Saudi Arabia takes the lead in trying to find a regional answer to the Gaza conflict, with two summits due to take place in Riyadh in the coming days in a display of the country’s influence and convening power. GSN explores the impact which the conflict has had on the Gulf region and the foreign policy challenges it has presented.
GSN’s defence and security coverage leads with a new airlift the UAE Air Force has launched to Ethiopia. It is unclear what is being sent, but the development is stoking international interest in light of a similar operation from the UAE to Chad in recent months and the UAE’s involvement in other African conflict zones.
This issue of GSN also contains a special report on Ras Al-Khaimah’s economic strategy and how this often-overlooked emirate is pushing the boundaries to try and attract more international investment. GSN offers a short history of the emirate and its ruling Al-Qasimi family, along with an updated family tree.
Western sanctions on Russian diamond exports are due to be stepped up soon, offering a fresh opportunity for the Dubai Diamond Exchange, which has grown rapidly in recent years and already claims to be the world’s largest trading hub for rough diamonds. The GSN View delves into this issue, which is yet another example of how some Gulf states have indirectly benefitted from Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
This issue’s maps cover oil and gas infrastructure as well as provincial governance and population sizes for Saudi Arabia and Oman.
