Nobody wanted to fight
When the Israeli–Palestinian conflict escalated dramatically in early October 2023, many observers jumped to a grim conclusion that, from then onward, the Middle East was hurtling at an ever-increasing speed toward another major regional conflict. The military operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip was to be followed by fierce hostilities in the West Bank, then by a large-scale border clash between Israel and Lebanon, and, finally, by an Israeli–Iranian...
... is not the “city upon a hill” and the U.S. is not the “light of the world”. Perhaps Pax Americana has brought peace and prosperity to the rest of the world, yet it has only seen the Middle East consistently set ablaze.
Regional powers such as Saudi Arabia continue to strike Faustian bargain with the U.S., as it is the only country in the world both capable and willing to guarantee the continued survival of the government. However, a “wind of change” is blowing across the region, and we ...
... trade and economic cooperation, provoking new tensions with the United States.
Yuliya Alekseeva:
China in the Mashriq: New Best Friend
As a key trading partner of the Gulf states, China has more than
doubled
its oil imports between 2010 and 2020. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE act as key oil suppliers to the Middle Kingdom. Chinese companies are expanding their footprint in infrastructure and technology projects of the region. Chinese banks are
providing
funds for major projects,...
... transformations in their positions are not excluded, as partly demonstrated by the international meeting in Jeddah in August 2023.
The Global South embarks upon the path of diplomacy
In August, it became known about the consultations held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of the U.S., the UK, the EU, Turkey, Brazil, India, China and South Africa on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. It is noteworthy that representatives of Ukraine attended the meeting, while Russia did not receive ...
... showing signs that is it changing. It would not be an overstatement to say that a lot of what is happening now would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago.
The greatest of these changes is the China-mediated rapprochement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given that these countries are regional “centers of power”, their new and improved relations may help reduce regional tensions in certain countries like Yemen.
Another significant factor that is driving ...
China has effectively coped with its role of facilitator, but now the country will have to enforce the agreements reached
In March 2023, seven years after diplomatic relations were severed, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) have agreed to reopen their embassies. This decision opens up the possibility of reducing tensions in the Gulf and, in the long term, in the entire region of the Middle East. Notably, both sides ...
June 28, 2021, 15:00 GMT+3
On June 28, 2021, Russian International Affairs Council and the Middle East Directions Programme at the European University Institute (EUI) will hold a webinar meeting “A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf”. Andrey Kortunov, Director General, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Luigi Narbone, Director of the Middle East Directions Programme, European University Institute (EUI) will deliver opening remarks.
Speakers:
Abdolrasool...
... transport. Foreign military involvement in the civil war in Yemen, which has already resulted in a humanitarian disaster in the country, the political pressure on Qatar from a number of neighbouring Arab states and the never-ending tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia are just the most graphic illustrations of this dangerous situation [
1
]. In addition, many Gulf countries are becoming increasingly vulnerable to domestic social and political unrest due to increasing volatility in the global oil market ...
... represented by the IRP and the STC.
Yet, if we take a closer look, these seemingly positive trends are moving in opposite directions and could ultimately generate new clashes. If we compare the two documents, the RA that was signed under the auspices of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2019 but has not so far been implemented, and the JD that has not yet been signed, we will see that they have radically different goals. The RA is intended to bring back to Aden the IRP’s offices that had been pushed out ...
How to ensure security and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf?
In recent weeks, the world’s attention has been riveted on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. On May 12, four tankers owned by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were attacked by unknown forces when entering the Strait off the coast of Fujairah. On June 13, this time near the Iranian coast, two more tankers flying the flags of the Marshall Islands and Panama were attacked....
