By Humaira Hansrod | – Citizens of Saudi Arabia are having to get used to something that has long been an unpleasant fact of life in most parts of the world. On July 1, the kingdom tripled the VAT levied on consumer goods and services from 5% to 15%. There were reports of frantic stockpiling […]
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GCC
Gulf Security in the Age of Covid-19: Webinar, Qatar University
Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University Panel on Gulf Security in the Age of Covid-19
With Oil Prices in Freefall, Coronavirus Reveals Weaknesses of Saudis, Arab Gulf States
By Marwan Kabalan | – ( Middle East Monitor) – The coronavirus outbreak has put the Arab Gulf States under the spotlight and exposed their structural weaknesses. It has also suggested that security, which is often the focus because of geopolitical regional rivalry, especially with Iran, distracts from other equally important threats. While it is […]
Gulf Arab Women Are entering the Public Sphere, but must Navigate between Modernity and a Changing Society
By Alainna Liloia | – Arab women, long relegated to the private sphere by law and social custom, are gaining new access to public life. All countries of the Arab Gulf now have workforce “nationalization policies” that aim to reduce dependency on migrant labor by getting more women into the workforce. Saudi Arabia set a […]
The War on Children in Yemen: UNICEF
Middle East Monitor | – – Millions of children are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa said in a press conference Sunday in Jordan’s capital Amman. “More than 11 million Yemeni children are today in acute need of humanitarian assistance. This number makes […]
Kuwait, Terrified of Gulf Depression, Frantically Mediating Saudi-Qatar Crisis
Nicolai Due-Gundersen | (The Conversation) | – – A blockade against Qatar by its Gulf neighbours is now in its fifth month. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed socio-economic ties with Qatar as punishment for its alleged support of terrorism and interference in their affairs. As well as hurting Qatar’s economy, […]
Is the Gulf Crisis bringing Iraq back into Arab World?
Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | ( Niqash.org ) | – – Countries like Saudi Arabia are showing new willingness to open diplomatic channels with Iraq. Motivations include a military they now respect, opportunities for reconstruction and countering Iranian influence. Iraqi diplomats have had a busy month. There have been dozens of officials from Arab countries […]
What impact will Saudi-Qatar Struggle have on Palestinians?
By Israa Khater | ( OpenDemocracy.org ) | – – No conflict in the Middle East spares the Palestinians, and the recent crisis in the GCC is no exception. Following the escalation of the GCC crisis and the deteriorating relationship between Qatar and the Gulf Triad (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain), along with Egypt, […]
Saudi Bloc: Qatar’s Al Jazeera can Stay, it Just has to Report as We Say
TeleSur | – – Al Jazeera said it rejects any “external intervention” and reiterates its “independence and professional editorial stance.” The four Arab countries currently boycotting Qatar are set to drop their demand that the Al Jazeera Media Network be shut down, a United Arab Emirates minister said. The closure of the Qatar-based broadcaster and […]