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...
Gulf heavyweights view the conflict as an opportunity to cement their hegemonic status in the Middle East. Fighting in Sudan, now in its third month, shows no signs of abating. The country’s two rival generals have flouted multiple cease-fires as they vie for control. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who first gained power after the 2019 ousting...
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates often have seemed like two sides of the same coin, to western eyes at least: two powerful, oil-rich monarchies, both allies of the United States and avid consumers of American weapons, united in their determination to maintain regional security and stability on their terms and in cooperation with...
Saudi Arabia and UAE’s rivalry intensifies in race for foreign investments. The two Gulf neighbors have reached the point where they are enacting laws that contravene their common Gulf Cooperation Council goals. Intense competition between Gulf Cooperation Council members and geographical neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to attract foreign investments and foreign billionaires has...
The fabric of America’s strategic ties to the Gulf region is fraying. The leader of its most consequential nation, Saudi Arabia, has essentially told the Biden administration with regard to oil supply, arms sales or nuclear power, “If you want to work with me fine, but if not, there are others who will.” Less visible but hardly...