Middle East

On December 24, 2021, Libya was supposed to hold a popular vote for the country’s first president, but it never did. If “outside players” had not interfered in the general elections, these would have been held long ago, Libyans and many observers believe. However, the US, which has a direct interest…

The December 27th speech of Lebanese president Michel Aoun has attracted some international interest. It is to be hoped that it would, given the situation there at present. Lebanon is a country facing many problems, as if unending, and previously reported in NEO. The Lebanese pound has lost 90% of its value, and…

In recent months, anti-American sentiments among the Syrians have noticeably intensified in Syria, demanding the withdrawal of the US Army from this country. The growth of these sentiments is due not only to the continuing illegal export of Syrian oil by the United States to Iraq, as regularly reported by the Syrian Arab news agency SANA and from the UN rostrum by the official…

At the end of December, the Turkish authorities were forced to suspend maritime traffic through the Bosporus Strait for a day after the BARLAS, a 70-meter-long (230-foot-long) dry cargo vessel under the Panama flag ran aground after engine failure. The maritime traffic in this vital sea route was restored on December 29. This is the second incident…

Despite modern agro-industrial technologies, the trend towards food shortages continues. This, in particular, is evidenced by the information published by the UN that up to 820 million people are starving in the world, which is about 10% of the world population.  There are more malnourished and hungry people around the world today than ever before, despite…

Earlier this September media outlets close to Saudi Arabia announced with much fanfare that Yemen’s intelligence services had scored a massive victory in arresting the man they dubbed the ‘Khomeini of Yemen’, and that thanks to such efforts the Houthis had had the wind taken off their sail…

The China-Middle East relations have grown multi-dimensional to the extent that Washington’s persistent efforts to unplug them have fell on deaf ears in Abu Dhabi and beyond. At the same time, Washington’s own troubles with other Middle East states, such as Saudi Arabia, have directly allowed China to expand its ties beyond economic cooperation, trade and investment…

Presidential elections should have been held in Libya on December 24, but now, in a country torn apart by war, acrid feud, and institutional divisions, few believe that the vote will take place at all. The High National Electoral Commission (HNEC), the body overseeing the vote, stated with great regret that it was unable to announce the final approved candidates…

After Israel signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 to normalize relations with the UAE and Bahrain, and then with Morocco, whether Saudi Arabia will be next in line in this process is being actively discussed in the United States, Israel, and the Middle East in general. The intensity of such discussions increased…

On 24 December 2021, Libya was scheduled to hold a popular vote for the country’s first president, but it never took place: The Election Commission failed to publish the final list of candidates on time, and on December 21, the head of the Commission, Imad al-Saih, ordered the closing of polling stations. The vote was postponed indefinitely at the last minute because…

A major blow has been inflicted to the US standing and influence in the Middle East by the UAE that is scraping the F-35 deal with Washington. This decision comes on the back of some stubborn US efforts to dissuade the UAE from acquiring the Chinese 5G expertise. The US has been doing everything it could to force Abu Dhabi into sacrificing its relations…

Against the background of consistent strengthening by Egypt of its role in the Arab world and and in the international arena, further coordination of policy between Egypt and Russia continues with the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields. Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, held a meeting with colleagues from Egypt…