Senior Lecturer, Middle East and Islam; Author of "The Caliph and the Imam", "The Other Saudis", "Sectarian Gulf"; writing a history of the Gulf States
Over the past few days, new reporting has added important nuances to our understanding of the war, especially Israel's role in the Gulf States, as well as internal Gulf dynamics, and Gulf States-Iran-Iraq ties, attacks and messaging. Many unprecedented actions and developments came to light. This is in many ways an information war, and I expect the list of revelations to get longer still.
Norway's enterprising deputy foreign minister @akravik79 has surprisingly rocked up in Tehran. He has recently been to Oman and Pakistan so feels as if Norway is probing a role as a European mediator. Some US Republican bad feeling towards Pakistan's mediation efforts
Golfstaat unter Beschuss: Die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate sind der Golfstaat, der seit dem US-israelischen Angriff auf den Iran am stärksten von iranischen Drohnen und Raketen getroffen worden ist. Wie sind die Emirate im Visier des Irans gelandet? Das wollten wir von Islamwissenschaftler Toby Matthiesen wissen. https://t.co/uqCOi2B9LT
C'était un honneur d'informer la Commission de politique extérieure du Conseil national (CPE-N) sur la situation en Iran et dans les Pays du Golfe. https://t.co/NJTesgdiYS
Es war mir eine Ehre, die Aussenpolitische Kommission des Nationalrates (APK-N) zur Lage im Iran und den Golfstaaten zu informieren. https://t.co/OBLQuiu5QU
“The reckless US-Israeli attack on Iran has thus opened up old faultlines, and could create new ones between states around the Gulf. It is also undermining the few avenues of regional cooperation that remain”
This was an excellent discussion on the UAE’s OPEC withdrawal & GCC responses to the Iran War. Sharing top insights I heard from all 3 speakers. 🧵
1. “Gulf states, which are highly populated, were treated as operational military zones for the US military,” said @HAlthunayyan
“The UAE's clash with Saudi Arabia over Yemen and Sudan and the perceived lack of support from the Arab world during the war on Iran is driving it to pursue "UAE-first policies" and curb its involvement in multilateral institutions, Sultan Alamer, senior resident fellow at the Middle East Policy Council, told The New Arab.
Though its exit from OPEC won't by itself cause a dramatic shift in the region's politics, it will contribute to the ongoing trend of fragmentation and hinder the region's ability to collectively respond to threats, he said.”
https://t.co/3ik1TpoMXf
UAExit, like Brexit-why not? The Arab League failed when Iran attacked my country, the UAE. It did nothing. So why remain part of something that has failed? Like Brexit, maybe it’s time to consider "UAExit." Bilateral relations work better. Countries like Italy, South Korea, the United States, and Israel have done more to protect the Middle East than the Arab League. We are part of EVERY SUCCESS. Anything that fails, we are not part of and never will be. We stand with PROGRESS and will LEAD the energy of the future AI.