The Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Kristian Coates Ulrichsen joins Arab Digest editor William Law in a conversation about how Qatar is renewing independent foreign policy initiatives that are gaining pace as the small Gulf state plays a pivotal role, assisting Washington in smoothing out the rough edges from Joe Biden’s abrupt and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Senior Research Fellow in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Oxford University’s Pembroke College. Though drone strikes have seen AQAP severely degraded, the ongoing war and the Taliban victory in Afghanistan reinforce the lethal threat jihadist terrorism continues to pose to the region and to the West from its base in Yemen.
Arab Digest Editor William Law in conversation with Sanam Vakil deputy director of the MENA Programme at London’s Chatham House. Sanam’s research focuses on Gulf geopolitics, security issues and future trends in Iran’s domestic and foreign policy. AD got an early look at a paper she and her Chatham House colleague Neil Quilliam are publishing in mid-April that examines pathways to de-escalating conflict, building trust and moving to regional security in the Middle East.
Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with the Baker Institute’s Jim Krane. Their conversation is about the world’s largest energy company Saudi Aramco: the year it has had since launching the IPO and the future it faces as the world takes on the daunting task of fighting the impact of climate change.
Arab Digest editor William Law talks with Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program and senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Their conversation focuses on a decade of US policies in the Middle East, from 2010 to 2020, from the last six years of the Obama presidency to four years of the Trump presidency.
Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with Karim Zidan an investigative journalist covering the intersection of sports, politics, and society for a number of outlets including the Guardian, Vox Media and HBO Real Sports. Karim discusses the Saudi attempt to purchase Newcastle United, Abu Dhabi’s skillful manipulation of sport, Qatar and the 2020 World Cup and the curious links between Ultimate Fighting Championship and sportswashing in the MENA region.
