Over the coming months, the current power struggle within the House of Saud may develop into a bloody affair. For a long time Al-Saud boasted that unlike previous emirates and sheikhdoms that had previously ruled Arabia, they avoided bloody power struggles among themselves. The situation now seems to be different. In 2007, the Al-Saud invented…
One of the delights of reading Michael Wolff’s account of life in the White House is to picture the US president doing the same. You can see him wearing his golf face, stomping up and down the cramped presidential lodgings, screaming down his mobile phone. As he does so, his signature comb-over starts to unravel,…
Three events defined the Middle East in 2017. Each was declared a military victory or a bold act of reform. Success went like pure alcohol to the victor’s head but their euphoria was short lived. Each in turn triggered an unchartered shift in regional alliances. Putin is learning that it is one thing to chase…
Mohammad bin Salman has held talks with Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict amid the heightened tensions over the US decision to recognize the whole city of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The heir to the Saudi crown has tried to convince the president of the Palestinian Authority to accept the peace scheme proposed by the…
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) of Saudi Arabia is the undoubted Middle East man of the year, but his great impact stems more from his failures than his successes. He is accused of being Machiavellian in clearing his way to the throne by the elimination of opponents inside and outside the royal family. But,…
The neoliberal world order has been in crisis for some years now, with no signs of recovery. Trump’s victory is an expression of a breach of trust between the American people and the national elites. The perfect storm. This is what the situation in the Middle East looks like. More and more events in the region seem to be…
