Newsletter Archive

Below are some excerpts from recent editions of the Arab Digest daily newsletter.

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Survival in Yemen during a worsening crisis

1 December 20201 December 2020William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, Yemen

Despite urgent need and a looming famine, key funders have cut aid pledges and funding to Yemen dramatically.

Iran: Dangerous Days Ahead

30 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailIran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, USA

Last week’s assassination of a leading Iranian nuclear scientist ratchets up tensions as an anxious Middle East waits to see how the Iranians will respond and whether Donald Trump will deliver a parting shot before he finally exits.

Aramco IPO: milestone or millstone?

26 November 202026 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailAramco IPO, Covid-19, Saudi Arabia, USA

On 5 December 2019, Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering on the Saudi stock exchange Tadawul immediately made it the world’s largest publicly traded company but the IPO has come with a cost that is still to be reckoned with.

Iraq: “the band has stopped playing”

25 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Iraq, Jordan, KRG, USA

Frank talk from the Iraqi finance minister is a measure of how close to economic catastrophe the country is.

Western Sahara: normalisation 2.0

24 November 202024 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailAlgeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Western Sahara

The move by the UAE and Jordan to recognise diplomatically Morocco’s control of Western Sahara has the potential to ignite further conflict in North Africa.

Covid-19 puts a damper on Riyadh Summit

23 November 202023 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Khashoggi, Loujain al-Hathloul, Saudi Arabia, UK, USA, Yemen

Saudi Arabia was hoping that the G20 gathering would help to burnish a brand that has been severely tarnished.

Assassinations in Daraa

19 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailIran, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, USA

A string of assassinations in the Syrian province of Daraa underscores how high the stakes are in a struggle for ascendancy between Russia and Iran in the south of the country.

What a second Covid-19 surge means for the Middle East

18 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Egypt, GCC, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Yemen

As Covid-19 continues its alarming march, the Middle East is facing difficult challenges and hard choices.

Hope dwindles for a viable Palestinian state

17 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailIran, Israel, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, USA

A gloomy prognosis for the emergence of a Palestine state in the wake of normalisation and other strategic regional geo-political shifts.

Remembrance Day bomb in Saudi Arabia

16 November 202016 November 2020William LawArab Digest EmailCovid-19, Saudi Arabia, USA

A bomb targets foreigners in Jeddah, the first of its kind for years; Islamic institutions are reshuffled as the regime attacks the Muslim Brotherhood. A new court case threatens to damage MbS’ international standing yet again.