Bahrain
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Geopolitics in the Middle East
End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-war
You can’t change regional geography, notes the political analyst Khaled Hroub. Iran and the Arabs will always be neighbours, but we can change and re-shape history and politics. The common interest must therefore lie in ending the period of conflict and moving towards co-operation and regional security
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Qatari foreign relations
The point of no return?
The crisis between Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the one hand and Qatar on the other appears to be approaching tipping point. The possibility of Doha's departure from the GCC and new alliances with Turkey and Iran is likely to trigger major shifts in the regionʹs balance of power. By Stasa Salacanin
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Arab response to Trump's Jerusalem decision
Walking a fine line
A little-noticed subtext to furious protests across the Middle East and North Africa against US President Donald J. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is simmering anger at Arab governments. An essay by James M. Dorsey
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Soft power and football
Qatar vs. UAE: The not-so-beautiful game
In the race to buy influence, garner soft power and win over hearts and minds, those involved in the three-month old Gulf crisis are hell-bent on raising the stakes. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
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Saudi ultimatum for Qatar
Turning up the heat?
The list of thirteen demands given to Qatar on Friday by Saudi Arabia and the UAE does not represent a serious attempt to settle the conflict. Even so, a split in the Gulf Cooperation Council seems unlikely. By Anna Sunik
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Qatar diplomatic crisis
Playing the waiting game
Following the Arab Spring revolts of 2011, Qatar, which carved out a niche for itself as a regional arbiter of conflicts years ago, embraced an interventionist foreign policy that has favoured Islamists – a move that has irked Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Commentary by Barak Barfi
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The Sunni-Shia debate
For clarity′s sake
It has been said that ignorance is the fuel of animosity. Indeed, over the years the historical rift between Sunnis and Shias, heightened by various misconceptions relating to a number of key Shia tenets, has served to exacerbate existing tensions in the Middle East. In his article, Mohamed Yosri attempts to de-bunk some of the myths
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Bahrain′s slide towards military rule
Tightening the noose
The outright militarisation of the security apparatus has infected more and more sectors of Bahraini society. In fact, it's now even been written into the country′s constitution. Report by Husain Abdulla
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Re-assessing Western involvement in the Middle East
Far from Utopian
A reconfiguration of relations between the West and the Arab world is in the offing. Utopia it will not be, but it may result in a more harmonious and balanced political situation, writes BBC radio journalist and Middle East expert Neville Teller
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Non-fiction: ″The Age of Jihad ″ by Patrick Cockburn
A catalogue of blunders
″The Age of Jihad: The Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East″ by journalist Patrick Cockburn traces not just the rise of Islamic State and other extremist groups who are striving for power in Muslim countries, but how American and British foreign policy in this century has contributed directly to their emergence. Richard Marcus read the book
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Solving the conflicts in the Middle East
Tracing the fault lines
Simmering for decades beneath the surface of autocratic repression, conflicts such as the Sunni uprisings in Syria and Iraq, Shia unrest in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, not to mention the rancour of the Kurds and Palestinians, are ongoing. The West is partly to blame. By Ishac Diwan
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Gulf State economies
The expat bonus
How should policymakers in the Middle East′s Gulf States manage their countries′ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population. In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, nine out of every ten residents is an expatriate. By Sami Mahroum