United Arab Emirates
All countries-
Middle East oil states
Surging energy prices likely to de-rail reforms?
The Ukraine war has seen energy prices spike with oil producers in the Middle East making more money than ever. But will it put the brakes on long-planned reforms to diversify oil-reliant economies in the region? By Cathrin Schaer
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Ukraine and the West's selective values
Less 'clash of civilisations', more rift
Very different Western reactions to the suffering in Ukraine and the Arab world show that there is a profound rift among cultures. Essay by Michael Young
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Gulf region
Women’s empowerment not all it seems
Women's empowerment in the Gulf has become a tool of deflection, rather than a genuine effort to promote women’s full and equal participation in society. By Mira Al-Hussain
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UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Iran and Islamists a threat to Gulf safe haven
United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the region
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Islam in Southeast Asia
Autocratic versus democratic Islam
Indonesia has become a primary battleground between democratic and autocratic visions of Islam in the 21st century, with Nahdlatul Ulama pitted against Abdullah bin Bayyah, a Sunni high priest who provides UAE autocrats with religious legitimisation. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
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Russian war censorship denounced on World Press Freedom Day
Russia's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has fallen again over the Kremlin's wartime censorship of the Ukraine conflict. From Myanmar to Mexico, journalists continue to risk their lives to deliver the news.
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Arabs attend Negev summit
Israel moves centre-stage in the Middle East
A straightforward message emerged from last week’s meeting in the Negev desert of the foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the United States: Israel is key to the security of Gulf autocracies and continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East. By James M. Dorsey
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Jewish Diplomatic Corps visits UAE
"Our preconceptions are at odds with reality"
Hamburg lawyer Eugen Balin is a member of the World Jewish Congress' Jewish Diplomatic Corps. At the end of 2021, a delegation of the Corps visited the United Arab Emirates, which established full diplomatic relations with Israel in the summer of 2020. Interview by Christoph Strack
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Yemen, Ukraine, the world
Fighting fake news and disinformation
Sidq Yemen, an independent online platform, specialises in fact-checking viral Yemeni news stories and countering mis/disinformation. Hannah Porter spoke to its head of communications about fake news in Yemen
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Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia
Grand Prix of double standards
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix raises questions as to how seriously Formula 1 really takes its commitment to respecting human rights. The criticism might be loud, but the financial incentives are irresistible. By Andreas Sten-Ziemons
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Russia, Ukraine, world energy
Why the Saudis won't pump more oil
Just as Saudi Arabia refused to accommodate American requests to increase oil production last November, it is likely to refuse U.S. President Joe Biden’s request today. When the Saudis increase their production, it will be because to do so is in their own interest, writes Bernhard Haykel
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Ukraine war and the Gulf
UAE – safe haven for sanction-dodging Russians
It's sunny and politically stable, there is little financial transparency and it's easy enough to invest in a business or property and get a residency visa in return, writes Cathrin Schaer