The ongoing purge in Saudi Arabia, together with the kidnapping and extorted “resignation” whilst on a trip to Saudi Arabia of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, is posing a host of questions about the man at the centre of this drama: the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the country’s de factor ruler Crown Prince …
Continue reading Anatomy of a Purge: MbS’s Actions, Saudi Arabia’s Crisis, and Its Coming Collapse
While turbulent during the best of times, gigantic waves of change are now sweeping across the Middle East. The magnitude is such that the impact on the global price of oil, as well as world markets, is likely to be enormous. A dramatic geo-political realignment by Saudi Arabia is in full swing this month. It’s …
Continue reading If the Saudi Arabia Situation Doesn’t Worry You, You’re Not Paying Attention
In recent months, the whole world has witnessed a campaign launched by the United States and its allies in South-East Asia and NATO against the DPRK because of the ‘nuclear threat from the Pyongyang.’ At the United States’ initiative, in August, the UN Security Council voted for using sanctions on North Korea. On September 12, …
Continue reading Threshold of a Nuclear Conflict in South Asia
The US selection of leaders has virtually nothing to do with democratic processes and outcomes. It is useful to contrast this with the process in China. In most instances, China’s selection of leaders is far more meritocratic, successful and performance-based. In both the US and China, the process lacks transparency. US Economic, Political and Cultural …
Continue reading China and the US: Comparing Leadership Selection
From October 23 to October 25 of this year, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarked on a trip to a number of countries in the Middle East, Central and Southern Asia. His main task was to look for answers to the questions that arose after the speech of the President Donald Trump on policy …
Continue reading India in No Hurry to Dispatch Troops to Afghanistan
The United States and its allies continue to cajole and threaten North Korea to negotiate an agreement that would relinquish its growing nuclear and ballistic-missile programs. The latest verbal prodding came from President Trump during his joint press conference with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Trump urged Pyongyang to “come to the negotiating table,” and …
Continue reading Libya: The Forgotten Reason North Korea Desperately Wants Nuclear Weapons
A new United Nations-sponsored report on the April 4 sarin incident in an Al Qaeda-controlled town in Syria blames Bashar al-Assad’s government for the atrocity, but the report contains evidence deep inside its “Annex II” that would prove Assad’s innocence. If you read that far, you would find that more than 100 victims of sarin …
The British Jewish media is upset. Priti Patel, a cabinet minister responsible for international development, had no fewer than 14 meetings with Israeli politicians and political leaders. It seems that Patel didn’t clear any or most of these meetings with the Foreign Office. So Patel had to go and but now the British Jewish media is …
Russia has been expanding its gold reserves at a record pace, according to information from the World Gold Council (WGC). Russian business newspaper Kommersant suggests this gold rush will give Russia guarantees against sanctions and economic and geopolitical risks. In the third quarter of 2017, the Central Bank of Russia bought 63 tons of the precious metal, bringing …
Continue reading ‘Magic Wand’: Russia Buying Gold at Record Pace, Unlikely to Lose Momentum
