Summary: before the Russians invaded Ukraine, food insecurity was already an issue for many MENA countries but as of 24 February a bad situation got a whole lot worse.
Summary: UN resolution 2624 offers some solutions but poses many challenges to bringing an end to the seemingly intractable war in Yemen.
Summary: Arab states are reluctant to pick sides in the Ukraine/Russia war because they have military and economic ties to both countries.
Summary: as the war in Ukraine continues and a massive column of armoured vehicles heads toward Kyiv, fears are growing that the Russian president is prepared to inflict massive civilian harm in order to achieve his objectives.
Arab Digest editor William Law’s guest this week is Annelle Sheline, a Research Fellow in the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Their conversation explores the role that the Yemen war has played in making the already demanding challenge of bringing Iran and the US back into a nuclear deal just that much more difficult and how various actors are like pieces of a puzzle that just won’t fit.
Summary: with the world’s attention elsewhere, Gulf tensions are ratcheting upwards as the Houthis sling missiles and drones and the UAE and Saudi Arabia respond with devastating airstrikes.
Summary: Monday’s attack on Abu Dhabi has once again brought attention to the war in Yemen but the country’s COVID pandemic has escaped virtually all international scrutiny and coverage.
Summary: Monday’s attack on the UAE’s national oil company was a brazen statement of intent designed to force the UAE’s hand in Yemen.
Summary: this year poses big challenges to the economies of the MENA region, many of which are already in deep trouble while a wealthy few will use their hydrocarbons revenues to ride out whatever rough weather comes their way.
Summary: Iran is seeking to maintain its successful asymmetric warfare advantages by attempting to secure a continuation of the status quo in Vienna, happy to trade short-term acquisition of nuclear weaponry for relief from sanctions and continued progress with its programme of regional interventions. With the United States pulling back, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are preparing themselves to be able to disrupt that status quo should it threaten them.
