Country: Oman

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China's top diplomat Wang Yi, Ali Shamkani, secretary of Iran's National Security Council and Saudi Arabia's National Security Adviser Musaad Bin Mohammed Al Aiban during their meeting in Beijing (image: China Daily/Reuters)

Iran-Saudi rapprochement

Cooperation rather than confrontation?

Arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia are to re-establish diplomatic relations thanks to China's mediation. If this rapprochement is serious, the cards in the Middle East will be reshuffled, writes Karim El-Gawhary from CairoMore

China, the Arabs’ preferred partner? Mr. Xi goes to RiyadhChina in the Middle East: Beijing's new charm offensiveBiden's trip to Saudi Arabia: Trading recognition for oil
Assad on a state visit to Oman (image: Sana/AP/picture-alliance)

Earthquake aid for Syria

Bashar al-Assad – pariah no more

While hundreds of thousands of people in northern Syria are still waiting for tents, water and medical aid, the Syrian regime is celebrating its comeback in the Arab world. Earthquake relief is serving as a fig leaf for Assad's rehabilitation, writes Kristin HelbergMore

Assad's rehabilitation: At the expense of the Syrian peopleSyria and the Arab world: Assad's return to the foldTurkish-Syrian relations: A menacing rapprochement
Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune (photo: picture-alliance)

Arab League 2022

Hopeless reunion in Algeria?

After a two-year hiatus, the Arab League re-convened at the beginning of November in Algiers against a backdrop of uncertainty and discord. By Pierre BousselMore

The Arab world: Arabic – the last tie that bindsFarewell to multilateralism in the Middle East: The death of Arab unity Arabs attend Negev summit: Israel moves centre-stage in the Middle East
Frankfurt Book Fair (photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture-alliance)

Frankfurt Book Fair

Iran drops out, citing interference

Iran has withdrawn its participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair, accusing the event of meddling in the country's domestic affairs. Organisers have denied the accusation. By Kristina Reymann-SchneiderMore

Protests in Iran: Arab women in solidarity with their Iranian sistersProtests in Iran: On the eve of a new world era?How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination
In 2020, these Kuwaiti activists founded the first and only platform for women parliamentary candidates – "Mudhawi's List" (photo: Mulhawi's List)

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-HussainMore

Women entrepreneurs in Yemen: The fight to secure capitalWomen's liberation in the Gulf: Arab women – fighting for their rights for 60 yearsWomen in the Gulf: Exploited and patronised
Polling station for Syrian citizens in Lebanon in a tent. The voting booths are partitioned off with cloths to which Syrian flags are attached. Portraits of the three candidates hang from the ceiling. Polling officers assign free voting booths to voters (photo: Hussein Malla/AP-Photo/picture alliance)

Loyalty and legitimacy in Syria

Bashar al-Assad's staging of the presidential election

By stage-managing his re-election in a poll widely dismissed as a farce, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has killed two birds with one stone: he has forced his compatriots to demonstrate their loyalty and submission and will use the outcome to get money from abroad. He needs both to stay in power. By Kristin HelbergMore

Syria 10 years on: Bashar al-Assad’s Pyrrhic victory and the arrogance of power War in Syria: What you should know about the Syrian conflictSyrian conflict: The war in Syria is not overFourth Brussels Syria Conference: After nine years of war, who is helping the Syrians?
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Riyadh, 24 March 2021 (photo: BANDAR AL-JALOUD/Saudi Royal Palace/AFP)

China in the Middle East

Beijing's new charm offensive

The last week in March saw China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visit six countries in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. Two initiatives in particular are sending the clearest signal yet that China may be gearing up to play a greater political role in the Middle East. By James M. DorseyMore

Hic sunt dracones: Is Iran set to forfeit its national interests to China?Turkey’s failing economy, COVID vaccines and the Uighur issue : Coronavirus less dangerous than Erdogan's politicsUS-Saudi relations: Joe Biden's recalibration
Wahiba Sands region, or Ramlat al-Wahiba, a 3-hour drive from Muscat (photo: Pascal Mannaerts)

Women and emancipation in Oman

Pascal Mannaerts travelled to Oman at the end of 2019 in search of portrait subjects for a photo essay on women in the Gulf sultanate. Ruled by the enlightened Qaboos from 1970 to 2020, Oman enjoys a unique reputation among the Arab states – especially regarding the status and opportunities afforded to women. More...More

