Summary: as the UK economic and political crisis winds through its extraordinary saga, Britain’s Gulf allies, like everyone else, is wondering who is in charge.
Summary: the recent decision by OPEC+ to cut production was a jab in the eye to the West but one that has been a long time coming.
Summary: with the protest movement virtually silenced, the opposition either in jail or in exile, Bahrain’s ruling family is moving forward, building on higher oil prices and financial support from its GCC neighbours to meet at least some of the concerns of its citizens.
Summary: if it is the case that yet another parliamentary election produces more bickering and gridlock between the ruling family and MPs then once again Kuwaiti women will be the biggest losers.
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.
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.
On 10 October 2021 we podcast Maged Mandour’s incisive assessment of the military industrial dictatorship President Sisi is building in Egypt. Maged is a political analyst who writes openDemocracy’s “Chronicles of the Arab Revolt” column, covering the affairs of the Arab world with a special focus on social change in the post-Arab Spring Middle East. He is also a Sada writer for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a contributor to Middle East Eye and a regular Arab Digest contributor.
Summary: Jordan sees in a cautious rapprochement with Iran an opportunity to improve strained relations with the GCC and to find a way out of its economic crisis.
Summary: despite the optics and the apparent climbdown by President Biden amidst claims of a resentful and rupturing partnership, Chatham House’s Neil Quilliam argues that the relationship with Saudi Arabia though strained was never at serious risk.
Arab Digest is pleased to bring you our summer reading list, with all the books written by our newsletter and podcast contributors. From deep dive geopolitical analyses, to personal essays and reflections, from fiction to a delightful children’s book, it is a MENA festival of good reads. Today we feature seven books and tomorrow we will feature seven more. Enjoy!
