Qatar Outfoxed Its GCC Neighbours. Now It Needs Them
Qatar built its brand around resisting its neighbours. Can it now join them in its hour of need? Commentary by senior state-affiliated…
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Author: Iqal Analysis Staff
The Mecca Defence Pact: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Hedge Their Bets in a Marriage of Convenience
A new “NATO-style” pact says less about a shared vision of collective defence than about three very different powers seeking insurance against…
The Hamas Disarmament Agreement Is Only a Beginning for Gaza
Disarmament is not merely the collection of weapons, nor is reconstruction merely the rebuilding of houses. Recent reports of progress in negotiations…
Ceuta’s Border Collapse: Spain, Morocco and Europe’s Migration Reckoning
Ceuta’s longer-term significance may lie less in the crisis itself than in what it hands to politicians and policymakers worldwide. Governments and…
Tunisia’s Arab Spring Faces a Summer of Heatwaves, Blackouts and Crackdowns
A government that cannot guarantee electricity supply through a heatwave, critics argue, has little claim to the sweeping authority it has accumulated…
The Disarmament Paradox: A Case Study of Militias That Laid Down Their Weapons
The hidden rewards of disarmament — and the heavy costs of remaining armed. Almost four decades have passed since a historic accord…
The Iron Deal: Amid Iran Attacks, Jordan Doubles Down on US Ties
As Jordanian air defences engaged Iranian missiles over its skies, and America began to count its dead, Jordan offered something more forceful…
The 2026 Middle East Shock: Oil, Markets and the Global Economy
Six months into 2026, the global economy is absorbing what the International Energy Agency (IEA) and S&P Global have both described as…
Turbulence over Arabia: The Houthi Blockade of Saudi Arabia Could End Four Years of Relative Calm
The Houthis have shown before that a limited, symbolic dispute can curdle into a maritime campaign with real economic teeth within days…
Western Sahara’s Future: Trump, Morocco and Algeria’s Next Move
Where earlier decades saw greater international sympathy for Sahrawi independence or a UN-mediated referendum on the territory’s future, the diplomatic tide has…