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Articles by Gulf Pulse
Can the UAE be a bridge between US, Sudan?
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (2nd L), UAE Prime Minister and Vice President and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2nd R) and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir (R) attend the opening ceremony of the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 19, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Stringer) One of the targets of the so-called “Muslim ban” signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 27 was Sudan.
What’s next for GCC-Iraq ties after Sadr's UAE visit?
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sits in his office beneath a portrait of his late father Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq el-Sadr in Najaf, Iraq, May 2, 2003. (photo by GETTY/Mario Tama) On Aug. 13, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flew in Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at al-Shati palace in the Emirati capital.
Kuwait-Iran diplomatic row could have wide-ranging impact
An official from Kuwait's Interior Ministry puts up a poster on July 20, 2017, in Kuwait City of fugitives convicted of belonging to a cell accused of plotting attacks in the country; the cell reportedly was formed and trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. (photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images) On July 20, Kuwait expelled Iran’s ambassador and 14 other Iranian diplomats and ordered the shutdown of Tehran’s cultural and military missions in the oil-rich Persian Gulf country.
Trump administration looks to Oman for help navigating Middle East
Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi waves as he arrives for a meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 30, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser) On July 18 — three days before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hosted his Omani counterpart, Yusuf bin Alawi, in Washington — Sultan Qaboos became the latest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) head of state to speak directly with US President Donald Trump.
In Aden, Yemeni activists still live in fear
An aerial view shows the port city of Aden in southern Yemen, Nov. 30, 2010. (photo by REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo) SANAA, Yemen — During its modern history, Aden has represented a unique model for coexistence and tolerance, as it is the only city in Yemen housing citizens from all regions, religions and races. But its history has been put to the test like never before.
How Turkey fits into the Qatar puzzle
People shout slogans as they hold Turkish and Qatari flags during a demonstration in favor of Qatar in central Istanbul, Turkey, June 7, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Murad Sezer) After Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar in early June, accusing it of supporting extremists and terrorist groups and being allied with Iran, they presented Qatar with a list of 13 demands.
Stakes high for Kuwait as mediator in Qatar crisis
Kuwait has asserted itself as the key mediator amid the three-week-old Qatar crisis. Since three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — severed economic and diplomatic relations with Doha earlier this month, Kuwait (as well as Oman) has been committed to an impartial role in the rift, with Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah quickly becoming a negotiator in the simmering row.
Qatar-GCC crisis unsettles Sudan
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir watches a joint Sudanese and Saudi Arabian air force drill at the Marwa air base, Meroe, Sudan, April 9, 2017. (photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images) Illustrative of the extent to which Sudan and Qatar have deepened bilateral relations, Khartoum is not joining Riyadh and its allies in punishing Doha for allegedly promoting terrorism.
Gulf rift sends tremors through Yemen
A man sits on the rubble of a house of his relatives, destroyed by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, June 9, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) No sooner had the Gulf-Qatar crisis begun than the internationally recognized Yemeni government announced June 5 it also was severing ties with Qatar, following in Saudi Arabia’s footsteps. This wasn't surprising, as the Yemeni government enjoys Saudi support.
Qatar's precarious position between Saudi Arabia, Iran
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (C) arrives at Mehrabad airport ahead of the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, Aug. 30, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Roohollah Vahdati) As the Middle East’s sectarian temperatures rise and the Saudi-Iranian geopolitical rivalry intensifies following Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s execution, Gulf Arab leaders frequently invoke the concept of Gulf Cooperation Council unity.
Bahrainis' shrinking political space
A Bahraini protester holds a placard depicting a portrait of Sheikh Ali Salman, head of the Shiite opposition movement al-Wefaq, during clashes with riot police following a protest against Salman's arrest, Sitra, Bahrain, Jan. 29, 2016. (photo by MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP/Getty Images) Political space is narrowing in Bahrain as the government steps up its efforts to combat terrorism and weaken the Shiite opposition, which receives, at minimum, moral and ideological support from Iran.
