Oman Archives - Arab Digest

MBS and MBZ: a reconciliation of sorts

22 July 2021William LawArab Digest EmailOman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, Yemen

After a season of disputes that culminated with MBS and MBZ, the two most powerful leaders in the Arab world, refusing to take each others’ phone calls, all is well again and warm relations are resumed, at least for now.

Yemen’s flicker of hope

21 July 2021William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UN, Yemen

An Omani peace initiative and Saudi eagerness to end the war may possibly start Yemen on the road to peace but Emirati ambitions and Houthi gains complicate further an already intensely complex crisis.

Oman and the challenge of governance

19 July 2021William LawArab Digest EmailBahrain, GCC, Oman, Saudi Arabia

Oman is well placed to move by incremental, evolutionary steps towards a democracy rooted in Islamic values but is Sultan Haitham ready to take those steps?

Oman and a green future

13 July 2021William LawArab Digest EmailEgypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia

As the Gulf states seek to shift away from oil dependency, Oman is uniquely placed to diversify its economy and transition to a green energy future.

Big Oil, the Gulf and Climate Change

9 July 2021Hugh MilesPodcastsBahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, oil, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Arab Digest · Big Oil, the Gulf and Climate Change

Yemen and a flicker of hope

25 June 2021Hugh MilesPodcastsOman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UN, Yemen

Arab Digest · Yemen and a flicker of hope

Turkey’s drones “game-changing”

23 June 2021William LawArab Digest EmailIraq, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE

The battlefield success of Turkish drones in Libya, Iraq and Syria are changing the way that Middle East wars are being fought and regional geo-political ambitions are being realised.

Sultans of the Gulf

11 June 2021Hugh MilesPodcastsBahrain, G20, GCC, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, oil, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Arab Digest · Sultans of the Gulf

GCC: turning 40

10 May 202110 May 2021William LawArab Digest EmailBahrain, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA

As the US continues to pivot away from the Gulf and the wider Middle East and Iran remains a significant regional threat the GCC, approaching its 40th anniversary, sees strategic sense in patching up differences.

The Middle East’s Heroin Tracks

5 May 2021William LawArab Digest EmailAfghanistan, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, IS, Jordan, Kurds, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE

Heroin mostly enters the Arab world from Afghanistan via Iran enroute to markets in Europe. Arab countries close to the main smuggling routes are the most impacted by the trade. The Syrian war has led traffickers to re-route heroin shipments via the Black Sea and Africa.