18-20 January: MENA-EX 2009 Strategic Conference and Exhibition, Jeddah
19-21 January: Gulf C4ISR 2009, Abu Dhabi
19-21 January: Oil & Gas Maintenance & Technology, Manama
20 January: The World in 2009 Executive Forum, Dubai
24-25 January: Iraq Health Summit, Dubai
25-26 January: Operational Risk Management for Banking & Finance, Manama
26-28 January: 3rd Annual Global E&P Summit, Barcelona
28-30 January: Gas Transport & Storage Summit 2009, Barcelona
2-4 February: Middle East Energy Security Forum, Dubai
3-5 February: Strategic Private Equity Investment Middle East 2009, Dubai
9-10 February: Middle East Energy 2009: The Politics of Investment and Supply, London
17-18 February: Islamic Project Finance, Dubai
24-25 February: 8th Annual Islamic Finance Summit, London
24-25 February: Middle East Trade and Export Finance, Dubai
4-5 March: Oil & Gas Contracts with Host Petroleum Regimes, Paris
23-24 March: LNG 2009, London
Briefings & Reports
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In addition to producing the flagship fortnightly Gulf States Newsletter, GSN’s team of experienced analysts also produce briefings and reports on a range of topics and issues that affect the region. Our expertise can be tapped by anyone and delivered in a range of formats. For more information contact Nick Carn. nick@gsn-online.com
Issue 842 - 5 December 2008
UAE / QATAR
Senior UAE, Qatari sheikhs talk big business – and small arms – in Algiers
A flurry of diplomatic missions to Algiers during November emphasised the strengthening trade and investment bonds within the Middle East and North Africa region: defence deals were on the agenda. more
SAUDI ARABIA
Terrorist and gun crime jitters as Hajj approaches
As Saudi security forces in Makkah and Medina remain busy preparing for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, securocrats continue to fret at the possibility of a major anti-western attack in Riyadh or Eastern Province. more
IRAN
Iran would hit US warships if attacked
Iran has said enemy warships in the Gulf would become prime targets in the event of any attack on the Islamic Republic. more
Issue 841 - 21 November 2008
Iran’s development of a new Strait of Hormuz base is no surprise – and no great threat
The Iranian navy’s new naval base had been brought to active service near Jask, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. But analysts believe the base would not be operational during any US-Iran showdown more
Europeans on top in Saudi Arabia as manufacturers vie for combat aircraft sales in GCC
The Saudi Eurofighter purchase has given the European consortium a vital lead in the long-term market for the RSAF’s eventual replacement of some 178 strike aircraft by around 2020. Boeing may yet sell F-15s to the RSAF, but if the United States is betting on major sales in the Gulf, it is to Iraq and the UAE, not the Kingdom. France is also a player, with its hopes for major combat aircraft sales analysed by GSN in an article below. more
France looks to export sales
The UAE is traditionally a critical partner for the French defence aerospace industry. In a noteworthy step, the French Armée de l’Air (ALA – air force) deployed three of Dassault Aviation’s Mirage 2000-5F combat aircraft and a Boeing C-135FR aerial tanker/transport aircraft to the UAE as part of Paris’ plans to establish a permanent presence in the emirates. The group deployed to Base Aérienne 104, a French military compound within the perimeter of the UAE airbase at Al-Dhafra – a familiar site where French aircraft supported the no-fly zone over southern Iraq in the first half of the 1990s. more
Bahrain: violence points to confrontation
Street violence flared in Bahrain during late September and October, leading to another major security hunt for a group of Shia protestors who were allegedly involved in a serious assault on three men. more
SAUDI ARABIA: Iraq defence fence
Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz has said that Saudi Arabia will move ahead with plans to build a fence along its border with Iraq to prevent terrorists from moving between the two countries. more
‘Military action’ against Iran
There was a lull in the speculation over the potential bombing of Iran by the United States or – more likely – its ally Israel, with the world transfixed by Barak Obama’s victory in the US presidential election. more
Issue 839 - 24 October 2008
Saudi authorities foil Riyadh attack cell, as jihadists are shipped back from Iraq
The ‘hard stop’ armed takedown of a vehicle at a government checkpoint – a regular occurrence in 2004-05 – has become so rare that the unsuccessful 14 October attempt to stop a suspected terrorist vehicle in Eastern Riyadh was big news. The authorities seem to have the jihadist challenge under control, but Yemeni-based militants still pose a threat, as does potential ‘blow-back’ from Iraq. more
Yemen-based networks take fight to the Kingdom
Yemeni-based militants constitute one external threat to expatriates. Indeed, the prospect of establishing bases in Yemen has been mentioned prominently in militant communiqués and in Saudi government statements since 2006. more
Jihadists return from Iraq… in handcuffs
Iraq is the other major source of advanced terrorist capability in Saudi Arabia, leading the Kingdom to quietly take steps to reduce potential blowback. more
Qatari Air Force moves from glitzy fighters to workmanlike transport aircraft
When Qatar bought 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft in the late 1990s it was catapulted into pole position as the world’s highest per capita defence spender. more
