The ‘Global Mufti’ Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi 1926-2022
Summary: Sheikh al-Qaradawi has died leaving behind a complex and controversial legacy.
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US policy in the Middle East: a continuum of failure
The Arab Digest podcast conversation this week takes a hard look at US foreign policy in the Middle East under President Joe Biden. Digest editor William Law’s guest is Jon Hoffman, a geopolitical analyst and commentator. Hoffman sees Biden’s approach as a continuation of decades of failed policies that have served neither the US nor the people of the region well.
The MbS no show
Summary: there was a flurry of suggestions that the Saudi crown prince would come to London for the Queen’s funeral but in the end he didn’t show up while other senior Gulf dignitaries did.
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen: a feast of tweets
Summary: After a tumultuous week which saw the death of Queen Elizabeth and the rout of the Russian army in Ukraine, the Middle East analyst and author Kristian Coates Ulrichsen returns to the podcast to discuss in detail his recent tweets with Arab Digest editor William Law.
Qatar and Egypt: friends again
Summary: with the Egyptian president’s visit to Doha today, after the Qatari Emir’s June visit to Cairo, old animosities are seemingly buried but Sisi will have to tread carefully lest he annoy Abu Dhabi by wooing Doha too energetically.
Emirati – Qatari Information War: Round 2
Summary: an end to the blockade of Qatar last year has, on the surface, eased tensions between Abu Dhabi and Doha but look a little deeper and the animosity remains.
The Arab Digest Podcast Top Ten Countdown: number 2
At number 2 in the all-time top ten is Christopher Davidson’s podcast Putin’s war plays well with MENA authoritarians which aired 1 April, 2022. Chris is an academic and author of several books on the politics and foreign affairs of the Gulf states and a regular contributor to the Arab Digest newsletter. His latest book published by Hurst is titled From Sheikhs to Sultanism.
The Arab Digest Podcast Top Ten Countdown: number 9
Coming in at number nine in our all-time Arab Digest top ten is Annelle Sheline’s podcast The Weaponisation of Moderate Islam, first broadcast 30 July 2021. Annelle is a Research Fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an expert on religious and political authority in the Middle East and North Africa.
Bahrain: the crown prince strikes
Summary: a major overhaul of the government, with key hardliners in the ruling family being sacked, signals that Crown Prince Salman is back in the driver’s seat.
Biden in a bind
Arab Digest editor William Law’s podcast guest is Giorgio Cafiero, the CEO of Washington-based Gulf State Analytics. Their conversation focusses on US-Saudi relations and the awkward situation US president Joe Biden finds himself in needing to reach some sort of accommodation with the Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman as petrol prices rocket and America’s domestic economic woes mount.