Arabian Peninsula

By Agnes Helou, Journalist and writer, for Defense News (*) The so-called Arab NATO, a U.S.-led initiative, has the potential to address threats to the Gulf and the Middle East. So what is delaying the creation of such an alliance? An …

The decision to leave the oil cartel is aimed at reinforcing the country’s autonomy from its Persian Gulf neighbors. By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, for The New York Times (*) The surprising declaration by Qatar about leaving OPEC on Jan. 1 …

Musical chairs in the Iraqi parliament can no longer solve the country’s problems. By John Hannah, for the Foreign Policy (*) The United States faces an increasingly urgent set of first-order policy questions in Iraq. Spoiler alert: The answer is …

Report also criticises kingdom for failing to carry out independent inquiries into its bombing raids in Yemen By: Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor at The Guardian (*) Saudi Arabia has been accused of using anti-terror laws to suppress free expression and …

UN secretary general António Guterres tells humanitarian donors conference war-torn country is facing ‘a tragedy of immense proportions’ By: Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Karen McVeigh, for The Guardian (*) The UN has been promised half the amount requested for its …

Gulf Cooperation Council states consider transforming into a union to arm themselves against Iran’s increasing dominance and the growing instability in the Middle East. By: Giorgio Cafiero, for Al-Monitor (*) Citing “security problems, economic challenges and other serious issues confronted …

By Tom Finn and Fatma al-Arimi, for REUTERS (*) MUSCAT, Jan 9 Caught between two vast neighbours locked in a regional struggle, Oman has long been to the Middle East what neutral Switzerland is to global diplomacy. But now its …

Saudi women recently launched a hashtag calling for an end to male guardianship, which has been behind many of the physical and moral violations they face in Saudi society. By: Ibrahim al-Hatlani, for Al-Monitor (*) For three weeks now, the …

Nearly four years have passed since the people of Yemen, along with those of much of the rest of the MENA region, took to the streets en masse to demand human dignity and popular sovereignty. Now, having shelled the home of President Hadi and provoked …

  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died on Friday, January 23, 2014, aged 91 years. His successor was announced as Prince Salman, his half-brother, at the same time. On the very day of Abdullah’s death, the president of Yemen announced …