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Russia will consolidate strong ties in the Gulf

Location:

RUSSIA

Russia seeks to enhance its cooperation with the Gulf Arab states to offset its diplomatic and economic isolation from the West, leveraging its status as a valued security partner…

Biden will take a pragmatic approach to GCC states

Location:

UNITED STATES/GCC

Washington’s partnerships with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, remain crucially important to US interests. GCC leaders are leveraging US concerns…

Lebanon will bargain for more Syrian refugee returns

Location:

LEBANON/SYRIA

The country’s economic crisis and the Christian community's demographic fears have increased anti-refugee sentiment, which politicians weaponised around the May 2022 elections. In…

Added US sanctions on Syria may prove self-defeating

Location:

SYRIA/US

This comes as the US Congress is finalising a bill, the Caesar Act, that would substantially increase the sanctions pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. As…

Syria will struggle to monetise Gulf relations

Location:

SYRIA

The first such visit since 2011 comes days after a Syrian foreign ministerial trip to Saudi Arabia, amid a wider thawing of ties. Riyadh had formerly been the most powerful of the…

Qatar faces difficult balancing act in ties with Iran

Location:

QATAR

Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran threaten to derail Qatar's delicate geostrategic position as a small, albeit wealthy, fish in a big pond. Qatar has much to…

Russia seeks regional buy-in for its Syria plans

Location:

RUSSIA/SYRIA

More conventional statements coming out of Moscow last week warned that Western policies designed to contain Damascus could drive more refugees into Europe and accused the United…

Israel will leverage East Mediterranean assets

Location:

ISRAEL

The deal -- designed to allow Delek to focus on the larger Leviathan field -- highlights the growing commercial interest in East Mediterranean hydrocarbons. It also underlines the…

Gulf to look beyond Pakistan as insecurity rises

Location:

PAKISTAN/GULF

Outlook for Pakistan-Gulf relations.

Trade will tighten Gulf-South Korea relations

Location:

GULF STATES/SOUTH KOREA

Previously, in December 2023, South Korea signed a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), only the bloc’s second with a major…