Jan 28 2018
Did the detained media moguls capitulate to Muhammad Bin-Salman? By Abdel Bari Atwan Between Friday evening and Saturday morning, the Saudi authorities released some of the most high-profile of the 200+ individuals arrested nearly three months ago on charges of corruption. Their detention had become a liability to the kingdom due to the damage it […]
By mahaburbar1 • Saudi Arabia •
Jan 26 2018
No serious candidates allowed in Egypt’s upcoming elections By Abdel Bari Atwan Following the arrest of former Egyptian army chief Gen. Sami Anan after he threw his hat into the ring to contest the forthcoming presidential elections, and the earlier withdrawal of three other candidates including the lawyer Khaled Ali, author Alaa Aswani posted a […]
By mahaburbar1 • Egypt •
Jan 25 2018
Turkey may not win, but the US is sure to lose By Abdel Bari Atwan The Turkish army offensive which began last week in the Afrin district in north-western Syria is poised to move on to the neighbouring town of Manbaj – where US forces are based in support of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units […]
By mahaburbar1 • Syria, Turkey •
Jan 20 2018
Why has the Trump administration reverted to the regime-change agenda? By Abdel Bari Atwan The Syrian foreign ministry has had an exceptionally busy week, not just preparing for upcoming talks in Vienna and Sochi to seek a political solution to the crisis, but also responding to moves by Turkey and the US: Turkey’s threat to invade […]
By mahaburbar1 • Syria •
Jan 18 2018
On the centenary of the late, great Egyptian leader’s birth By Abdel Bari Atwan Back in 1995, I was invited to take part in a panel discussion at Paris’ Institut du Monde Arabe marking 25 years since the death of the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. The six panellists included three former French ministers. […]
By mahaburbar1 • Egypt •
Jan 16 2018
Wars could be triggered by the growing rivalry for control of what was once an ‘Arab Lake’ By Abdel Bari Atwan In decades past, the Red Sea used to be described as an ‘Arab Lake’. But a completely different impression is conveyed by the escalating regional and international struggle for control of the region these […]
By mahaburbar1 • Egypt, Sudan, Turkey •
Jan 16 2018
US takes another step to establish a separate Kurdish entity in Syria By Abdel Bari Atwan It transpires that the active involvement of the US in destroying Islamic State (IS) in western Iraq and eastern Syria was not primarily to combat terrorism, as its spokespeople have been affirming for the past three years. It was […]
By mahaburbar1 • Syria, United States of America •
Jan 16 2018
It’s become hard to believe anything the Palestinian president says By Abdel Bari Atwan Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech to the Palestine Central Council (PCC)‘s long-awaited meeting in Ramallah was disappointing. He made no mention of the key issues over which there has been a Palestinian popular outcry for firm decisions, such a withdrawing recognition […]
By mahaburbar1 • Palestine •
Jan 14 2018
What’s the Egyptian military establishment planning for the presidential election? By Abdel Bari Atwan While Egypt’s foreign relations are increasingly beset by complications and crises – with Ethiopia over its Nahdha Dam and Sudan over the Halaib border dispute, not to mention Qatar and Turkey – the country’s domestic scene is in no better condition. […]
By mahaburbar1 • Egypt •
Jan 11 2018
Russia and the US increasingly risk coming to blows in Syria By Abdel Bari Atwan The Syrian army, with Iranian ground and Russian air support, has been making rapid advances in the Idlib region, taking the town of Sinjar and tens of other villages in the surrounding countryside, and preparing for a battle for Abu-Dhuhour […]
By mahaburbar1 • Russia, Turkey •
Jan 9 2018
Ill-considered policies are making the country’s many problems worse By Abdel Bari Atwan Three big Egyptian stories have been making headlines in the Arab and international media in recent days – not merely due to their importance and serious implications, but also because they reflect an ill-considered approach to policymaking that could have a negative […]
By mahaburbar1 • Egypt •
Jan 7 2018
Saudi Arabia and Egypt would be well advised to reconsider their embrace of Trump By Abdel Bari Atwan American journalist Michael Wolff’s insider view of the Trump White House, Fire and Fury, has caused an international sensation. The book could end up playing a major role in the eventual downfall of the US president, and his […]
Jan 7 2018
Cash hand-outs can’t keep a lid on Saudi public discontent forever By Abdel Bari Atwan It was no surprise nor coincidence that Saudi King Salman’s decision to order a 52 billion riyal (around $14 billion) hand-out to more than 1.2 million public employees and pensioners to compensate for inflation followed the outbreak of anti-government protests […]
By mahaburbar1 • Saudi Arabia •
Jan 3 2018
Trump would do the Palestinians a favour by cutting off aid to the PA By Abdel Bari Atwan Like many other Palestinians, I pray and implore God that US President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to cut off the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s $300 million annual grant — and also that the European donors […]
By mahaburbar1 • Palestine •
Dec 30 2017
The US and Israel’s secret new anti-Iran plans are unlikely to get them far By Abdel Bari Atwan While Russia strives to move Syria on from a stage of war and bloody anarchy to one of peace, stability and reconstruction — by inviting all parties to next month’s Sochi conference to agree a roadmap including […]
By mahaburbar1 • Israel, The Gulf •
Dec 28 2017
Just as it looked as though Syria and Turkey were reconciling… By Abdel Bari Atwan It is no exaggeration to say that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is among the most controversy-provoking leaders in the Middle East, if not the entire world, and the hardest for politicians and analysts alike to predict – whether in […]
By mahaburbar1 • Syria, Turkey •
Dec 28 2017
Saudis seek to enlist Palestinians in their anti-Hezbollah campaign By Abdel Bari Atwan According to the New York Times, Saudi Arabia has devised a long-term plan to combat Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a lengthy report published on Monday, the paper said the Saudis were trying to establish and arm militias in the country’s Palestinian refugee […]
By mahaburbar1 • Hezbollah, Palestine •
Dec 23 2017
If only the US president would act on his threat to cut off aid to the yes-voters By Abdel Bari Atwan The UN is not for sale. US President Donald Trump failed to buy off the countries of the world, rich and poor, with his dollars or scare them off with his threats. His representative […]
By mahaburbar1 • Palestine •
Dec 21 2017
How much longer before the Saudis agree to negotiate a way out of Yemen? By Abdel Bari Atwan Saudi Arabia’s leaders did not commemorate the passage of 1,000 days since they began their war on Yemen. But the main target of that war, the Houthi Ansarallah movement, was never going to let the occasion pass […]
By mahaburbar1 • Saudi Arabia, Yemen •
Jan 29 2018
Sabotaging Sochi
Russia won’t take lightly US-led attempts to foil its Syria reconciliation conference By Abdel Bari Atwan There is only one explanation for the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC)’s decision to boycott the Syrian dialogue conference that Russia is hosting in the resort of Sochi, and the Kurds in northern Syria doing the same in protest […]
By mahaburbar1 • Syria •