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…
Egypt and Sudan Reject Ethiopia’s Offer for Agreement on Grand Dam
Egypt and Sudan have rejected Ethiopia’s offer for a transitional agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Dam, which has been a source of contention between Egypt and Ethiopia since 2011.
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…
A Glimmer of Hope for Iraq
It was back in September 2019 that anti-government protests began sweeping across Iraq. Eventually many of the nation’s cities were almost in lockdown. The demonstrations were an expression of genuine…
4,300 people were arrested over the weekend in Morocco
Moroccan Police arrested more than 4,300 people over the weekend for breaching public health emergency rules in place to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.
OPEC Production Cut Papers over Cracks in US-Gulf Relations
A decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC producers like Russia to temporarily end a price war and cut production amounts to a time-out rather than…
China Manoeuvres to Protect Its Interests While Keeping Hands Clean
The question is not if, but when the long-standing American defence umbrella in the Gulf, the world’s most militarised and volatile region, will be replaced by a multilateral security arrangement…
What Game Is Turkey Playing in Syria?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – © Photo: File: Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images[/caption] Three basic factors underlie Turkey’s stance in the confused military situation in north-west Syria. The first is that Turkey’s…
Not a Pretty Picture: The Contours of New World Order
Television news summarizes daily what a new world order shaped by civilisationalists entails. Writer William Gibson’s assertion that “the future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed” is…