Summary: amidst domestic political uncertainty and a lack of coherent policy formulation in the autumn of 2022 the UK found its presence in the Gulf and the wider Middle East in danger of slipping further into decline.
Summary: child abuse is a huge problem but social taboos and government indifference means little action is taken; in war zones such as Syria physical and sexual abuse is a deliberate regime weapon; breaking the taboos, providing sanctuary and support for survivors and arresting, convicting and jailing perpetrators is urgently required.
Summary: a black comedic classic by one of Egypt’s greatest writers, a brilliant new analysis of Yemen, a breath taking generational novel from Kuwait, a deep dive into security in the Gulf monarchies, essays from Arab LGBTQ+ writers and how MbZ built himself and his closest family members into a regional powerhouse.
Summary: a prison riot, largely unremarked upon outside Kuwait, has shed light on the continuing woes of the ruling family as it struggles to secure stability in an unruly political landscape.
Summary: while Syria’s Bashar al-Assad basks in the mostly friendly embrace of his Arab counterparts, Canada and the Netherlands are taking the dictator and his regime to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Summary: Arab Digest’s editor talks to Mai al-Nakib about her debut novel, a sweeping and panoramic portrait of five generations of women.
Summary: as his allies and former Arab critics rally around the Syrian president he is using the lure of lucrative reconstruction contracts to strengthen his position.
Summary: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, like their fellow GCC members, are showing their determination to kick expats out but their strategies are creating complications, conundrums and contradictions.
Summary: 2023 promises to be a very difficult year for many MENA countries with only the Gulf states escaping the long shadow of a deep economic slowdown.
Summary: a recent court case highlights the failure of a UK government programme that was aimed at bringing meaningful judicial and police reform to the Gulf state kingdom.
