Summary: as a consensus emerges that US hegemony in the Gulf is over and Washington continues to cast around for an acceptable exit strategy from the war with Iran, it is none too soon to consider how best the US could safeguard its national interests there into the longer term.
The Gulf and the US: shifting sands Read More »
Summary: the Huthi offensive has heightened the challenge Saudi Arabia faces in its efforts to extricate the kingdom from the Yemen quagmire.
Saudi Arabia and the Yemen dilemma Read More »
Summary: a recent study reveals that Yemen’s Huthis are expanding their networks along the African coast; their recent seizure of the Red Sea coastline has heightened concerns that security in the crucial waterway is now highly compromised.
The Red Sea’s emerging two-shore axis Read More »
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.
Iraq’s militia deadline is losing its leverage Read More »
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.”
Saudi Arabia’s ‘Suez Moment’ Read More »
Summary: as regional insecurity grows the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq has placed Iraqi Kurdistan in a difficult and challenging position.
Iraqi Kurds Will Face Narrowing Options After US Troops Leave Read More »
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.
Navigating the Strait of Hormuz toll, US sanctions and maritime law Read More »
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.
Summary: our contributor returns to Erbil to discover an altered city, one caught in political stasis and sharp inequalities of wealth.
Erbil: departure of the expats Read More »
Summary: our contributor leaps ahead two years to 10 September 2028 – just ahead of the US presidential election – to project the trend line of current events in the Gulf and the US onto a future history of the region and the world.
Dateline 10 September 2028 Read More »