I apologise for not having been engaged with this blog over the last month. So much has happened, personally. My father has died. And after three ceremonies, clearing up his house, I have moved house too. All that has happened in three weeks. Now I'm looking for somewhere permanent to live. Now it's on to things Middle East. What's struck me is wha...
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.
I srael has been going through a hard time not only with attacks from Hamas, and vice versa, but as a result of a prime minister who is constantly being put out of office- and then is not. All has changed recently, however, since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to be out of office for good as other parties have agreed to work together to...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes about the implications of the post-golden age of petroleum on the geopolitics of the Middle East. The huge oil revenues of the Arab oil-exporting countries, especially the Gulf States, played an important role in shaping the structure of societies in these countries, the political geography of the Middle East and the world...
Ahmad Abul-Rahman in Egypt writes why major transformations in the Middle East will occur, which means turning away from Egypt. Egypt is waging a fierce political war on every side, to varying degrees, and has to overcome enormous challenges. These changes could drag the country into swamps, but will not change the region's geography. Turkey has a ...
Egypt is heading to achieve 4% growth for the current fiscal year. Savings achieved from subsidising petroleum products are estimated to be USD5 billion. Increased investment is expected to reduce the unemployment rate by 2%. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes. A recent study prepared by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies stated that desp...
In this article, Egyptian Ahmad Abdul-Rahman argues that Chinese diplomacy in the Middle East does not have a clear geopolitical agenda and interests. Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Turkey and Iran, from 24 to 30 March. He was...
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict- especially, Israel and Gaza which is led by Hamas, which has been deemed a terrorist organization – is escalating. Is a full-scale war likely? What will it mean for the region and the world? I lived in Dubai for many years and have spent a few days in Bethlehem, in the West Bank. I was upset because the water, for ...
Events in the Middle East have been dominated recently by the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel - and the fact that this has happened can't be a surprise to most people. It's terrible that people are killed, from both sides of the conflict. It's a complete mess, moving back to the Balfour Declaration issued by the British Government in 1...
There's been a lot of talk lately about what Britain owes Iran- GBP 400 million from four decadesago- and that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is merely a pawn in the bargaining between governments. Last week, Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was arrested and detained in Iran in 2016, was sentenced to another year in jail on propaganda charges . Here's an explanat...
How will Dubai fare in the long term? By those who live there, "very well", I'm told. "It's the best place in the world to be in", they say. And it's mostly to do with vaccinations. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have very effectively vaccinated much of the population, so they maintain. But how effective is the vaccination? The GCC co...
News in the Middle East has been dominated by the disaster in Israel, at which at least 45 people were crushed to death, and 150 more injured. It was a disaster waiting to happen, according to the some reports. Here is an explanation of developments. By Ben Caspit for Al Monitor. April 30, 2021 It was shortly after midnight, the celebration at its ...
Ahmed Abdel-Rahman writes exclusively for LDC about the political objectives and strategic outcomes of the Tunisian president's visit to Egypt. On April 9, Tunisian President Kais Saied began an official visit to Egypt that lasted three days and his first since taking office in October 2019. During the visit, which came within a changing regional a...
Ahmed Abdul-Rahman writes exclusively for LDC about the new geopolitical landscape in the Middle East and how the region might look. In the past year, the Middle East has witnessed a further escalation of conflicts and there continues to be an attempt to change maps by way of power struggles and energy disputes. The year 2021 will likely witness ot...
There has been much speculation about the improved relations between the UAE and Israel. What's the advantage for either party? Now, however, the UAE is siding with the Arabs as conflict within the country between Jews and Arabs escalate. This article describes what is happening. Rina Bassist for Al Monitor April 26, 2021 Israel completely closed o...
There's been a great deal of talk recently, mainly in the press and other media, about Iran and Israel? Who's attacking what country? How? Is it a clandestine network? Who will win? This article explains some developments. Iran Rattled as Israel Repeatedly Strikes Key Targets Recent attacks suggest that Israel has a clandestine network inside Iran ...
I am always astounded by the number of people who assume that if they are vaccinated against COVID-19, they will neither get ill nor be able to transmit the virus. Neither of which is true, although the likelihood of becoming ill or transmitting COVID-19 is much reduced. Here is an explanation as to why a person might get COVID-19 and pass it on. T...
I've spent a lot of time looking at movies that portray New Zealand as a place to which to move post COVID, which is good, I guess. That in itself might be a plus. But there's also a worry. More often than not there is a partner involved. And they live across the Tasman. Will COVID reignite as the "travel bubble" resumes? Apart from Covid I have be...
Are there positive signs that there will be an imminent normalization of Egyptian-Turkish relations? Ahmad Abdel-Rahman, who is based in Egypt, looks at whether this is likely. New developments at the level of Turkish-Egyptian relations indicate the possibility of a breakthrough that may lead to a normalization between the two countries. This was r...
In this article Ahmad Abdel-Rahman looks at the impact on global international relations of geopolitical changes in the Middle East . Countries in the Middle East are going through structural and crucial transformations that will have a real impact on the pattern and trends of its relations with other countries outside the re...
The cyberattack on Iran's main nuclear facility on Sunday which resulted in a large-scale black out at the Natanz reactor has ramifications not just for Iran but for the whole Middle East. How will Iran react? Will it retaliate? Will Israel, who Iran accuses is behind the attack, admit culpability? Will this attack mean full-scale war in the Middle...
