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.
Newsletter Archive
Below are some excerpts from recent editions of the Arab Digest daily newsletter.
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Yemen’s flicker of hope
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailAn 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.
The Beirut explosion: are Israel and Hezbollah responsible?
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailNearly a year on from the Beirut port explosion, no conclusions have been reached as to what caused it but an Arab Digest member who witnessed the explosion believes that both the Israelis and Hezbollah are to blame.
Oman and the challenge of governance
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailOman 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?
Employment in Saudi Arabia — a new facade, but the same old master-slave relationship
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailThe kingdom received much favourable publicity when it announced major reforms to labour laws and the kafala system but the reality is little has changed and exploitation and abuse remain rampant.
Qatar, the UAE and a World Cup
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailWith the Euros over, attention outside the UK is now turning to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The focus in Britain, quite rightly, remains on the racist abuse directed at Black members of the English squad and the extent to which the prime minister and the home secretary contribute to enabling a culture in which such abuse is able to flourish.
Oman and a green future
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailAs 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.
Petroleum and the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailSummary: With the Saudis and the Emiratis falling out, speculation has increased that Opec’s days are numbered but there are persuasive short- and long-term reasons for the cartel to hang together.
A water crisis in Iraq
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailAs global temperatures climb, Basra is experiencing temperatures hovering at 50 degrees while suffering severe water shortages; delays in a massive desalination project are making an already intolerable situation worse.
The coup d’état in Egypt: 8 years later
Posted on Categories Arab Digest EmailCelebrations and condemnations on the 8th anniversary of the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi; the US grants Egypt conditional military aid.