Delivering $1 billion aid to Yemen faces difficulties
People infected with cholera lie on beds at a hospital in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, May 14, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad) In April, donors pledged more than $1 billion in aid to finance humanitarian efforts in Yemen. The United Nations, Sweden and Switzerland organized the High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, which sought to raise funds to finance the response plan of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Bahrain’s ongoing political crisis threatens stability
A female protester holds a photo of Shiite scholar Isa Qassim as she confronts a riot police armored personnel carrier during a demonstration to mark the sixth anniversary of the February 14 uprising, in the village of Sitra, south of Manama, Bahrain, Feb. 14, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed) Bahrain’s Shiite opposition was overwhelmingly nonviolent when unrest erupted in the archipelago sheikhdom six years ago.
What Saudi leaders expect from Trump’s visit
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House in Washington, May 10, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) Preparations are underway in Saudi Arabia to welcome US President Donald Trump, who is seeking to mobilize the Islamic world against terrorism, while Saudi officials are hoping to gain some political advantages, especially as they exchange threats with Iran.
Saudis seek renewed relations with US under Trump
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Mohammed Al-Ayesh meets US Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) next to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (L) during a meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 15, 2017.
Yemen’s cultural capital Taiz torn by conflict
Pro-government tribal fighters patrol a street during a visit by a UN delegation to the war-torn southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen, April 9, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub) SANAA, Yemen — Taiz province is in crisis — a crisis that is threatening to undermine its position as the cultural capital of Yemen, as officially named by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in 2012.
Is Saudi Arabia really willing to normalize ties with Iraq?
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attends the opening of a meeting of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State at the State Department in Washington, March 22, 2017. (photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images) Saudi and Iraqi diplomats agreed at a March 12 meeting in Riyadh to stop exchanging aggressive remarks and to establish a coordination council to discuss outstanding issues and promote bilateral relations.
Is freedom of expression on the rise in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi state-owned Aramco on March 27 appointed Samba Capital to be the adviser on an initial public offering (IPO) that could generate $100 billion, which would be the largest IPO in history. Saudi Minister of Energy, Industrial and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Falih said Aug. 28 that the Aramco IPO is scheduled for early 2018. This shows that the Saudi government turned a blind eye to citizens who expressed their opposition to and concerns about the IPO.
The human cost of the siege of Sanaa
A Houthi militant stands guard on the roof of a building overlooking a rally attended by supporters of the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen, March 3, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) The Yemeni capital, Sanaa, has been in the hands of the Houthi rebel group for more than two years now.
Will Bahrain use military trials against Shiite leader's supporters?
A protester holding a Bahraini flag confronts riot police in an attempt to stop them from entering the village of Bilad al-Qadeem, where protesters had gathered outside the home of Shiite Muslim opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, south of Manama, Bahrain, Jan. 6, 2015.
Has Hamas completely forgotten Saudi Arabia?
Yahya Sinwar (C), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrives for the opening of a new mosque in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Feb. 24, 2017. (photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images) Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia are frosty, although several figures in the kingdom’s religious current had expected the ice to melt between both countries.
Saudi clerics keep mum about concerts in the kingdom
Saudi singer Mohammed Abdo performs for an all-male audience during a concert in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 30, 2017. (photo by AMER HILABI/AFP/Getty Images) Under the auspices of Princess Adila, daughter of the late King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz and head of the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, the Saudi capital, Riyadh, witnessed a concert by the Saudi singer Waad on Feb. 14. The concert was a women-only event held in honor of the late singer Tarek Abdel Hakim, who died in 2012.
Is a bromance brewing between Sudan, the Saudis?
Egypt is looking more and more like the third wheel on a date between Sudan and Saudi Arabia. After US President Barack Obama agreed Jan. 13 to lift some financial sanctions imposed on Sudan, that country's president, Omar al-Bashir, immediately visited Saudi Arabia. Sudanese officials said the Saudis played an important role in getting the trade sanctions lifted.
Why GCC has been silent on Trump's 'Muslim ban'
US President Donald Trump waits to speak by phone with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, Jan. 29, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) US President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban” executive order targeting seven Muslim-majority African/Arab countries received a chorus of criticism from around the world and within the Beltway.
How will Trump’s anti-Muslim Brotherhood inner circle view Qatar?
Incoming Trump administration Cabinet nominees including secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson (L-R), CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo and defense secretary nominee James Mattis arrive for meetings at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 13, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) For years, scores of Islamists who are dissidents, militants and influential clerics from across the Arab world have been living in Qatar.
Is more women entering Yemen's labor market really progress?
A woman walks past graffiti painted by pro-Houthi activists on the wall of the Saudi Embassy in Yemen's capital Sanaa, Aug. 18, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) Yemen ranks last out of 144 countries on the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index.
