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Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi has made a series of changes to personnel and institutions. On 19 July, he promoted Asma Rashed Sultan Bin Tulaiah to secretary-general of the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC).

National security adviser and keen athlete Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has reportedly guaranteed to fund the Bahrain-McLaren professional cycling team next season, in the event backing is withdrawn by its chief sponsor, troubled sportscar manufacturer and F1 team operator McLaren.

There is confusion over a series of reported pardons by Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said of Omani critics who have been living in self-imposed exile.

Censors in the UAE have become the latest target for international hacking group Anonymous, which has leaked a list of websites and keywords blocked by the government.

At the top of each emirate are the rulers’ courts and their crown princes. In practice, only the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai make unilateral decisions and issue emiri decrees; most of the smaller emirates use legislation crafted at federal level. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah all have executive councils (Dubai’s is relatively informal). Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have national consultative councils, whose usefulness (like the Federal National Council) has been questioned. For family trees of all seven families, see GSN 1,000.

Kuwaiti attorney general Dherar Ali Al-Asousi has written to his counterpart in Dubai, Essam Issa Al-Humaidan, requesting his assistance is releasing $496m that has been frozen in a branch of Noor Bank since November 2017. The money belongs to Kuwaiti investment firm The Port Fund LP, whose executives have been accused in Kuwait of embezzlement.

Deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan remains on the ascendancy. Also minister of presidential affairs, he is close to half-brother UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and is married to Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the eldest child of UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

The UAE Air Force and Defence Command has requested a further ten Chinook CH-47F cargo helicopters to add to its fleet, at a cost of around $830m. The order was approved by the US State Department on 7 November. The helicopters will be built by Boeing Helicopters Aircraft Company, with engines made by Honeywell Engine Company. The deal includes ten US contractors travelling to the UAE for five years of delivery, training and support. The UAE Air Force already has 20 Chinooks in place.

The new parliament’s pro-government character appears to be translating into greater levels of achievement. The assembly has already pushed through a number of bills and motions, including approving the much delayed draft law to privatise Kuwait Airways Corporation.

On 18 July, a brazen attack which stateTV blamed on a suicide bomber killed defence minister Daoud Rajha and Assad’s brother-inlaw Assef Shawkat, who were at a meeting of ministers and senior security personnel in Damascus.

It has been more than a year-a-half since the start of Syria’s conflict.What began as a popular uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad has deteriorated into a bloody conflict; in June, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) declared it a “non-international armed conflict” – in lay terms, a civil war.

POLITICS: Saudi Arabia is the giant of the Gulf Co-operation Council, not least because of its massive oil wealth. Established in 1932, the kingdom is an absolute monarchy. To date, all rulers have been sons of Abdelaziz Bin Saud, the first monarch; a few younger family members have recently taken more senior positions, but there is much speculation about what will happen when the aged first generation of Al-Saud eventually cede control. Reigning nonagenarian King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz took over in 2005 on the death of his brother Fahd, and has overseen some reform of education and the judiciary. He faces many problems, including a poor underclass, booming population, high unemployment and unrest in Shiite communities in the Eastern Province. Foreign policy is driven by the desire to maintain regional hegemony and to compete with Iran. Riyadh’s relationship with Washington has been stormy at times, but is sustained by a mutual dependence. Saudi Arabia has a poor record on human rights, and severely restricts freedom of expression. Despite small advances, women’s rights continue to be limited: women may not drive, and must have permission from a male guardian to travel, work or enrol in higher education. King Abdullah has said women will be fully involved in the four-yearly municipal council elections (the country’s only polls) and, in early 2013,

Established in 1971, the federation of seven emirates – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al-Quwain is economically liberal and progressive, but remains politically conservative. Ultimate control is held by the emirate rulers, led by oil-rich, politically savvy Abu Dhabi and regional/global commercial hub Dubai. The federal government has legislative and executive jurisdiction over sectors including foreign affairs, security, defence, education, health, currency, electricity and immigration. Each emirate retains considerable economic independence and control over mineral rights and revenues. Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (since founding president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al- Nahyan’s death in 2004) is federal president. Each ruler sits on the Supreme Council, the highest executive and legislative authority. The Council of Ministers makes most federal decisions, while the Federal National Council (FNC) acts as an advisory council. FNC elections were held in October.

It is almost a decade since the last war in Iraq, and more than a year since the formal withdrawal of US troops in 2011. Relative stability has returned, but is threatened by ongoing violence and political turmoil. Bloody attacks continue to disrupt daily life: independent monitor Iraq Body Count documented 4,471 civilian deaths from violence in 2012,much lower than the 29,000 killed in 2006, but higher than in 2011.

The political environment has deteriorated. King Hamad seems to believe that his regime can survive only if it recovers popular consent. But he is troubled by deteriorating communal politics, and faces opposition from within Al- Khalifa ranks.