William Law, Author at Arab Digest

Of pragmatism, bombs and human rights

15 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailChina, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA

Joe Biden talked about taking away the free pass human rights abusers enjoyed with his White House predecessor but politics and pragmatism, rather than human rights prevail.

Sisi’s North Sinai strategy: a brutal failure

14 April 202114 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailEgypt, North Sinai

Since seizing power in 2013 the Egyptian president has had only one tactic in attempting to quell the ISIS insurgency in North Sinai, the use of force, and it’s not working.

JCPOA: Self-interest should prevail

12 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailIran, JCPOA, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, USA, Yemen

Despite domestic opposition in both Iran and the US, broad self-interest including China’s concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East point towards reinvigoration of the JCPOA — but not quite yet.

Alleged coup attempt rocks Jordan

8 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailIsrael, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA

King Abdullah is secure after his half-brother and former crown prince is detained along with other high level figures known to have close connections to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE.

Regional security: how the GCC could play a role

7 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailChina, GCC, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, UAE, USA, Yemen

Opportunity beckons for a MENA regional security initiative but it requires a leadership role from the GCC.

Wang Yi’s Middle East Tour de Force

6 April 20216 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailBahrain, China, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, USA

The Chinese foreign minister visited six countries in seven days, signing a mega-deal with Iran while cementing economic, military and diplomatic relations everywhere he went.

The Ever Given Suez Crisis

31 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailEgypt, Europe, Ever Given, Horn of Africa, Iran, Syria

A massive container ship blocks the Suez canal for 6 days causing one of the biggest disruptions to trade in recent years; it should also set off alarm bells about regional and global security.

Jordan’s Spring of Discontent

30 March 202130 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Israel, Jordan

A Covid-19 surge and soaring unemployment are challenging Jordan’s King Abdullah II and threatening a government widely seen as incompetent and corrupt.

Algeria: four snapshots, four challenges

29 March 202129 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailAlgeria, Covid-19, Israel, Morocco, Palestine

Algeria today sits at the centre of a Venn diagram of four overlapping and daunting challenges.

ISIS in Ramadan

25 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Iraq, IS, Syria

Concern is growing that ISIS will use Ramadan to launch new attacks and expand its military operations in Syria and Iraq.