For Donald Trump it was a carefully constructed and nuanced announcement: “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Note one word that is missing. It is “undivided” as in “undivided…

On multiple levels, Saudi Arabia stands at the crossroads between those who see Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) inevitably ascending to the throne in the coming few days/months, and those who believe that such a change is faced by challenges and…

When Mohammed bin Salman first floated the idea of selling a portion of Saudi Aramco through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in January 2016 both pundits and Saudi Aramco senior executives were caught off guard. “Personally I’m…

Sceptics and critics of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and I must number myself amongst them, have pointed to previous grandiose plans that have been promulgated and announced with great fanfare by the kingdom only to slip below the waterline…

As the dispute between Qatar and the so-called Quartet – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt  - drags on with no end  to the blockade of the small Gulf state in sight, Qatar is using human rights issues as a weapon in…

I recently attended a seminar on the war in Yemen, sponsored by an Oxford based think tank OxGAPS. It was aptly titled “Yemen in crisis: past, present and future.” The war that is now more than two and a half years old has destroyed…

Following a fierce war by proxy on the Syrian territory and a great drain on its resources in order to create a new balance of power in the region, the opportunity for the return of the Opposition Alliance to the 2006-2008 formula (Iran /…

As the feud between Qatar on the one side and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on the other continues to bubble along, one has to ask if the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed…