Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Abdulaziz Kilani
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Saudi Arabia will not go to war against Iran on its own
The attack on the two Saudi Aramco facilities on 14 September has raised tension in the Middle East. Although Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility, Washington is accusing Iran of being behind them, allegations that officials in Tehran continue to reject. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Saudi...
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Netanyahu is risking war to boost his electoral prospects
In an effort to boost his electoral prospects, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is risking the outbreak of a war no one wants. Over the course of a few days, Israel launched attacks in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Commenting on the attack in Syria, the Israeli military said that on 25 August...
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A new black mark in the history of the UAE and Bahrain
Despite the fact that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently revoked the special status that granted rights to Kashmir and its people to make their own constitution, the government of the UAE has awarded him the country’s highest civilian honour. This is a new low, even by the UAE’s...
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After Yemen, the UAE’s next target could be Libya
Last week, the United Arab Emirates confirmed its troop drawdown from Yemen, which has raised questions about what Abu Dhabi’s next target will be. “Many people asked if this is also linked to the current rise of tensions with Iran,” said a senior UAE official who declined to be named....
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Bahrain's Workshop: The Palestinian resistance can never be bought
The wheels of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner’s, peace plan for the Middle East are now in motion. This week, the first step of the plan illustrated in the “Peace to Prosperity” economic workshop took place in Bahrain’s capital Manama. While the Palestinian leadership said that it had not been...
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US Senate has its say, blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia
The US Senate yesterday blocked arms sales to Saudi Arabia, ushering in a new episode in the House’s stance towards the Kingdom. This comes as a rebuke of US President Donald Trump, who has been trying to sell $8 billion worth of military weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab...
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Jordan is a primary victim of Kushner's peace plan
Two weeks ago, the architect of the US peace plan for the Middle East — the “deal of the century” — landed in Jordan. Jared Kushner was in the Hashemite Kingdom as part of his tour of the region to push his plan before the economic workshop takes place...
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Iraq's neutrality in the midst of US-Iran tensions is crucial
For some time, Iraq has tried its best to maintain its neutral relationship with both the US and Iran. Such a position may be under threat now, with Baghdad apparently under pressure to choose sides. “Iraq may not have the option of remaining completely neutral and is under serious pressure...
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After Algeria and Sudan, what's next for the Middle East?
In less than ten days, Algeria and Sudan witnessed the removal of their heads of state, Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Omar Al-Bashir. Such significant events raise the question of whether a second Arab Spring is underway. On one hand, the Sudanese are insisting that they want their country to be a...
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Trump's Yemen veto damages America's image around the world
Last week, US President Donald Trump vetoed a Congressional resolution that would have ended American support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, thereby issuing his second veto since he took office in the White House. This was expected, and is a sign that, regardless of the criticism that America...
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Trump’s description of Sisi insults all Americans who care about human rights
US President Donald Trump appears increasingly to be the official sponsor of authoritarian regimes, a view given even more credence when he welcomed Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi to the White House on Tuesday. Trump insists on giving overt backing to some of the most brutal regimes in the...
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Is Trump’s Golan move another Balfour Declaration?
The Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917 by the then British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, who viewed “with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. Although Balfour’s statement in a letter to a leading Zionist was only 67 words long, its impact has...
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Yemen's forgotten war is entering its fifth year. Is anyone listening?
Despite the fact that Saudi officials thought the sortie in to Yemen would only last a few weeks, we are now entering the fifth year of the war on Yemen. This portrays the coalition’s failure as it has contributed to leading Yemen to become the world’s most humanitarian crisis....
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After the Senate vote, will Trump intervene to back his reckless ally in Saudi?
The US Senate took a remarkable step on Wednesday by voting to end American support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for the second time. The result (54-46) had the support of seven Republicans who voted in favour of passing the resolution. “In an historic vote, the Senate sent...
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Abu Asab's eviction is another example of Israel’s discriminatory regime
On Sunday, Israeli forces evicted Hatem Abu Asab’s family from their home in Jerusalem. This comes after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled Jewish settlers were the rightful owners. The video footage that spread on social media was stark. It showed Rania Abu Asab, who is one of the residents,...
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If Saudi’s MBS remains in control, more tensions with Morocco will come
Saudi-Moroccan relations are witnessing an unprecedented period of tension. Morocco has decided to pull its Ambassador from Riyadh. The Ambassador, Mustafa Al-Mansouri, has explained to 360 that the reason for his recall was Al Arabiya’s broadcasting of a video report against the “territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco,” which was...
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If Trump doesn’t change, more resignations will be announced
The US Defense Secretary, James Mattis resigned yesterday creating a new episode of the series of resignations that the US President Donald Trump has faced since he took office. This significant step comes a day after the president’s unilateral decision to pull US troops out of Syria, which indicates...
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Saudi Arabia is hit by a double whammy in one day over Yemen and Khashoggi
The steps taken by the US Senate in passing the Yemen War Powers Resolution last Thursday confirmed the ongoing disgust at the premeditated killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul two months ago. It attests to the simple fact that American legislators will...
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The US Congress is finally doing its job regarding Yemen
The US Senate sent a strong message to the Trump administration on Wednesday by supporting a bill that would force Washington to cut its support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Even though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis put forward a vigorous defence of...
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It is time for a new leadership in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s reputation has never been this bad. Ever since Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman became the de facto ruler of the Kingdom and consolidated his power, things have gone from bad to worse. Bin Salman started an unnecessary war in Yemen, which has become the worst humanitarian crisis in...
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Khashoggi’s state of mind before his disappearance
I was lucky enough to have met Jamal Khashoggi on 29 September at MEMO’s conference during his last visit to the UK. I introduced myself to him as the Editor-in-Chief of an Arabic electronic newspaper in London. I told him that I would like to interview him at some...
