What's behind the Saudi-Iran rapprochement?
The rapprochement being attempted by Saudi Arabia and Iran is the latest example of repositioning in the Middle East. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told his country’s public broadcaster last week that he wanted 'a good and distinguished relationship' with Iran.
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Quest for new balances in the Middle East
Turkey’s neighborhood is experiencing a new wave of heightened diplomatic activity, as tensions over Ukraine’s Donbass region de-escalate following a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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The Middle East is not a foreign policy priority for U.S. President Joe Biden – just as it wasn’t for his predecessors Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Yemen is one of the poorest countries of the Arab world and has been suffering for decades. Ali Abdallah Saleh's pre-Arab Spring administration was corrupt, leading the Yemeni people to take to the streets, eventually toppling the Saleh government in 2012 when the waves of the Arabic revolutions reached the country.
Saudi Arabia has been in the news for the last several weeks due to recent economic and political developments in the kingdom. If the government does not control the pace of the developments, it will be quite difficult to maintain social, economic and political stability. The ailing King Mohammad bin Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) took some seemingly significant but high-stake gambles in the last few weeks.
Despite large-scale developments, changes since start of decade, some problems triggering start of uprisings in Arab countries still exist
A Global Battlefield? Rising Drone Capabilities of Non-State Armed Groups and Terrorist Organizations
This study examines how terrorist organizations use UAV technology by learning from each other and analyzes their adaptation processes.
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The implications of the Aramco attacks
Saudi Arabia's Aramco, one of the biggest companies in the world, was hit by armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. A total of 18 drones and seven missiles were launched against the Saudi infrastructure. The attack was the worst on Middle Eastern oil facilities since Saddam Hussein set fire to Kuwait's oil wells in 1990. The attack knocked out 5% of the world's oil supply, and oil prices increased almost 20% as a result. Even though the attacks were claimed by Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabian officials blamed Iran, at least for providing weapons to the Houthis. Some officials even claimed that Iran was directly involved in the attacks.
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This week's attack on the facilities of Aramco, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, was no mere skirmish among proxies. Iran has allegedly fired missiles, loaded on drones, to strike at the heart of the Saudi oil industry. Although Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the attack, already some fingers are pointing to Tehran. Hence a series of questions: have tensions in the Gulf, which have been escalating since May 2018, already spun out of control? Is the policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran giving way to war? Why did U.S. President Donald Trump escalate tensions right after sacking John Bolton, his hawkish national security adviser? What will be the Trump administration's military response to an attack that it considers a casus belli? As world leaders pack their bags for the United Nations General Assembly's opening session, the world is still trying to answer those questions.
Çankaya Palace in Ankara was home to a historic trilateral summit on Monday. The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran met for the fifth time in two years to discuss the situation in Idlib, refugees, the most recent developments in northeastern Syria and the proposed constitutional committee.
This chaotic period, which intensified or started with the Arab Spring insurgencies, has been deepening every other day..
Tensions between the United States and Iran swing like a pendulum between confrontation and negotiation.
The devastating humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where people are struggling to survive and save themselves from diseases, has gone largely unnoticed for years
The war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, entered a new stage, as Iran's president, commonly known as a moderate reformist, moved closer to hardliners such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and General Qasem Suleimani.
After the Arab revolutions and insurgencies started, all strong republican regimes, which were known as the main carriers of Arab nationalism, collapsed.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been one of the leading countries in the Middle East in terms of aggressive foreign policy.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have taken a great opportunity to revive their years-long partnership, and this time, the two should not miss the train for both their own and regional interests
Simply put, a quick look at contemporary history would be enough to conclude that the Trump administration's Israel-UAE inspired "political Islam" policy is destined to be even more unsuccessful than Barack Obama's insincere "moderate Islam" policy. Or, perhaps, Washington just wants to serve the interests of fanatics on purpose.
The crown prince's grip on power, which has received the blessing of the United States, Israel and the Gulf, has been accompanied by powerful rhetoric of reform, a new vision, development and fighting corruption.
Gulf nations must realize the danger of their current policies in the region and do something about it
