Saudi Arabia Contemplates Cancelling Hajj for First Time
For the first time since it was founded in 1932, Saudi Arabia is contemplating the cancellation of the most important annual Muslim ritual – Hajj pilgrimage – this year after…
Qatar Signs $20B Shipbuilding Deal with Korean Firms
On 1 June 2020, Qatar Petroleum (QP) said that it has signed agreements with South Korea’s “Big 3” shipyards to secure more than 100 ships costing more than 70 billion…
Will Gulf States Learn from Their Success in Handling the Pandemic?
The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic for Gulf states has done far more than play havoc with their revenue base and fiscal household. It has propelled massive structural change…
Israel Shines in the Gulf Where Big Powers Falter
The Firefly, an Israeli-built loitering kamikaze drone, part of the Spike family of missiles that the Jewish state has sold to various European nations, may be one reason why Gulf states,…
US Military Drawdown in Saudi Arabia Threatens to Fuel Arms Race
One thing is certain, the recent US military pullback from Saudi Arabia will fuel a brewing arms race in the Middle East at a time when the region, struggling with…
Saudi Arabia Jails Owner of Halal Bar
A Saudi Criminal Court has convicted the Saudi owner of a “halal bar” to three months in prison and a fine of US $2600 (10,000 Saudi riyals) for advertising what…
Yemen’s Dead End
The latest episode came on April 26, 2020, when the STC (the Southern Transitional Council) declared that south Yemen would break away from the national government and henceforth rule itself.
Gulf Security: Arab Gulf States Have No Good Options
Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia | Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas[/caption]…
Yemen’s Double Civil War
The unhappy war-torn state of Yemen is now split four ways. Not only are rival governments – one backed by a Saudi-UAE (United Arab Emirates) coalition, the other by the…
Saudi Arabia’s Problems: Pandemic, Economics, and Geopolitics
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may feel that the global pandemic and its economic fallout are the more immediate of his problems as the kingdom gradually lifts restrictions put…