West Bank Annexation Plan Tests Gulf-Israeli Relations

West Bank Annexation Plan Tests Gulf-Israeli Relations

Despite warming relations with Israel, Gulf Arab monarchies are at least publicly opposing Tel Aviv’s unilateral decision to annex 30-40 percent of the West Bank next month. The main reason pertains to public opinion in Gulf states and the Islamic world at large remaining firmly pro-Palestinian.  Faced just nine years ago with a region-wide revolt…

Give Peace a Chance: Saudi Arabia and the UAE Jostle for Position in War-Ravaged Countries for Contracts

Give Peace a Chance: Saudi Arabia and the UAE Jostle for Position in War-Ravaged Countries for Contracts

Is the coronavirus, which has hit GCC countries quite hard, going to fuel proxy wars further with the economic objective of fortunes to be made, once the fighting stops? Or dig them in deeper? Don’t overlook Russia in the scramble for reconstruction contracts. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. This certainly applies to…

The Gulf Kingdoms Are Finally Waking Up to Hindu Extremists’ Inherent Islamophobia

The Gulf Kingdoms Are Finally Waking Up to Hindu Extremists’ Inherent Islamophobia

Three back-to-back developments over the past week prove that the Gulf Kingdoms are finally waking up to Hindu extremists’ inherent Islamophobia, the threat of which Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been warning about for a while now, suggesting that the rest of the world might eventually follow suit as more people become aware of…

Arab Countries Face Real Shake-Up of Economies and Their Geopolitics Amid Corona Crisis

Arab Countries Face Real Shake-Up of Economies and Their Geopolitics Amid Corona Crisis

Gulf Arab countries have nowhere to look for a bailout of their own private sector, like in the UAE, once the envy of the Arab world, as the banks just can’t pull it off. New friendships can flourish as underdogs like Morocco come out winners. But what about Iran? It’s often said that the Achilles’…

The Mideast’s Place in Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership

The Mideast’s Place in Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership

Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership envisages the supercontinent peacefully coming together in the shared interests of peace, stability, and development, brought about by Moscow’s “balancing” strategy in recent years which was first practiced in the Mideast region, one of the most important areas of the world for the success of this hemispheric construct. *** The Greater…

The Libya Conference and “The New Scramble for Africa”

The Libya Conference and “The New Scramble for Africa”

A major international conference on Libya will convene in Berlin on Sunday. At the invitation of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, heads of state and top officials of the leading imperialist powers in Europe and the US will come together to determine the fate of the resource-rich country and ultimately the entire continent. Also in attendance…