Man Booker International award: Johka Alharthi scoops a first for Arabic literatureWomen in Oman: "We are better!"Sultanate of Oman: A happy symbiosis
A fence at the closed border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Valeriy Melnikov)

Arab states

Pandemic shines a light on the Gulf's three-way split

With Ramadan over and coronavirus hopefully on the wane, Bader Al-Saif takes a look at how divisions dating back to the June 2017 blockade of Qatar shaped the region's contrasting approaches to political messaging and public health in a time of both crisis and observanceMore

Qatar′s political isolation: The latest scapegoatImpact of COVID-19 on Saudi Arabia: Shaking the House of Saud to the coreCOVID-19 pandemic: Ramadan during coronavirus – with a virtual community
Arabic author Jokha Alharthi (l) and translator Marilyn Booth pose after winning the Man Booker International Prize for the book 'Celestial Bodies' in London on 21 May 2019 (photo: AFP/I. Infantes)

Man Booker International award

Johka Alharthi scoops a first for Arabic literature

Omani novelist Johka Alharthi confounded regional literary pundits earlier this month when she carried off the highly prestigious Man Booker International prize for "Celestial Bodies". Marcia Lynx Qualey caught up with her and the novelʹs translator, Marilyn Booth, the morning after the award was announcedMore

Social media fosters creative writing in the Maghreb: Published by FacebookInterview with Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa: ″Literature is a facet of society″Re-thinking world literature: The Arabic novel in non-Western eyes
Shared strategic interests: Sunni Sultan of Oman Qabus ibn Said meets with Shia Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, August 2013 (photo: mehr)

Geopolitical alliances in the Middle East

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Religionʹs waning role

Todayʹs turmoil in the Middle East is rooted largely in historical legacies and poor leadership, but the influence of religion hasnʹt helped. So it is good news that, from Saudi Arabia to Israel to Iraq, religion is increasingly being superseded by strategic and security interests in shaping regional affairs. By Shlomo Ben-AmiMore

The aftermath of the Arab Spring: The changing map of Middle East powerGeopolitics in the Middle East: End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-warSaudi Arabia and the West: Europe's window of opportunityIraqʹs political future: Entering a new era
Arabic writing on a blackboard (photo: dpa)

The uncertain future of Modern Standard Arabic

A language in decline

Substantial numbers of schoolchildren in the Gulf are losing their ability to communicate in Arabic. The development may well herald the onset of language loss in the region. By Sawsan KhalafMore

Arabic in Latin Script: Lost in ArabicArabic literature as a cultural asset: Uncharted watersCulture and education in the Islamic world: The lonely Arab crowd
Publicity material about Oman′s ruler, Sultan Qaboos (photo: Deutsche Welle)

Sultanate of Oman

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A happy symbiosis

It is rare that a ruler is able to concentrate so much power in his own hands while remaining popular with his subjects: Sultan Qaboos has achieved a synthesis of tradition and globalisation. By Ingrid ThurnerMore

Oman's succession problem: Neither heir nor spareSaudi ultimatum for Qatar: Turning up the heat? Cultural change in Oman: From camels to classics
Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh (photo: picture-alliance/AP)

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 SunikMore

Qatar diplomatic crisis: Playing the waiting gameQatar′s political isolation: The latest scapegoatArab states issue Qatar with a list of 13 demands
Women speaking in a discussion (photo: British Council)

Gender equality in the Middle East

To the benefit of all

Achieving gender equality in the Middle East will be a long process, requiring fundamental educational, social and economic reforms. But giving women the right training now can kick-start the process, writes Arib Ali Al-MandhariMore

Women's movements in the transitioning Arab states: For dignity, peace and equal rightsThe uprising of women in the Arab world: Fighting patriarchal tyrannyLily Zakiyah Munir: The Koran's spirit of gender equality
The ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said (photo: AP)

Oman's succession problem

Neither heir nor spare

Unmarried and childless, Qaboos bin Said Al-Said, Sultan of Oman, is something of a rarity in the Arab world. His reign has already lasted for 45 years. Confusion still remains, however, over the identity of his successor. What is clear is that whoever it is will not have it easy. By Anne AllmelingMore

Cultural change in Oman: From camels to classics Sultan Qaboos bin Said: Oman's Renaissance manPolitics and society in Oman: Outpost of the Arab world

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