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Former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah is rumored to have formed an alliance with influential National Assembly (parliament) speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem in an attempt to return to power. If successful, it would mark a surprising comeback for Nasser Mohammed, who stepped down from the premiership in December 2011. He was said last year to be ‘finished’ as a potential successor to Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, even though he still retained some political influence.

Prince Abdullah, son of former deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, has been in Bermuda, where he met Premier Michael Dunkley. They held talks at the Elbow Beach hotel, which has been owned by Prince Khalid since the early 1990s. Abdullah is a low-profile son of Prince Khalid, who was removed from his ministerial position in April 2013. In early September, Prince Khalid Bin Alwaleed Bin Talal visited Malta, where he had a meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa’s gift of two Bahraini pure-bred Arabian horses to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, on the occasion of the 2013 Royal Windsor Horse Show, is the latest in a long line of equine exchanges to bond the horse-loving royals of the Gulf and Britain. While the day-to-day political relationships between London and its Gulf allies ebb and flow, agitated from time to time by the rows over human rights or corruption that flare in the press and then quickly subside, the links between royalty endure, and to a large extent characterise bilateral relationships whose steadfastness has often trumped politics.

Deputy prime minister and finance minister Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah criticised Kuwait’s bloated bureaucracy and inefficient labour market on 7 October, repeating views he expressed before resigning as governor of the central bank.
Interestingly, his comments were carried by state news agency Kuna, although the headline, ‘Kuwaiti economy “strong and stable”’, highlighted a different aspect of what was his first extensive public policy statement since taking charge at the ministry in August (GSN 953/8). 
Sheikh Salem did, indeed, say Kuwait’s economic situation was predominantly strong and stable, pointing to a KD12.7bn ($44.8bn) surplus for the 2012-13 financial year ending in March, representing 24.7% of nominal GDP for 2012.

Ever since five UK citizens were snatched from the Iraqi Ministry of Finance in May 2007 – they continue to be held by Iranian-backed groups – it has been passé to consider a ministry building as secure or Iraqi forces as entirely trustworthy. Nor are Iraqi security forces yet sufficiently polished to meet the rigorous security standards of western executives.

Kuwaiti deputy foreign minister Khaled Al-Jarallah has said his government is keeping a close eye about what is said about the country on social media platforms abroad and is prepared to take “all legal actions to retaliate” against anyone defaming Kuwait or its symbols.

Despite the cooling of relations after 9/11, the Kingdom has worked hard to maintain close security ties to the US, and mutual hostility towards Iran will further deepen the relationship. The death of Crown Prince Sultan, the longstanding defence and aviation minister, marks the end of a remarkable career during which he worked with 13 US defence secretaries.

Nine Al-Thanis kidnapped in December while hunting in southern Iraq are still being held, according to a senior member of the Qatari ruling family. The nine were part of a group of 26 people who were on a hunting trip in Al-Muthanna province’s Samawa desert when armed militias attacked their camp in the middle of the night. Some of the group escaped because they were away on a night hunting expedition. Following the kidnap, Al-Muthanna governor Faleh Al-Zayadi banned all Gulf hunting parties from the area.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) travelled to Pakistan on 6 January for a meeting with prime minister Imran Khan. He was greeted by Khan and a guard of honour at the Nur Khan Military Airport in Islamabad; the two leaders held official talks the following day at the prime minister’s residence.

King Salman Bin Abdelaziz held talks with President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine on 21 December, in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and amid ongoing allegations of Saudi meddling in the domestic politics of a number of Levant countries. The king closed out the year by hosting Kuwait’s recently appointed first deputy prime minister and defence minister Sheikh Nassir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah at Al-Auja Palace on 31 December.

Egypt’s Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali has been selected as the new chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), which sets the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) political direction and overall policy priorities. The chairmanship lasts for a term of up to three years.

Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of 32-year-old Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Al-Maktoum, daughter of the federal Vice President, prime minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR). On 4 March, the American-registered yacht Nostromo was reportedly boarded by an armed group some 50 miles off the coast of India. On board were Sheikha Latifa, US-French duel national Hervé Jaubert, Finnish citizen Tiina Jauhiainen and three others.

One of the region’s strongest financial systems has weaknesses to address despite its successful management of last month’s mini-crisis.

Saudi Arabia has again been included on a priority watch list by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Washington says this is due to its lax attitude to the protection of intellectual property rights. In a report issued on 30 April, the kingdom was listed among ten priority countries. Among the criticisms levelled at Saudi Arabia are its failure to take action against pirate satellite company BeoutQ, a lack of effective protection for pharmaceutical products and long-standing concerns about counterfeit goods.

Indonesian energy firm Valco is at the heart of a $1bn investment in two coal-mining firms in a deal that shows Gulf SWFs are still hard at work.