Why did Oman join Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism alliance?
Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (C) arrives to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 30, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser) Last year was not altogether kind to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Financial hardships amid an era of cheap oil, Islamic State (IS) attacks on Saudi Arabian soil, a costly quagmire in Yemen and setbacks in Syria have all weakened the kingdom’s position in the region.
How long can Yemen's Houthi-Saleh alliance last?
Yemeni supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels rally in support of the newly formed government, Sanaa, Yemen, Dec. 6, 2016. (photo by ABDEL RAHMAN ABDALLAH/AFP/Getty Images) Tensions between Houthi rebels and their ally, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have escalated since their formation of a self-proclaimed joint government Nov. 28. The process wasn't easy to begin with, and challenges continue to threaten the tenuous arrangement.
Bahrain shifts foreign policy with an eye on Turkey
After the Islamic State (IS) released video footage on Dec. 22 of its barbaric burning to death of two Turkish soldiers in northern Syria, Bahraini officials immediately condemned the “terrorist brutal crime.” Manama’s quick response was the latest sign of a growing Bahraini-Turkish partnership aimed at fending off growing regional security threats.
Preventable illnesses menace children in Yemen
A girl stands outside her family's hut at the Shawqaba camp for internally displaced people who were forced to leave their villages because of conflict in the country, Hajjah province, Yemen, March 12, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad) SANAA, Yemen — Yemen's children are paying the price of the civil war that began there in September 2014. They are dying daily from preventable conditions like diarrhea.
Is this the beginning of a revolution by Saudi women?
Saudi women hold national flags as they walk on a street during Saudi National Day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 23, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser) A police spokesman in Riyadh announced Dec. 12 the arrest of a young Saudi woman, Malak al-Shehri, for violating Saudi regulations by taking off her abaya — a loose-fitting full-length robe — in a public place, and openly revealing her relations with young men.
Who in the GCC wants a union?
Bahrain's Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa attends a meeting during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 10, 2016.
Is Yemen falling into an abyss?
A man walks past a house destroyed during recent fighting between pro-government fighters and Houthi rebels in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen, Nov. 26, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub) Constant fighting in Yemen is crushing its people with suffering that will change the shape of their society for many years to come. On Nov. 15, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a cease-fire agreement between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebel group.
Trump win further distances US from GCC on Syria
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at his election night rally in New York, Nov. 9, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Carlo Allegri) Donald Trump’s historic victory this month shocked many across the world. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials must deal with countless uncertainties surrounding Washington’s Middle East foreign policy in the post-Obama era.
How a joke about Sisi’s fridge has strained Cairo-Riyadh ties
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a signing ceremony with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (unseen) at the El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 5, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh) Saudi Shura Council head Abdullah Al-Sheikh’s unannounced visit to Cairo on Nov. 3 was apparently Riyadh’s positive response to Gulf mediation efforts to calm tensions between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and to keep their feud out of the media.
Worst forecasts become reality as Yemen starves
SANAA, Yemen — A collection of shocking photos of starving people barely surviving have shown the world that Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East according to the World Food Programme (WFP), has plunged into famine. The photos, taken in the district of al-Tuhayat in Yemen's western province of Hodeidah, have shocked Yemenis and panicked relief organizations.
Is US reconsidering its support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen war?
Smoke rises at a community hall where Saudi-led warplanes struck a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 9, 2016 (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) Saudi Arabia’s missile attack on a funeral hall crowded with hundreds of people in Sanaa on Oct. 8 is seen as the deadliest rocket attack on civilian targets in Yemen, killing and wounding 700 people. Meanwhile, the death toll of the war on Yemen has risen to 10,000 victims.
Has JASTA pushed Saudi Arabia and Israel closer?
Protesters and family members of 9/11 victims protest in front of the White House regarding President Barack Obama's threatened veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act in Washington, DC, Sept. 20, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Gary Cameron) In an Oct.
Will early elections backfire on Kuwait's government?
Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, Sept. 26, 2015.
Will tension at sea lead to endless war in Yemen?
The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Mason conducts divisional tactical maneuvers as part of an exercise in the Gulf of Oman, Sept. 10, 2016. The destroyer recently came under attack off the coast of Yemen. (photo by U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS) SANAA, Yemen — After being confined to Yemen's mainland for the past 19 months, the country's civil war has finally spread to the sea in a major development that mobilized the fleets of international and regional players. On the evening of Oct.
