USA Archives - Arab Digest

Of pragmatism, bombs and human rights

15 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailChina, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA

Joe Biden talked about taking away the free pass human rights abusers enjoyed with his White House predecessor but politics and pragmatism, rather than human rights prevail.

JCPOA: Self-interest should prevail

12 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailIran, JCPOA, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, USA, Yemen

Despite domestic opposition in both Iran and the US, broad self-interest including China’s concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East point towards reinvigoration of the JCPOA — but not quite yet.

Syria and a way to end the war

9 April 202111 April 2021Hugh MilesPodcastsIran, Syria, Turkey, USA

Arab Digest · Syria and a way to end the war

Alleged coup attempt rocks Jordan

8 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailIsrael, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA

King Abdullah is secure after his half-brother and former crown prince is detained along with other high level figures known to have close connections to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE.

Regional security: how the GCC could play a role

7 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailChina, GCC, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, UAE, USA, Yemen

Opportunity beckons for a MENA regional security initiative but it requires a leadership role from the GCC.

Wang Yi’s Middle East Tour de Force

6 April 20216 April 2021William LawArab Digest EmailBahrain, China, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, USA

The Chinese foreign minister visited six countries in seven days, signing a mega-deal with Iran while cementing economic, military and diplomatic relations everywhere he went.

Stepping Stones to a Secure Middle East

26 March 2021Hugh MilesPodcastsIran, Iraq, Israel, oil, Opec, Palestine, Russia, Saudi, Syria, Turkey, USA

Arab Digest · Stepping Stones to a Secure Middle East

Oil: On the one hand…

24 March 202124 March 2021William LawArab Digest Emailoil, Saudi Arabia, USA

Ongoing events in and around the energy sector highlight the uncertainty over the extent to which the 2020 decline in oil demand turns out to be structural rather than cyclical.

NATO in Libya: ten years on, a time for reckoning

18 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailLibya, NATO, USA

NATO’s intervention in Libya’s civil war was instrumental in the defeat of Muammar Gaddafi but it caused civilian deaths for which there has been no accounting.

Winds of change in the Middle East

17 March 2021William LawArab Digest EmailEgypt, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, USA, Yemen

Warm diplomatic currents from the White House are stimulating frenetic diplomatic activity from the Mediterranean to the Gulf; on the Yemen war front Saudi Arabia turns to Turkey for drones to try and turn the tide.