Walking into war eyes wide open

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1. It was a very good year
   

   Summary: Vladimir Putin can look back at 2021 satisfied in the knowledge that Russia has further strengthened its hand in the Middle East and North Africa....

2. The Qatar dispute, workers and football
   

   The article below published in the Huffington Post by James Dorsey of Singapore University explores the way that three controversial issues, all of which we have considered in recent postings, feed off each other: the row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (supported by the UAE and Bahrain), the large number of expatriate workers in the Gulf states which constitute an underclass with no political and few other rights, and preparations in Qatar for the football World Cup in 2022....

3. Turkish elections
   

   Summary: Erdoğan’s ambition to be the Putin of Turkey checked. A good day for democracy, but outlook confused and foreign policy considerations must wait. ...

4. Chinese Companies, Workers and Traders in the Arab World
   

   Summary: Chinese companies, workers and traders have a substantial presence in some Arab countries. But they have not always been able to avoid the region’s troubles....