Qatar

Politics

Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said he would call for a public referendum to vote on whether or not to shift the country's largely symbolic Shura Council away from direct elections back to an appointed system, Reuters reported on Oct. 15.

Qatar: Referendum Signals Shift Away From Democratization, Liberalization

Iraq

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Military & Security

Turkey and Iraq signed an agreement on military, security and counter-terrorism cooperation, Reuters reported Aug. 15. 

Turkey, Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara Sign Agreements on Military, Security and Counter-Terrorism

Oman

A rare shooting attack occurred near a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Oman's capital, Muscat, on July 15, resulting in at least six deaths and dozens of injuries, BBC reported the next day.

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

Lebanon

Economics

Energy

Lebanese caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said a Qatari offer to build up to three new renewable energy power plants was running into entrenched opposition from local players benefiting from the energy crisis, like generator sellers and "mafia" sources, AP reported on May 30. 

Lebanon: Qatari Offer of New Power Plants Runs Afoul of Entrenched Corruption

Comoros

Djibouti

Mauritania

Somalia

Sudan

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Libya

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Yemen

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

United States

Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was close to presenting a security deal to Saudi Arabia if it normalized relations with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported on April 29. 

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

The Palestinian militant group Hamas contacted Oman and an unnamed regional country about relocating its political leaders from Doha, Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 20.

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar is reassessing its role as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas war amid stalled attempts to broker a cease-fire and U.S. and Israeli criticism of Qatar's handling of negotiations, BBC reported on April 17. 

Qatar: Doha Reassesses Mediator Role in Israel-Hamas War

Assessments

Ethiopia

Middle East and North Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Angola

Botswana

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lesotho

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Seychelles

South Africa

Eswatini

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

China

Vietnam

France

Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

Participants stand outside the pavilion of Oman as they attend day nine of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. 

The July terrorist attack in Oman will likely spark a regional security crackdown, despite the incident's limited political and economic consequences.

A Rare Terrorist Attack in Oman Portends a Regional Security Crackdown

Europe

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks during a press conference alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 13, 2023. 

As Hamas loses control of Gaza, Qatar's political incentives for hosting the group's political leaders will decrease, which will likely see Doha align its Palestine policies with the other GCC members.

How Will the Gaza War Impact Qatar’s Foreign Policy and Its Ties to Hamas?

Hungary

Ukraine

An Air China aircraft takes off at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: China Braces for Lunar New Year Travel, EU Discusses Funding for Ukraine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attend a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on Oct. 28, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. 

Israeli assassinations of Hamas officials abroad would likely provoke more antisemitism and rebukes from Western governments, and maintain the risk of regional escalation with Iranian proxies and potentially Iran itself.

The Potential Ramifications of Israel's Alleged Campaign to Kill Hamas Leaders

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Iran’s foreign minister (right) poses for a picture with his Saudi counterpart on June 17, 2023, in Tehran.

The detentes that have emerged between long-standing rivals have made the region more peaceful, but old wounds could still reopen.

In the Middle East, Shared Interests Are Turning Former Foes Into Friends -- For Now

Snapshots

Afghanistan

Qatar's then deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (center), speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Washington D.C. on Feb. 10, 2023. 

The meeting suggests the Taliban may be willing to compromise on some issues, but such talks are unlikely to yield significant change in Afghanistan anytime soon. 

What to Make of the Rare Meeting Between the Taliban’s Leader and Qatar's Prime Minister

Columns

On Geopolitics

Journalists surround one of the lawyers (front) representing former European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, who has been charged in a corruption investigation involving Qatar, at a courthouse in Brussels, Belgium on Dec. 22, 2022.

The recent ''Qatargate'' scandal involving EU lawmakers reflects a pattern of statecraft that increasingly risks backfiring on Arab Gulf states, as their strategic value to the U.S. and Europe wanes.

Understanding Arab Gulf States' Influence Campaigns in the West

Media

Podcasts

The recent Qatar-Europe influence scandal has a long history and implements common practices.

Essential Geopolitics: The Influence-Peddling Saga of Qatar and Europe

Qatar occupies the Qatar Peninsula, a thumb of land jutting into the middle of the Persian Gulf. It has one land border with Saudi Arabia, but shares waters with Bahrain, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. It has no surface rivers or lakes, and its water supply is buried beneath the sandy desert that is practically the country’s only topographical feature. It lacks forests and, prior to the modern era, could not develop an indigenous agricultural sector.    This makes the country uniquely dependent on the outside world for survival. Qatar possesses proven 885.3 trillion feet of natural gas reserves just beneath the waves of the Gulf in a field it shares with Iran, and it makes Qatar the third-largest holder of light natural gas in the world and the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Since it began exporting LNG, Qatar has become the richest country on Earth per capita. The exports pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz or are sent through an undersea pipeline to the United Arab Emirates.     After Qatar ceased being a British protectorate in 1971, its royal family declined an offer to join the federation of the United Arab Emirates and chose to chart an independent course. Qatar joined the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional bloc, in 1981, and although it was officially neutral in the Iran-Iraq War, Qatar joined the coalition to evict Iraq from Kuwait in 1991. In 1996, Qatar began hosting U.S. troops at its Al Udeid air base and opened the offices of the state-sponsored Al Jazeera media outlet. In 2010, it was awarded the rights to the 2022 World Cup.    Its geopolitical position makes Qatar uniquely reliant on open trade for prosperity and outside powers for security. It must have reliable trade routes to export its LNG, and it requires outside sponsors to prevent Saudi Arabia or Iran from gaining too much influence over it. For now, it relies on the United States to provide both. That alliance allows Qatar to maintain a precarious balance against geographically advantaged neighbors.

SITUATION REPORTS

Qatar: Referendum Signals Shift Away From Democratization, Liberalization

Turkey, Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara Sign Agreements on Military, Security and Counter-Terrorism

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

Lebanon: Qatari Offer of New Power Plants Runs Afoul of Entrenched Corruption

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

Qatar: Doha Reassesses Mediator Role in Israel-Hamas War

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