Saudi Arabia and Iran woo incoming Pakistani prime minister
An offer by a Saudi-backed bank to lend financially strapped Pakistan US$4 billion is likely intended to bolster Saudi influence when former international cricket...
Multiple diplomatic spats raise questions about Saudi concept of sovereignty
The failure of Western allies to rally around Canada in its dispute with Saudi Arabia risks luring the kingdom into a false belief that...
Can the US make Iran sanctions stick?
Recent Iranian trade figures suggest that the United Arab Emirates, a strong backer of US efforts to squeeze Iran economically, could emerge alongside China...
Big power competition in the Eastern Mediterranean: Is Trump missing the point?
A Trump administration decision to sanction two key Turkish officials in retaliation for the continued detention of an American cleric coupled with unqualified support...
Talking to Rouhani: Is Trump shooting from the hip or following a script?
Message to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Tel Aviv: Not to worry, US President Donald J. Trump has no intention of meeting his Iranian counterpart,...
Despite concerns, China sees a potential ally in Pakistan’s Imran Khan
Pakistani prime minister-in waiting Imran Khan’s ability to chart his own course as well as his relationship with the country’s powerful military is likely...
Lack of global leadership spurs instability in the Middle East
With multiple Middle Eastern disputes threatening to spill out of control, United Arab Emirates minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash acknowledged what...
Saudi oil shipment halt: A potential watershed in the Yemen war
A spike in oil prices as a result of a temporary halt in shipments through the strategic Bab el Mandeb strait may be short-lived,...
China’s policies spur Central Asians to cautiously chart independent course
China’s brutal crackdown in its north-western province of Xinjiang and growing questions about the dark side of some of its Belt and Road investments...
Securing Xinjiang: China adds security component to Belt and Road initiative
China appears to be shifting gears in its multi-billion dollar Belt and Road initiative. Long projected as driven by economics and the benefit of...