Summary
Neoliberal thinking provides a broad-spectrum interpretation of the role of resources in regional rivalries, and issues such as identity, energy and water resources are considered legitimate reasons for rivalry in international politics. Strategists argue that in the years following the Cold War, there was good reason for new regional...
Russia has been seeking a more robust relationship with Iraq since the so-called Arab Spring started in 2011, eager to build on the remnants of what was once a strong Soviet-Iraqi alliance during the Cold War. The Kremlin’s appetite for courting Iraq has been driven by security considerations, shrewd...
By Ali Ziad al Ali, Researcher Specialising in International and Strategic Affairs
Iraq’s geopolitical position represents a strategic imperative and a reality which compels the superpowers to maintain relations with it. Japan recognised the importance of this vital position in terms of energy and geopolitics. Iraq represents a strategic opportunity...
Since assuming the seats of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of the People’s Republic of China in 2012, the governance of Xi Jinping has been defined by far-reaching projects and initiatives. On the surface, these policies have sought to continue China’s upward economic...
Introduction
The Iranian economy is one of the most diversified economies in the Middle East. Iran is one of the few countries in the region with a truly diversified export base, exporting all categories of product, as classified by the International Monetary Fund.
The efforts by US President Donald Trump’s Administration...
Introduction
Omani-Iranian relations have always followed a path of positive neutrality on many sensitive issues in the Gulf region. The Muscat-Tehran alliance should be understood within the context of Oman's independent approach to foreign policy matters, led by Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who since taking power in 1970, has managed...
Al Quds or Jerusalem is a city that captivates you with its beauteous majesty, splendour, and heritage. It has a special place in the hearts of Muslims; its land is holy, and blessed in texts of the Holy Quran. In it lies the Al Aqsa Mosque, the second mosque...
Those who follow closely Saudi and Turkish media these days will witness an intense “undeclared” war of words between the two countries, triggered initially by the change in Turkey's policy of hostility towards Russia in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt of July 2016, and subsequently carried forward...
The Middle East region has faced monumental challenges in recent times. It all started with the political upheavals in Iraq in 2003, affecting as it did the various economic, political and security spheres, and which some observers believe gradually spread into neighbouring countries of the region; leaving in their...
The terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 and the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have exposed the West to notions of extremism never seen before. Whereas many of the conflicts during the Cold War and its immediate aftermath were characterised by political ideologies or ethnic...
