Kuwait: The struggle for leadership and reform

09

Kuwait’s succession struggle is becoming clearer, with a son of a serving emir having a good chance of taking over the running of the country for the first time in over a century. Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al-Sabah is though currently fourth in the formal political hierarchy and needs to cultivate the national assembly and to ensure he has public support. The future of Kuwait, and its need for substantial economic change, depends on a smooth succession from the rule of Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad,

Mar

UK and Saudi: necessary cooperation but to what end?

06

No 10 says that tomorrow's visit by the Saudi crown prince could assist our mutual fight against terrorism and contribute to relieving suffering in Yemen. It would be foolish to cold shoulder Mohammed bin Salman, a young man largely in control in an important Middle Eastern country. However, a year ago the UK Cabinet was divided over unrestricted defence sales to Saudi Arabia, and the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was saying that both Saudi Arabia and Iran were dangerously stirring the

Mar

Saudi Arabia: Middle class fun and mass unemployment

02

The de facto Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has amassed almost unlimited power over the Kingdom’s affairs. A young man in a hurry to achieve both domestic and regional objectives, he has had few constraints, whether at home or from the White House. This has resulted in the Saudi strategic and political miscalculation of a nearly three year long war in Yemen. MbS may yet find a way to withdraw from that conflict, but is unlikely to do so with any concrete achievements in terms of the Saudi

Jan

Centralising power in Saudi Arabia while the big issues remain

06

It’s been one hell of a weekend in Riyadh. Purges of senior figures including a powerful Al-Saud family member, a missile attack by Iranian-backed fighters in Yemen, and the Saudi-allied Lebanese prime minister announcing his resignation in the Saudi capital. The dramatic arrests of senior officials and businessmen in Saudi Arabia add up to one thing: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) sees his assumption of total control as inseparable from the popular and practical requirement that

Nov

Lebanon in the eye of the storm

01

Hizbollah are defiant. They know that the regular Lebanese armed forces are weak and that most Lebanese, mindful of the horror show next door in Syria, think that the Shia militia is crucial to their national security. However Hizbollah is under increasing US financial pressure, while US and allied forces could weaken Hizbollah’s position in Syria. At the same time Israel recently targeted its Damascus airport supply line and could restart the confrontation with Hizbollah in south Lebanon.

Jun

UAE's passage to India

27

The UAE’s de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayyed (MbZ) was in India January 24-26 on a visit symbolising the two countries’ burgeoning relationship. MbZ was chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade, which included Emirati forces in a seemingly unprecedented involvement of foreign forces. Symbolic of the UAE’s push toward India, MbZ, who is Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, ensured a modest reciprocation for his host, Indian premier Narendra Modi, by ensuring that Dubai’s Burj Al-Khalifa, the

Jan