Search results

Foreign journalists seem unable to mention the phrase ‘Qatari foreign policy’ without including the adjective ‘maverick’. But there is much more to the peninsula’s unusually prominent role in international relations than mere game-playing. Qatari international relations have long included backchannel diplomacy and high-profile conflict resolution, allowing Doha to become a key regional actor.

The genesis of the crisis, and the confused and opaque manner with which it has been handled, raises questions about the viability of traditional ruling models without the support of sovereign state institutions and accountability. Meanwhile, the delicate balance of Abu Dhabi-Dubai relations has shifted again

In a feisty response to critics of the financial crisis just days before the Dubai World default, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum stressed the unity of the UAE

There is continued speculation around deposed Ras Al-Khaimah Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, who last year revived his political ambitions with a lobbying campaign in the United States, and who has accused his great rival and half-brother Crown Prince Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi of allowing the emirate to become a haven for terrorists and support base for Iran.

The Saudi bombing of targets in Yemen has underlined the potential for the crisis in the poor and populous southern Arabian state to flare into wider conflict (see Risk management report – Saudi Arabia). Escalation of the crisis also poses major problems for opposition forces within the country, who are well aware of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ability to turn a political and humanitarian drama to his advantage.

While analysts say the current National Assembly is more serious about policy issues than its predecessor, significant voices have continued a more personalised campaign against prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his government.

Opponents of President Ahmadinejad’s re-election and the wider regime continue to protest and organise, but opposition group leaders are under increasing pressure as the supreme leader and his allies dig in

The possibility that the Presidency Council may yet veto the election law passed by parliament in early November means that the January 2010 election timetable is still in doubt. Analysts gave a cautious welcome after 141 of parliament’s 275 deputies voted for the law, saying it was an indication that the elections could be held on time. This is vital, not only to reinforce the democratic system’s legitimacy, but also to start the clock on United States’ military withdrawal and the next stage of Iraq’s political and social development.

The security outlook is worrying and the political future remains cloudy with less than ten weeks to organise a general election, but some things appear to be going right for Iraq at last. Three major oil field service contracts hold out the prospect of financial stability, while MoO and leading IOCs have found common ground after years of failure, raising optimism about the second round of licensing

On 2 November, King Abdullah appointed Prince Mansour Bin Mitab Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud as municipal and rural affairs minister. Mansour's father, Prince Mitab, who has a record of government service dating

Humanitarian concerns have forced a ceasefire in Yemen’s murderous Al-Houthi conflict amid signs that the Arab-Iranian ‘cold war’ is hotting up. With Saudi Arabia and Egypt joining the US in seeing wider regional significance in what has long been understood as a localised conflict, Ali Abdullah Saleh is looking to exploit a difficult situation

The death of Talal Al-Ayyar at the age of 50 marks a theatrical crescendo to the tumult and controversy of Kuwaiti public life, in which the former statesman had been an active player

The government has stressed the Iranian connection in recent communiqués on the northern conflict. Houthi leader Badreddin Al-Houthi exposed his movement to charges of Iranian backing by contacting Shia marjas (spiritual leaders) in Najaf and Qom, drawing stern criticism of government crackdowns from Shia notables such as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. Iranian state media has strongly criticised the

Former federal deputy prime minister Barham Saleh took over as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prime minister on 29 October, three months after parliamentary elections in the region. Saleh has cut the number of ministers from 27 to 19, and dispensed with eight ministers without portfolio.

Voting, parliamentary seats and ministerial posts are only the start for Aseel Al-Awadhi. She wants women in Kuwait to be full citizens in more than politics. Despite recent reforms – discussed in Politics below – there is still a huge distance to make up in terms of women’s social and legal status, says the MP, who does not wear a hijab, inside parliament or elsewhere.