Lebanon Archives - Arab Digest

On the road to nowhere: a pickup truck crowded with Bidoon families travels toward Jahra and Salmi—the historic epicentre of Kuwait’s long-standing stateless community, whose disenfranchisement is now mirrored by tens of thousands of newly denaturalised citizens.

Stateless by decree: Kuwait’s mass denaturalisation campaign

Summary: Kuwait’s amir has ruthlessly pursued a policy of mass citizenship stripping with tens of thousands denaturalised and with a dissolved parliament and a climate of fear leaving no recourse for those affected.

October 16, 2026

While public dissent over normalisation is met with court sentences and dispersal, the Marrakech Air Show showcases the seamless expansion of Israel and Morocco’s military-industrial partnership.

Managing dissent: Morocco, Israel and the Palestine Question

Summary: with American backing Morocco and Israel continue to deepen their diplomatic and business ties while overriding the support for Palestine and the Palestinian people of the vast majority of Moroccans.

October 9, 2026

Iran-backed militias, funded by the Iraqi state, celebrate National Day in the streets of Baghdad, Saturday 3rd October.

Iraq’s militia deadline is losing its leverage

Summary: Baghdad has backed down from its efforts to disarm Popular Mobilisation Forces pushing the deadline back to 2027 thus sending a clear signal that for now at least it has neither the political clout or the hard power to bring the militias under its control.

October 6, 2026

Riyadh's "Suez moment" arrives as Washington scales back its commitments, leaving the Gulf states to face regional rivals without an American shield.

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Suez Moment’

Summary: recent events have forced a recognition that the US hegemony in the Middle East is over. How the inevitable vacuum will be filled remains far from clear. But it is hard to be optimistic in the short to medium-term even though there is surely an opportunity for “a new beginning.”

October 1, 2026

American servicemen on parade in Iraq. The departure of coalition forces marks a dramatic recalculation for Erbil, forcing the KRG to balance ties between Baghdad and Washington without its historic military shield.

Iraqi Kurds Will Face Narrowing Options After US Troops Leave

Summary: as regional insecurity grows the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq has placed Iraqi Kurdistan in a difficult and challenging position.

September 29, 2026

ehran’s maritime legal strategy takes a rather direct form on the shoreline, where signboards outline precisely who—and what—is barred from the coastal zone.

Navigating the Strait of Hormuz toll, US sanctions and maritime law

Summary: the Strait of Hormuz is still not open for traffic, with the US targeting Iranian oil tankers and imposing more sanctions as the standoff continues, while differing views on maritime rights are further muddying the waters.

September 22, 2026

Iranian state-controlled media has released high-resolution satellite imagery confirming significant damage at Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Amman’s Dilemma

Summary: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is caught in a vice; US bases there are the target of Iranian missiles and influential Jordanians are calling for the removal of the bases. But the US presence is part of the 1994 peace deal with Israel which is now threatening to drive Palestinians out of the West Bank and into the kingdom.

September 17, 2026

Syrian Security forces thwart an attempt to smuggle a shipment of "advanced weapons" and missiles across the Iraqi border, intended for Hezbollah, 16 July 2026

Iraq and Syria: a cautious courtship

Summary: Iraq and Syria have long distrusted one another but economic necessities and the Iran war are leading to a warming in relations.

August 21, 2026

Representatives meet in Damascus to draft Syria’s new anti-money laundering strategy, aiming for international standards while banks manually screen transactions without modern software.

MENA and the flaws in FATF

Summary: five MENA countries are on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey-list “for increased monitoring for strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and counter-proliferation financing frameworks”. Getting off the list may be down more to politics than process.

August 20, 2026

Lebanon

Stateless by decree: Kuwait’s mass denaturalisation campaign

Managing dissent: Morocco, Israel and the Palestine Question

Iraq’s militia deadline is losing its leverage

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Suez Moment’

Iraqi Kurds Will Face Narrowing Options After US Troops Leave

Navigating the Strait of Hormuz toll, US sanctions and maritime law

Amman’s Dilemma

Iraq and Syria: a cautious courtship

MENA and the flaws in FATF

Arab Digest top five podcast countdown: #2 The Gulf and three mad countries

Israel beyond its borders: the Cyprus Question

Arab Digest top five podcast countdown: #5 Hezbollah and the war in Lebanon

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