Erdogan – Trump Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ongoing geopolitical problems. Turkey and the US had previously come to an agreement on the creation of a safe zone in the Syrian north-east along the border with Turkey. Despite recent rocky relations, the two agreed ...

The Qatar crisis was initially considered a minor ideological conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood and Wahhabist Islam; however, it has since evolved into a large-scale strategic battle due to the inexperience and naivety of Saudi rulers. If the current trend continues, the crisis could profoundly alter the fates of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East.   QATAR’S STRENGTHS ...

Yemen’s Ansar Allah has officially claimed responsibility for the drone attacks against ARAMCO oil facilities which resulted in Saudi Arabia’s oil production being cut in half. Nonetheless, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump and Saudi officials are claiming that Iran was actually the one responsible for the attack. First, allow me to explain why I am referring to ...

A rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has emerged in southern Yemen, the winner of which stands to greatly strengthen its position in the international arena. However, this power struggle is taking place as a result of the crisis in Yemen, likely the worst humanitarian disaster of the 21st century.   THE SIDES OF THE CONFLICT Yemen has two ...

A BRIEF INTRODUCTORY HISTORY Yemen is located in what has historically been considered the finest part of the Arab Peninsula, which has prompted numerous attempts to take control of the area. Before oil was found elsewhere on the Peninsula, Yemen was also seen as having the largest concentration of natural wealth. At that time, Saudi Arabia had little more than ...

Once Saudi Arabia’ key ally in Yemen war, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has seemingly parted ways with Riyadh, leaving North Yemen and calling for the independence of South Yemen. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, believes in Ansarullah hegemony in the north, fearing Iran’s influence will spread in the region. This has led to new friction between Riyadh and ...

President Donald Trump’s Administration is getting ready to deploy hundreds of servicemen to Saudi Arabia as tensions with Iran are mounting, CNN said in a report quoting a well-informed official at the Pentagon. He revealed that some 500 soldiers would be sent to Prince Sultan airbase to the south of Riyadh. Sources told CNN a small number of U.S. military ...

In 2017, according to the US Energy Information Administration, Saudi Arabia, following Russia, Iran and Qatar, had the fourth-largest natural gas reserves in the world. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the country’s natural gas reserves amounted to 304 trillion cubic meters. Most of Saudi Arabia’s natural gas is consumed in the petrochemical sector and electricity generation. 40.7% of ...

The reasons for Saudi Arabia’s gravitation toward Israel Iran and Saudi Arabia have experienced a great deal of tension in their relations in recent years. These tensions started with the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr (a Shia cleric who opposed the Saudi regime) and peaked when a number of Iranian Anti-Saudi protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Following these ...

Saudi Arabia is well known to be the United States’ anchor in the Middle East. Why, then, did Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman engage in an official tour of Asia including Pakistan, India and China, without Washington’s approval? Those familiar with the situation in the middle east already understand that there is no definite answer to the question. In ...