UAE

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Colorful career criminal Willie Sutton once may (or may not) have been asked why he robbed banks. “Because that is where the money is,” he supposedly replied. A similar principle may explain the first foreign trip of President Donald J. Trump’s second term, which was not to a traditional U.S. ally […]

Donald Trump

For all Trump’s new Mideast Contracts, Two Big Deals Elude Him

Shahram Akbarzadeh

By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University (The Conversation) – US President Donald Trump’s visit to Arab states in the Middle East this week generated plenty of multibillion-dollar deals. He said more than US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) worth of deals had been signed with Saudi Arabia alone, though the real total is likely much lower than that. […]

GCC

GCC Energy stands as the ‘Superman’ of Global Energy Markets

Middle East Monitor

by Dr Elif Selin Calik The energy sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries represents the ‘Superman’ of global energy markets according to both analysts and diplomats. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries now represent a unique combination of stability and transformation in a world where energy security continues to intersect with geopolitical tensions […]

International Court of Justice

Sudan takes UAE to Int’l Court of Justice for Genocide: A Test for Int’l Justice

Global Voices

The case comes amid growing global scrutiny of UAE military alliances, including its deepening ties with Israel despite accusations of genocide in Gaza Written byWalid El Houri ( Global Voices ) – On March 6, 2025, Sudan initiated legal proceedings against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the […]

Sudan

Sudan is Burning and Foreign Powers are Benefiting – what’s in it for the United Arab Emirates?

The Conversation

By May Darwich, University of Birmingham | – (The Conversation) – The United Nations has accused foreign players of prolonging the war in Sudan, making it harder for the country to find peace. The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces started in April 2023. It was sparked by two generals […]

Algeria

The Middle East Ranks at the Bottom of Gallup’s Happiness Index, except for Rich Oil States; is the US to Blame?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The annual Gallup report on happiness by country came out this week. It is based on a three-year average of polling. What struck me in their report is how unhappy the Middle East is. The only Middle Eastern country in the top twenty is Kuwait (for the first time in […]

Displaced and Refugees

Sudan: Urgent Action Needed on Hunger Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Security Council Should Act on Access for Aid Deliveries ( Human Rights Watch ) – (New York, March 15, 2024) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to alert the Security Council in the coming days that Sudan has entered a downward spiral of extreme conflict-induced hunger, Human Rights Watch said today. The council […]

Climate Crisis

How Big Oil is Taking us for a Fossil-Fuelized Ride: With the World the Hottest in 125,000 Years, we’re being Gaslighted

Juan Cole

Here is my latest column for The Nation Institute’s must-read Tomdispatch.com site. Make sure to check out the original for legendary journalist Tom Engelhardt’s fantastic introduction. And spread some of the joy by supporting his site, too. As for the dastardly greenwashing of Big Oil, by all means get mad but also get even, and […]

Climate Crisis

COP28: inside the United Arab Emirates, the Oil Giant hosting 2023 Climate Change Summit

The Conversation

By Emilie Rutledge, The Open University and Aiora Zabala, The Open University | – The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the world’s seventh largest oil producer, will host the 28th UN climate change summit (COP28) in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. Presiding over the conference will be the chief executive of the UAE state-owned […]