How Yemen’s war is now threatening international trade
The HSV-2 Swift, formerly operated by the US Navy and now by the United Arab Emirates, is seen damaged in a still from a video released by WAM news agency, after being attacked by Houthi rebels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off the coast of Yemen, Oct. 1, 2016. (photo by Facebook/@WorkBoat) The United States has accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who took over the country’s capital in September 2014, of launching multiple attacks by anti-ship missiles — two Oct. 10 and a possible third Oct.
Just how neutral is Oman in Yemen war?
Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah looks at his mobile phone at the meeting of Arab League foreign ministers ahead of the Arab Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, March 26, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh) ADEN, Yemen — Oman considers itself a “friend to all,” a dubious claim as some believe the sultanate is facilitating weapons smuggling to rebel Houthis in Yemen.
Yemen's education system latest victim of ongoing war
Boys are pictured in a damaged class of their school which was hit by Saudi-led air strikes last year, as schools open this week in Sanaa, Yemen Oct. 5, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) SANAA, Yemen — Prior to July 2013, al-Fateh school provided primary education in the rural area of Manasseh ??in al-Bayda governorate to the east of the capital Sanaa. But since then, the school has turned into a mere landmark of the already stumbling educational sector in Yemen.
Will next US president shift Washington's Yemen policy?
A man looks from the roof of a house destroyed by a Saudi-led airstrike in old Sanaa city, Yemen, Sept. 24, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi) Amid a rising death toll exceeding 10,000 and an outbreak of famine, the Yemeni civil war continues to rage. Almost four weeks after 3½ months of peace talks in Kuwait broke down last month, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir declared, “What is certain, not questionable, certain, they [the Houthis] will not be allowed to take over Yemen.
Meet the likely successor of Islamic State’s Baghdadi
Turki al-Binali, also known as Abu Sufyan Al-Silmi, gives a lecture in Sousse, Tunisia, June 15, 2013. (photo by YOUTUBE/Al Bayna Magazine) As the Islamic State (IS) struggles to maintain control of its strongholds in North Africa and the Levant, ongoing battles in Sirte, Aleppo and western Iraq will heavily influence IS’s trajectory moving forward.
How long can the Houthis hold on to Yemen?
A man loyal to the Houthi movement holds up ammunition as he gathers to protest against the Saudi-backed exiled government deciding to cut off the Yemeni Central Bank from the outside world, Sanaa, Yemen, Aug. 25, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi) Both the Yemeni civil war and the Saudi-led intervention have lasted longer than anyone expected or wanted, a point made clear by the toll the conflict is taking on both countries.
Costs of Saudi economic failures show up in electric bills
In the lead-up to the Sept. 4-5 G-20 summit in which Saudi Arabia will participate, Deputy Crown Prince and head of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs Mohammed bin Salman arrived in China Aug. 29 for an official two-day visit. His trip came at the invitation of Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli for the purpose of promoting economic integration and trade exchange, which reached $51 billion between the two countries in 2015.
Yemeni conflict goes back to square one
Tribesmen loyal to the Houthi movement carry their weapons as they attend a gathering to show support for a political council formed by the movement and the General People's Congress to unilaterally rule Yemen, Sanaa, Aug 14, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah) The Yemeni conflict is back at square one almost two years after the September 2014 Houthi rebel takeover of the Yemeni capital, 500 days into the Saudi-led war that began in March 2015 and after three rounds of failed peace talks.
Will Saudi women break chains of male guardianship?
Female driver Azza Al Shmasani alights from her car after driving in defiance of the ban in Riyadh, June 22, 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed) For three weeks now, the hashtag #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen has been active on social media. The newly established feminist association Saudi Women Against Marginalization, which took to Twitter in June, launched this hashtag. Meanwhile, the issue of ending male guardianship over women in Saudi Arabia remains highly controversial.
How Yemen plans to dry up Houthis' funding
Houthi fighters stand as they attend a tribal gathering in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Aug. 11, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi) ADEN, Yemen — After years of civil war, the Yemeni government has declared an economic war on Houthi rebels. Yemen's internationally recognized government, headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, is shifting its treasury temporarily to the Central Bank branch in Aden, hoping to stem the flow of money he believes is funding the rebel's war efforts.
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