by James M. Dorsey With the 2018 World Cup in Russia behind it, the soccer world’s focus shifts to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Politics and the Gulf’s internecine political and legal battles have already shaped debate about FIFA’s controversial… Continue Reading
by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi The Trump administration has defied a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) order not to take any action that would further complicate the US-Iran dispute. It has imposed a fresh round of sanctions that target more… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh Anyone who follows how the tribal regimes in the Persian Gulf operate in their state-fiefdoms knows that no major decision—political, economic, social, military—is made domestically and internationally without the knowledge and approval of the senior leadership, particularly… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero and Victoria Shakespeare At the incipience of plans to finalize ports in Duqm and Salalah, Oman could potentially succeed in establishing two commercial hubs that become highly important to the international economy, perhaps one day rivaling Dubai’s… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero Oman’s geography, Islamic identity, and alliances make confronting the threat of violent Islamic fundamentalism a high priority for Muscat. The Sultanate’s proximity to a host of war-torn countries in the Arabian Peninsula, West Asia, and Africa exposes… Continue Reading