:
Speakers during the three-day confab include FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz, former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Third Point’s Dan Loeb, Starwood’s Barry Sternlicht, Trian’s Nelson Peltz, Canyon’s Joshua Friedman, MizMaa’s Yitz Applbaum, former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), LionTree’s Aryeh Bourkoff, MHR Fund Management’s Mark Rachesky, Oak Hill Advisors’ Glenn August, Visions of Peace founder Cheryl Halpern, former Trump administration official Brian Hook, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, Ivanhoe Mines’ Robert Friedland and Aerofarms’ David Rosenberg.
Eric Cantor is Vice Chairman at Moelis, Former Senator Norm Coleman lobbies on behalf of the Saudi Government for Hogan Lovells and is firmly leading the "lets move past Khashoggi" movement. Brian Hook landed at Cerberus Capital and is Vice Chairman of Cerberus Global Investments. (The Khashoggi murder took place ten months after the Crown Prince imprisoned family members at the Ritz Carlton in his financial shakedown.)
FTX and co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried recently took a 30% stake in Anthony Scaramucci's Skybridge Capital.
The greed and leverage boys, like many predators, tend to run in packs. I wonder if they can smell the blood spilled in the Ritz Carlton during the Crown Prince's forced family sleepover. They may wish to scope out exits should the Crown Prince ever decide he wants some of that Saudi money back.
Update 11-2-22: Saudi surveillance, intimidation and pursuit of Saudis on U.S. soil have intensified as the kingdom steps up repression under its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
The Crown Prince's purge of family members continues:
A graduate student at Boston's Northeastern University, Prince Abdullah bin Faisal al Saud seldom mentioned he was a member of Saudi Arabia's sprawling royal family, friends say. He avoided talking about Saudi politics, focusing on his studies, career plans and love of soccer.
But after a fellow prince — a cousin — was imprisoned back home, Prince Abdullah discussed it with relatives in calls made from the U.S., according to Saudi officials, who somehow were listening. On a trip back to Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdullah was imprisoned because of those calls. An initial 20-year sentence was hiked to 30 years in August.
Davos in the ethical, spiritual desert.
Update 11-12-22: Former Blue Teamer Peter Orszag and Lazard are behind the Crown Prince's resurgence on the world stage as his financial advisor.
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.
Update 5-16-24: Barry Sternlicht's Starwood REIT is fighting redemptions, like Blackstone's REIT. BlackRock is launchinglaunching a $5 billion investment fund based in Riyadh.
