Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s new approach to the region, have seized the chance to isolate Qatar, analysts said Monday. Gas-rich Doha, which has long exercised an independent streak in its foreign policy, last month denied comments which appeared on its official news agency questioning US hostility … Read more
Authorities in Bahrain have clamped down on dissent in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf last month — a move that experts say is no coincidence. “The human rights situation was already bad, but the timing of the latest crackdown is striking and it’s unlikely to be coincidental,” said Jane … Read more
Saudi Arabia is looking to assert its regional leadership against Iran by hosting a summit between visiting US President Donald Trump and Muslim leaders from around the world, analysts say. Trump, on his first foreign trip since taking office in January, will tell Muslim leaders of his “hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam” as … Read more
Deadly fighting, a rise in jihadism, the threat of famine — two years after Saudi Arabia intervened against Iran-backed rebels, Yemen is more unstable than ever. The chaos has also seen fighting erupt in vital Red Sea shipping lanes, and Riyadh’s ally the United States stepping up its involvement. The war has become “a quagmire”, … Read more