Crisis, What Crisis? – The Al-Qaeda Takeover of Syria
This weekend it was reported that al-Qaeda affiliated rebels were “almost completely in control” of the last major government held city in the Idlib province in northern Syria. This is really big news as it means that the Syrian government’s coastal heartlands including the important port of Latakia, a Baathist stronghold are under direct threat. […]
Winners and Losers in the Changing Arab Gulf Fighter Market
For decades, the Arab Gulf countries have been a very strong market for Western combat aircraft manufacturers. The Mideast is the largest single export fighter market, accounting for 29%, or $38 billion, of Teal Group’s $130.5 billion 2015-2024 export fighter forecast. This excludes tens of billions of dollars in weapons, support, and upgrade work. But over the past year, there have been profound political changes and diplomatic shifts in the region. A very brief list of these changes includes…
Fallout From a Bad Deal With Iran
Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, whenever Americans seem especially polarized over a controversial issue, you hear pundits recall how united we’d became in the aftermath of that vicious attack. Why, they ask, can’t we be like that again?
Will Iran Attempt to Seize Control of Saudi Oilfields?
In 1976 an investment banker turned adventure novelist, Paul Erdman, penned a best-selling thriller, The Crash of ’79. Center to the plot was the Shah of Iran making a grab for the oilfields of the Arab Middle East, with a well-armed military, thanks to rising oil prices. Of course, barely 24 months later the Shah was ousted by radical Islamists, who subsequently bled the country white in a bloody and futile eight-year war with Iraq. Oil prices crashed after Ronald Reagan took office, and all thoughts of an Iranian version of a Nazi blitzkrieg disappeared.
Iran’s Regional Fatigue
The prolonged Syrian civil has exasperated Iran’s foreign policy. For four long years, Tehran feverishly propped up Assad’s regime through various means: extending generous credit to the government, manpower for militias, transforming a once professional army into…
Interior Minister Received Derasat Chairman
Interior Minister Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received here today the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) Major-General Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Fadhala.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey Discussing Unlikely Alliance to Oust Syria’s Assad
Turkey and Saudi Arabia, two nations with a long history of rivalry, are in high-level talks with the goal of forming a military alliance to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
China, Russia, Saudi Arabia Boosted Defense Most as U.S. Cut
Chinese, Russian and Saudi Arabian defense spending increased the most last year, while U.S. expenditures declined, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula Hit by Deadly Bomb Attacks
At least 14 people have been killed in separate bomb attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, security forces have said. Eight people died and 45 others were injured in an explosion outside a police station in El-Arish.
Gulf Armies Are Doomed in Yemen
Sunni Arab Gulf states have great wealth, spend immense amounts on defense, and command large numbers of troops. They have nonetheless depended on foreign powers, chiefly the United States, for their security. Paradoxically, their arms purchases seek to obligate Western powers to defend their big Arab customers, as they try to build competent militaries.
