Amnesty International's latest report entitled "Is Israel committing the crime of apartheid" has come in for a lot of criticism from, unsurprisingly, Israel and Jews and Israelis elsewhere in the world. They protest that the report is bias, discriminatory, and anti-Semitic. Since I have received some of the treatment outlined in the report- and I a...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
Afghanistan has had significant news coverage recently, both because of the US pull out of troops from that country, and because a Kiwi journalist, Charlotte Bellis, who previously worked for Al Jazeera, and was reporting from Afghanistan during the pullout of US troops, has made headlines in different parts of the world. The story goes like this. ...
After a dispute lasting about 30 years, this week Saudi Arabia has decided to bury the hatchet and resume ties with Thailand. The relationship between the two countries fell apart, when in 1989 a Thai servant, Kriangkrai Techamong, who worked in the palace of Prince Faisal bin Fahd, stole 91 kg in jewellery, including the world-famous 50 carat Blue...
At a time when the world is going through much change as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, attacks on the UAE by Houthi rebels and an imminent attack by Russia on Ukraine, the fact that some people are still focused on peace between countries and how to achieve this is important. Here Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International, a Bu...
Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains why Washington DC has made competition with Beijing or Moscow its top priority. Competition between the US, China or Russia is a top priority for the US Administration. A report published by the US Research and Development Corporation (RAND) said that since the US announced the its 2018 National Defense Strategy: "Strate...
In this article Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains how the Egyptian pound has strengthened against the US dollar over the past year. From the beginning of 2021 until the beginning of 2022, the Egyptian pound has held up against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar, which is determined by supply and demand, now stands at EGP15.66 per one dollar. ...
The attacks on the Abu Dhabi oil fields by the Houthi rebels has raised the spectre of the UAE's vulnerability, according to a report on Al Jazeera. The UAE is clearly not as safe and secure as it maintains. If you come from a country where any attack by foreign forces is highly unlikely, the UAE is a place that feels vulnerable to attack. More att...
It seems that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the middle of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Although, it entered Yemen as a coalition partner with Saudi Arabia to attack the Houthi rebels, who had taken Sana'a, the capital, from the Sunnis who were a Saudi-backed government, now it is being targeted itself. According to reports, the...
Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains how the latest cooperation agreement between the UAE and Egypt is a boon to Egypt. The Ministry of Military Production plans to establish an Egyptian/Emirati company to produce and manufacture cars that run on natural gas as well as gasoline with Egyptian labourers, Engineer Mohamed Ahmed Morsi, Minister of State for Mil...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman looks at how postmodern geopolitics differs from earlier days. The current geopolitical visions and strategies must be appropriate to the digital age. But although we can learn from these strategies and be guided by them, we need to innovate to meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution- that is, the meeting of physical...
By Lucia Dore Is it not time that those who live in a so-called developed country- those who are privileged - take time to celebrate the simple things in life rather than always striving to become ever more successful? - however that success is measured. I ask that question because I have been listening to many podcasts and reading articles over th...
The Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt announced the launch of the Financial Technology Center in the first quarter of 2022, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. The Central Bank of Egypt will launch the FinTech Hub in the first quarter of 2022. It will be called the new Financial Technology Center, and will be based in downtown Cairo. Its aim is to suppo...
In this article Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains how Egypt's international policies reveal how its strategic power has strengthened over the years. Foreign policy is the art of building and protecting interests and maintaining a balance of power. This balance means that each side realises that the major parties have the ability to deter the other. For t...
In this article Ahmad Abdul-Rahman asks about the extent to which China's relationship with Iran serves its geopolitical and economic interests. The latest agreement between China and Iran reinforces a strategic relationship whose dimensions go beyond economic goals. China is focusing its attention on geopolitics, pursuing policies that serve its i...
Women covering their faces is an issue that many Western women find abhorrent. I am asked about this frequently having lived and worked in the Middle East for nearly a decade. Western women do not understand that a face covering is not always a symbol of oppression. Some of the strongest and outspoken women I have met wear the hijab and do not have...
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. The relationship has gone from strength to strength especially recently with Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Israel has returned 95 looted archaeological artifacts to Egypt. This story explains what is happening. By Mohamed Sabry for Al Monitor December 15, 2021 Egypt receiv...
Israel plans projects in Jerusalem that will change the regional geopolitical map. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains. The Israeli government plans to advance a plan to build thousands of housing units in Jerusalem as part of a broader plan aimed at bringing about a comprehensive and major change in the geopolitical map of the Middle East. This plan precl...
Egyptian banks use financial technology to innovate. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes from Cairo. Egyptian banks have enhanced their digital services, especially since the corona pandemic. According to a statement by the Central Bank of Egypt, the National Bank of Egypt has implemented 13 programmes to enhance financial inclusion. These financing programm...
There were clashes between Iranian and Afghan forces near the Iranian-Afghanistan border on Wednesday (1 December 2021), according to news reports. These clashes have not led to any casualties and have been described as a "misunderstanding". Iran is one of the few countries that has retained a diplomatic presence in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, de...
In recent years, the West's relationship with Iran has not been easy, especially as regards to Iran's intentions to refine uranium. The West thought that Iran was "controlled" when the US and the EU came to a "nuclear' agreement with it. But it all went bad when the US unilaterally pulled out of the deal three years ago and imposed sanctions on the...