The Far Right and the Middle East
Donald Trump will leave the White House, but the alliance of autocrats in the Middle East with the far right in the West is here to stay.
Saudi Arabia
The Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reaching for the clouds, but will the recent coronavirus pandemic and economic slowdown send their foreign policy ambitions plummeting back to Earth?
Saudi Arabia and the War in Yemen
Saudi Arabia wants to use the coronavirus pandemic to put the costly fiasco of the Yemen war behind it - and save face in the process. The Houthis, on the other hand, now feel their time has come.
Interview with former Saudi intelligence chief Turki al-Faisal
by Inna Rudolf
As recent events have deepened uncertainty in the Gulf, zenith asks former Saudi intelligence chief Turki al-Faisal for his thoughts on the death of Qassem Suleimani, Saudi support for Iraq and a possible rapprochement between the kingdom and Iran.
Russia’s comeback in the Middle East
Putin’s visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in mid-October demonstrated the full magnitude of Russia’s prestige in the region and cemented Moscow’s position as a leading power in the Middle East. But what is the Kremlin’s realistic clout in the Gulf?
Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia
by Leo Wigger
An Iranian-Saudi war along sectarian lines could spell doom for Pakistan and could put its Shia minority into a stranglehold. The first priority for foreign policy should be to mitigate this, and quickly.
Drone Attacks against Saudi Aramco and the Role of Iran
by Walter Posch
The story of who really attacked the Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia has taken strange turns. The anti-Iran axis fails to stay on message. And yet Trump, the Houthis, Tehran and even the Saudis all have at least something positive to take away.
Drones and the attacks on Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia
The ‘Kalashnikov of the skies’ is changing the equation of warfare, equipping non-state actors with unprecedented aerial capabilities. Iran has found a cheap way to arm its vassals, though development of drone systems doesn’t follow a straight path.