Middle East & Africa
Saudi Crown Prince’s unprecedented power grab could come to haunt him
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has won the first round of what could prove to be an unprecedented power grab that comes to...
Saudi crackdown raises spectre of wider spread dissent
Few paid attention to a rare protest in Saudi Arabia in late January 2011 as a wave of popular uprisings swept the Middle East...
Russia and the Southern African Development Community
Late September, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Embassies accredited to the Russian Federation celebrated the 37th Anniversary of SADC at the Korston hotel...
Gulf crisis: Soccer trumps politics
A target of massive Saudi investment, the Maldives severed diplomatic relations with Qatar hours after a Saudi-UAE-led alliance of largely financially dependent states declared...
In shadowy covert wars, Iran takes centre stage
In the shadowy world of covert proxy wars, Iran is taking centre stage, both as a target and a player. A series of incidents...
Trump’s decertification of Iran Nuclear deal: A coming catastrophe
With the US President Donald Trump’s decertification of Iran nuclear deal, the prospect of peace and stability in the Middle East appears to be...
The rule by thieves, no, not again: We dance
"The rule of fear has been banished from Gambia for good. To all of you forced by political circumstances to flee our country, you...
Saudi women gain access to stadiums: More questions than answers
Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow women to attend sporting events in three of the country’s stadiums raises as many questions as it provide answers...
Crown Prince Mohammed’s vow to moderate Saudi Islam: Easier said than done
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent disavowal of the kingdom’s founding religious ideology had a master’s voice quality to it. His words could...
Activists and Gulf crisis turn Qatar into potential model of social change
Potential Qatari moves to become the first Gulf state to effectively abolish the region’s onerous kafala or labour sponsorship system, denounced as a form...