Oil
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Qatar
How Qatar turns its cash into foreign policy power
For years, Qatar has pursued a "soft" foreign policy that helped make international friends and influence the powerful. It includes spending billions on everything from fashion, art and sport, to charities and industry. By Cathrin Schaer
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Iran and global energy supplies
Covert conflict in the Gulf
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has been trying to find alternatives to Russian gas, inevitably zeroing in on the Arab Gulf states. In his commentary, Yemeni politician Muammar al-Iryani proposes a simple way for the West to secure international shipping routes
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Arab League 2022
Hopeless reunion in Algeria?
After a two-year hiatus, the Arab League re-convened at the beginning of November in Algiers against a backdrop of uncertainty and discord. By Pierre Boussel
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Germany and the Gulf
Balancing ethics and economics
Germany needs a strategy when brokering deals with countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that allows it to maintain its own moral compass. By Sebastian Sons
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Saudi Arabia
Do billion-dollar investments overseas hide a political agenda?
Saudi Arabia is using its oil wealth to invest huge sums in other countries, apparently to diversify its own economy. Critics are concerned that the build-up of financial muscle abroad could be used for political ends. Cathrin Schaer reports
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Scholz in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates
The autocrats' finest hour
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent trip to the Persian Gulf underlines Germany's need for consistency in its dealings with the region's assertive rulers, writes Loay Mudhoon
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'The Line' in Saudi Arabia
Mohammed bin Salman's febrile dream
Plans for Neom, the futuristic ecocity in Saudi Arabia's desert, are taking shape. In the form of a straight line, for nine million inhabitants. Merely a pipe-dream? Commentary by Gerhard Matzig
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Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia
Trading recognition for oil
With his fist bump greeting for a man he previously called a pariah, US President Biden has paved the way for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's return to the international stage. All other items on the agenda of his Middle East trip faded into the background. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Germany's energy policy and the Middle East
Beware of tunnel vision!
Foresight is needed to turn the tide of German policy. Being independent of Russia must not lead to dependence on authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. By Kristin Helberg
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The Middle East's "Axis of Failure"
Arab autocrats – ruining their own states
In "Die Achse des Scheiterns", Rainer Hermann of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung explains with refreshing clarity what is currently going wrong in the Arab world. Wolfgang Freund read the book
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Gulf states and sustainability
Desert-grown superfood puts 'healthy' burgers on UAE menus
A hardy plant grown using salt water is thriving in the UAE's desert farms and helping create "healthy" burgers, showing sustainable agriculture's potential in the toughest conditions. The succulent, salicornia, is already being used as a salt replacement in burger patties
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Environmental jihad
Can "green Islam" save Indonesia from climate collapse?
Calls for an environmentally-conscious form of Islam are growing in Indonesia, as climate change poses enormous ecological challenges for the country. Experts say it could change society's approach to climate efforts. Enno Hinz reports