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...
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.
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...
This article looks at how the Arab Spring has led to increased divisions among Islamic countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Ahmed Abdul-Rahman in Egypt discusses what has happened. It was called the "Arab Spring". Since the changes that took place in the Arab world at the end of 2010, international public opinion, especially the Western m...
There is no doubt that the participation of Lebanese armed groups in the Syrian conflict reflects sectarian political divisions and threatens to seriously destabilize Lebanon. Ahmed Abdul-Rahman explains. The term "powerless state" adopted by former finance minister Georges Corm perfectly describes the situation in Lebanon. This term actually refle...
LDC has been looking closely at the relationship between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. There's been a few articles on this website about it by Ahmad Abdel-Rahman about it. Will a war develop over water? This is another take on recent developments. By Khalid Hassan for Al Monitor Egypt weighs UAE mediation initiative in Nile dam crisis Sudan approved a...
Myanmar, and its appalling human rights, is dominating the news in Asia/Pacific. Over 100 peaceful protesters were fired on and killed by the Myanmar police. How bad is that? Now countries in the Pacific, NZ and Australia among them, must do something about it. I read this on Tuesday. It shows how close NZ is to Myanmar. From stuff.co.nz (RNZ...
How do the Arab countries aim to respond to Iran's attempt to have more influence in the Arab region? Ahmad Abdel Rahman, who is based in Egypt, gives his explanation. The Middle East, with the Arab region at its heart, is considered one of the most targeted regions in the world by regional and international powers. This is because of its geopoliti...
Relations between Egypt and Russia are getting closer, moving away from the US. How did this happen and what does it mean for geopolitics in the Middle East? Ahmad Abdel-Rahman, based in Egypt, explain why this might be. The international geopolitical map continues to change and these c hanges are leading to a significant shift in the interests o...
There's so much focus on Iran and what it is likely to do with its nuclear programme. Will it continue and expand it or will it dismantle it . According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Mar 17, 2021 from Al Monitor Iran is now enriching ur...
The economic policy response to COVID-19 is an acceleration of specific trends already underway across the Gulf Cooperation Council members, variously affecting tax policy, labour market regulation and immigration policy. Mar 16, 2021 By Karen Young for Al Monitor Like many countries across emerging markets, the plan for economic recovery from the ...