Apart from Europe and the South China Sea region, the Middle East and North Africa is one of the epicenters for what the U.S. has termed “great power competition” especially between the U.S. and China, although Russia also figures into the assessment. There is particular sensitivity to China’s perceived economic …

Two decades on from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, efforts to improve the country’s electricity infrastructure have lagged. Despite massive hydrocarbon reserves, including the world’s fifth-largest proved crude oil and 12th-largest proved natural gas reserves, Iraq struggles with chronic electricity shortages. Citizens do not have access to reliable electricity …

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 18, 2023, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said, “We need to find a way to get the Yemen truce reinstated but then we need to work to transition it to a permanent ceasefire,” referring to the U.N.-sponsored truce …

The flurry of announced plans to increase Western military aid to Ukraine continues. The United States and some North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have now pledged to deliver advanced infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, and they are apparently considering advanced fighter jets, as well. If the West …

Amid international efforts to resurrect the fragile peace in Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi militia is imposing stringent conditions for their return to the negotiating table. The group is demanding the payment of civil servant salaries and a portion of oil revenues as prerequisites for peace, but with a catch: Paying …

At the G20 meeting in Bengaluru, India, the United States arrived with a simple brief. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at the February 2023 summit that the G20 countries must condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and they must adhere to U.S. sanctions against Russia. However, it became …

Old empires once jostled for control of this part of the world. Today, Turkey, Iran, Russia and the US are doing the same and even Pakistan and India have jumped in. Politics, geopolitics, ethnicity and religion combine to make a toxic brew. History never ends, at least in the Old …

On February 2, 2023, former U.S. Marine Peter Reed was killed in Ukraine while evacuating civilians in the front-line city of Bakhmut. Two days later on February 4, the bodies of two British volunteers, Christopher Perry and Andrew Bagshaw, were returned as part of a prisoner swap deal with Russian …

The UAE provided a unique model in combating terrorism with legal penalties and rehabilitation centers for extremistsAl-Jaber’s selection to take charge of COP28 came to his environmental career and his vision to develop ADNOC in accordance with environmental standards.The Abrahamic Family House is a bridge of communication and cooperation between …

When Deep Vellum, a small, independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas, agreed three years ago to publish a novel by Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov, it planned a typical run of 2,000 copies. But the time the book was ready for its release in March 2022, the world had changed: …