Turning Qatar into an Island: Saudi cuts off its nose to spite its face

by James M. Dorsey There’s a cutting-off-the-nose-to-spite-the face aspect to a Saudi plan to turn Qatar into an island by digging a 60-kilometre ocean channel through the two countries’ land border that would accommodate a nuclear waste heap as well… Continue Reading

Will the Real Pakistan Stand Up, Please?

by James M. Dorsey Two headlines this month beg the question US officials have been grappling with for more than a decade: Will the real Pakistan stand up, please? Pakistan’s The News reported that the government had designated Islamabad as… Continue Reading

China’s Belt and Road Funding Terms Spark Criticism

by James M. Dorsey Steep commercial terms for China’s investment in infrastructure projects across Eurasia related to its Belt and Road initiative may give it control of key ports and other assets as recipients of Beijing’s largess find themselves trapped… Continue Reading

Arabs Leverage Lucrative Nuclear Contracts

by James M. Dorsey Controversy in South Korea over a secret military clause in a nine-year old agreement to build the United Arab Emirates’ first nuclear reactor raises a Pandora’s Box of questions about political and military demands that Arab nations may… Continue Reading

China’s Dilemma on Militancy

by James M. Dorsey China’s recent failure to shield Pakistan from censorship by an international anti-terrorism funding and anti-money laundering body suggests that the People’s Republic is struggling to balance its contradictory interests in South Asia and may be trying… Continue Reading