A Chinese campaign to forcibly assimilate ethnic Uyghurs in its north-western province of Xinjiang in a bid to erase nationalist sentiment, counter militancy, and create an ‘Uyghur Islam with Chinese characteristics’ ignores lessons learnt not only from recent Chinese history but also the experience of others. The campaign, reminiscent of failed attempts to undermine Uyghur…
The 17-year old Afghan war is entering a new phase, as the Pentagon co-opts as allies the two Gulf Arab states that used to be the Taliban regime’s friend, guide and philosopher in the 1990s – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It’s a double whammy for Pentagon – sheikhs usually carry moneybags, and…
Several Arab states reportedly warned Israel about Turkish influence in Jerusalem. The Israeli information outlet Haaretz published an article over the weekend claiming that Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority all shared their worries with Tel Aviv about Turkey’s growing influence in the Holy City. According to the publication, they warned how Ankara is…
Rumors abound that the Saudis are planning to dig a large canal in the north of the country which will turn Qatar from a Peninsula into an island. Saudi media report that private investors from Saudi Arabia and the UAE will finance the state-ordered construction of the canal on Arabian territory. The canal would be…
Leaked documents show that Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), the parent company of the notorious Cambridge Analytica, carried out a surveillance operation embedded among local Yemeni populations in 2009. The research and psychological tactics of deception were likely later used against populations around the world including Libya, Syria, and Iran where SCL Group carried out various operations…
A year after King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud made his son Mohammed bin Salman crown prince, the 32-year-old remains dependent on his father’s legitimacy and credentials to be the heir apparent. Prince Mohammed has polarized the House of Saud more than any figure in more than half a century. Last summer, the king removed…
