Middle Orient

Analysis: Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to France further aids his reputational rehabilitation on the international stage, with economic, defence, and geopolitical interests bringing Paris and Riyadh closer together. On 16 June, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. This …

In-depth: In the absence of coherent policies, long-term planning, and the Iraqi elite’s poor track record in the realm of public spending, the new record-breaking $153 billion budget has raised concerns. On 16 June 2023, after a months-long impasse and four consecutive days of voting, Iraq’s Parliamentary Financial Committee submitted …

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory over the alliance of opposition parties in Turkey’s May elections, in which he secured another term as president and maintained his alliance’s majority in parliament, came as a surprise to many, as credible pollsters had forecast just the opposite. Investors had to quickly adjust their …

Abstract: The key mission of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) is to defend the Iranian Islamic Revolution and create armed militias in the countries of its “Axis of Resistance.” Its organization is opaque and complex, coordinating combat operations with soft-power actions aimed at, among other initiatives, establishing …

Turkey is a country that has faced many economic challenges in recent years such as high inflation, currency depreciation, low growth and external imbalances. The COVID-19 pandemic has also added to the difficulties of the Turkish economy which contracted by 3% in 2020. In this context, the new Turkish government, …

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Thursday met with Iran’s foreign affairs minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is on the second leg of his tour of Gulf countries. The two officials discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation, state news agency WAM reported, and also “exchanged views on …

Friday marks the end of a remarkable two weeks in the context of Saudi-French relations. Ties between the two nations have been reignited and rejuvenated and are now well on the way to reaching their full potential. Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir aptly described what happened …

Israel is concerned about increased weapons proliferation among Palestinian resistance groups, focusing on smuggling from Jordan. However, these weapons may be coming from a source ‘closer to home.’ On 22 April, Israeli occupation authorities apprehended Jordanian parliamentarian Imad al-Adwan at the Allenby Bridge crossing. But this was no ordinary arrest. …

In an exclusive interview with The Cradle, Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayyad addresses the country’s energy shortage dilemma: Receive Iranian oil and risk US sanctions, or wait indefinitely for a purposely delayed US-backed initiative. “For almost 30 years, Lebanese authorities have failed to properly manage the state-run electricity company, Électricité …

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states apparently still do not trust the Biden Administration, largely because of its perceived abandonment of its traditional Arab allies in the Middle East and President Joe Biden’s hostility to Saudi Arabia. This view began with then-presidential candidate Biden declaring the kingdom a “pariah” state …