PR and politics: ‘Davos of the Desert’ sees mass cancellations

Author: David Child / Source: Al Jazeera

• Blackrock
• Blackstone
• Bloomberg
• CNN
• Credit Suisse
• Economist
• Financial Times
• Ford
• Google
• HSBC
• JP Morgan Chase
• Los Angeles Times
• Mastercard
• New York Times
• Sinovation Ventures
• Standard Chartered
• Thrive
• Uber
• Viacom
• World Bank

It was hailed as the start of Saudi Arabia’s revamping of its oil-based economy, but a week before its opening the second edition of the kingdom’s prestigious economic Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference has turned into a PR disaster for the country.

More than 10 of the largest and most prominent attendees have said they will no longer go to the summit following the disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

Nicknamed “Davos in the Desert” after the world economic forum in the Swiss city of Davos, the elite get-together is a brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and aims to forward the de facto ruler’s plans to diversify Saudi’s economy by 2030.

However, with the disappearance and alleged murder of Khashoggi, a host of companies – ranging from tech companies Google and Uber, to banking giants JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and HSBC, to media organisations such as CNN, The New York Times and Financial Times – have said they will not attend the FII this year.

All companies cited worries about the kingdom’s alleged involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul – and never reemerged.

The Financial Times will not be partnering with the FII conference in Riyadh while the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi remains unexplained.

— Finola McDonnell (@FinolaMcD) October 12, 2018

CNN has withdrawn its participation in the Saudi Future Investment Initiative Conference.

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) October 12, 2018

But Luciano Zaccara, research coordinator at Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Center, said it remains to be seen if the cancellations will have any long-term effect and if companies are not just pulling out for public relations reasons

“This is a key summit and with the spotlight on Saudi Arabia; being there would be controversial for all these companies,” Zaccara told Al Jazeera.

“I’m not sure long-term, but at least in the short or mid-term, we will see some consequences [for Saudi Arabia],” he added.

According to Jocelyn Mitchell, assistant professor of American and Gulf politics at Northwestern University, corporations have a responsibility to act when it comes to human rights abuses.

“While PR plays a role in these decisions – and certainly the Saudi brand has become more toxic over the past couple of years, with its questionable decisions on the Yemen humanitarian disaster, the blockades against Qatar and Canada, and the repression of its own citizens, especially female activists – these actions show that businesses are willing to put their bottom lines on the line…

Click here to read more