Category: Arabian Peninsula

For Türkiye in particular, the Makkah pact extends Erdoğan’s established approach of positioning Ankara as indispensable across NATO, the Arab Gulf, and South Asia simultaneously. Turkish drone exports such as Riyadh’s 2023 purchase of the Baykar Akıncı system, which remains Ankara’s largest defence export contract to date, present the most obvious existing framework for the […]

After long anticipation and several decades of formative foreign policy, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, commonly rendered in English language commentary as the ‘Mecca’ pact, on the 7th of August 2026 at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah. The official […]

Global indicators show that women in the Arab States of the Gulf have made significant advances in education and public sector leadership through legal reforms, quotas, and professional development initiatives. But they remain underrepresented on corporate boards with a recent 2025 report showing women hold only about one in every 15 board seats across the […]

Saudi Arabia has long held aspirations of developing their own domestic nuclear program. Although progress on this front has been limited thus far, recent developments in the Middle East may potentially accelerate Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of nuclear technology. What motivates Saudi Arabia’s nuclear aspirations, and how are these aspirations nurtured or stymied by regional developments? […]

In September 2025, a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a 55 billion US dollar deal to acquire Electronic Arts (EA), the largest leveraged buyout on record. The consortium agreed to pay 210 dollars a share, roughly 25 percent above the 168 dollars where EA traded before news of the talks […]

The United Arab Emirates presents a compelling narrative of gender progress with its rapid modernisation, extensive educational achievements among women and international recognition for its national policies advancing gender parity. Yet the notion of patriarchal bargaining is critical to understanding the intricate forces that shape women’s empowerment and their capacity to assume leadership roles in […]

Saudi Arabia continues to make news with its investments in sports with the Saudi Pro League football clubs recently privatised, LIV Golf agreeing to a merger with the PGA and DP Tours, and a host of player transfers to the country’s top football clubs. Many observers have been shocked by the pace, reach, and unexpected […]

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in Yemen following the Houthi military campaign attacking ships traversing the Red Sea. But why and how have their campaigns increased the groups popularity both regionally and beyond?

Omani-mediated peace talks between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia marked a hopeful move towards finally ending the proxy war in Yemen. This was an expected step following the earlier Iranian-Saudi détente brokered by China. Since then, officials from both sides have met for several rounds of talks, the most recent in Riyadh this past […]

Recent Al advancements have dominated news headlines as the world debates how to integrate artificial intelligence into our lives and workplaces. Within the Middle East, these debates are particularly prominent in the Arab Gulf where governments are committing huge investments to AI. According to Qatar’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, an AI-augmented workplace – whereby […]

China has historically pursued a restrained and economically focused presence in the Middle East, steering clear of direct involvement in conflicts and refraining from taking positions on contentious disputes. In this, Beijing has largely benefited from the security provisions offered by the United States, thus evading the security expenses and strategic challenges encountered by Washington. […]

European club football’s season is set to culminate with the UEFA men’s Champions League final being staged in Istanbul, Manchester City of the English Premier League facing Italian Serie A team Internazionale of Milan in the competition’s deciding match. On-field, it should be an action-packed showcase for European football, off-field it is less likely to be the […]