The extent of human suffering in the Yemeni civil war is hard to grasp. In the earliest days of this proxy war, the United States and Western Europe saw it in black and white: the evil Iran backing the Houthi rebels against the good Saudi Arabia/United Arab Emirates coalition defending the legitimate Yemeni government. More...
I’m a plaintiff’s trial lawyer, representing claimants in disputes decided in the civil justice system. That’s not to say I have a problem with defense lawyers. My wife is one, and she’s the love of my life. I have a servant’s heart, and I have spent the last 30 years representing people who have been...
Wagner Group’s Engagements in West Asia and North Africa. Wagner Group’s mutiny against the Russian military establishment and its sudden withdrawal in June 2023 have created chaos in Russia. This leaves analysts of Russian politics with several questions regarding the future of Wagner and the country’s internal dynamics. Such questions have also been raised in...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the second highest prevalence in the Arab States region, and the seventh highest prevalence in the Global Slavery Index. Migrant workers in the UAE are particularly vulnerable under the kafala (sponsorship) system, a restrictive work permit system that ties migrant workers to their employer.1 The system embeds a steep power...
UK sanctions entities in Turkey, the UAE, and Iran for their alleged role in the Ukraine war. Britain sanctioned more than two dozen targets Tuesday. Including firms and individuals in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. London described this as the “largest ever UK action” targeting Russia’s access to foreign military supplies for its...
When Matthew Hedges was imprisoned and tortured in the UAE, Britain was shamefully slow to act. The reason for this cowardice now seems clear: a web of sinister relationships between ministers, Conservative donors and Gulf allies had left human rights an afterthought. Hedges’ ordeal showed the human cost of Britain’s craven policy with the UAE....
Parliamentary ombudsman says Matthew Hedges was let down by UK government during imprisonment. The UK’s parliamentary ombudsman has found that the Foreign Office “failed to notice signs of torture” when officials visited a British academic imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates. Matthew Hedges was convicted on spying charges by the UAE in 2018 after travelling to...
A Liberian-flagged oil tanker set sail in May from Russia’s Ust-Luga port carrying crude on behalf of a little-known trading company based in Hong Kong. Before the ship had even reached its destination in India, the cargo changed hands. The new owner of the 100,000 tonnes of Urals crude carried on the Leopard I was...
The latest episode of The President’s Inbox is live. This week Jim sat down with Michelle Gavin, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council. They discussed the deadly armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of Sudan. Here are five highlights from their conversation: ...
US national security officials are scrutinising an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund’s planned $3bn takeover of New York-based Fortress Investment Group amid concerns in Washington over the United Arab Emirates’ ties to China, people close to the situation told the Financial Times. The review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an...