How recent conflicts are shaping India-GCC ties
The conflicts in the Middle East over the last two and a half years have not only wreaked extraordinary death and destruction across the region, but they have also caused serious disruptions...
The president, the key to the strait and the region’s cup
The image he posted on his social media site, Truth Social, speaks volumes. Donald Trump is wrapped in the American flag, carrying a depiction of the globe on his shoulders. An image...
US seeks to reassure Gulf states over Iran deal
While US President Donald Trump has indulged in his usual hyperbole to describe the US-Iran deal as achieving “everything we set out to accomplish,” Gulf leaders are far more circumspect about the...
Can North Africa power Europe’s green future?
The global sprint to net-zero remains hobbled by an inconvenient truth: Elemental hydrogen, the fuel of tomorrow’s heavy industry and shipping, is a logistics nightmare. It embrittles steel, leaks through the finest...
Gulf states and the handover of Hormuz to Iran
The Strait of Hormuz has been opened, and Iran has begun to act as its policeman, controlling maritime traffic and speaking of levying fees. The White House denies this, insisting there are...
The Lebanese government’s failed gamble
Iran is meeting with the US in Switzerland. Lebanon is one aspect of the talks. The US and Iran this week announced they are creating a “deconfliction cell” to ensure their deal goes through,...
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: A real test of brotherhood
When Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement last year, the security pact was widely welcomed as the natural next step in a partnership that has evolved over many...
Ben-Gvir’s handling of Gaza flotilla a PR disaster
In the age of social media, we can learn much about a person’s character from what they post — and even more from what they post with a sense of pride.
Paying off Iran has never worked
Is it cheaper to pay off the mafia than to fight it? This is the moral dilemma the world is now facing with Iran and nobody has the right answer. For 40...
The growth of Arab-China strategic ties
After decades of complete dependence on a single external power, mainly the US, the Gulf countries have concluded that strategic autonomy requires multiple credible relationships and that China, whatever its limitations, now...