Sitemap - 2017 - The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey
Betting on the wrong horse? US and Iranian hardliners spin anti-government protests
Chess Tournament puts Sports Governance and Saudi Change under the Microscope
Challenging the Saudi Crown Prince: Alwaleed bin Talal toughs it out
The Killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh - Is Peace in Yemen Possible?
US-Saudi nuclear talks: A barometer for whither the Middle East?
Arab anger: Governments and protesters walk a fine line
China leverages Belt and Road investment to shape Pakistan’s political environment
Tackling Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism: A Pakistani-US collision in the making
Trump's recognition of Jerusalem: Letting a genie out of the bottle
Qatari Wahhabism vs. Saudi Wahhabism and the perils of top-down change
Egyptian President Al-Sisi steps up repression to cover policy failure
Saudi Arabia’s Lebanon gamble may pay off
Gulf Crisis Creates Opportunity for Asian Nations (JMD on Pragati)
Targeting Islamic scholars from Malaysia to Tunisia, Saudia Arabia puts itself in the bull’s eye
Trouble in sport's paradise: Can Qatar overcome the diplomatic crisis?
Qatar 2022 – are the hosts getting a fair hearing? (JMD quoted on Play the Game)
Tackling Corruption: Why Saudi Prince Mohammed’s approach raises questions
Commercial terms call into question China’s win-win Belt and Road initiative
Saudi Prince Mohammed’s Achilles Heel: Misreading tea leaves in Washington
FIFA on Trial: Qatar’s World Cup back in the firing line
Transition in the Middle East: Transition to what?
Saudi-UAE push to mobilize tribes against Qatari emir
Did they or didn’t they? The battle for control of Brussels’ Grand Mosque
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s return to Lebanon: A moment of truth
Arab media: Saudi purge promises tighter control
Murder in The Hague: Saudi-Iranian proxy war heats up
Getting the Saudi fight against corruption right
Saudi Crown Prince’s unprecedented power grab could come to haunt him
FLOODS, IRAN AND A CHINESE CHANNEL: WHAT’S REALLY BEHIND SAUDI PRINCE’S CRACKDOWN? (JMD in SCMP)
Arrested Saudi Prince Has Been a Major Academic Donor (JMD quoted in Al-Fanar Media)
The Middle East: It will only get worse
Oil Majors to Increase Exploration CAPEX for 2018 (JMD quoted in Rigzone)
Saudi Crown Prince’s Mass Purge Upends a Longstanding System (JMD quoted in NYT)
Saudi crackdown raises spectre of wider spread dissent
Palestinians cry foul at FIFA decision (JMD quoted in Al-Monitor)
Gulf crisis: Soccer trumps politics
Its image at risk abroad, Qatar backs labor reforms at home (JMD quoted on Reuters)
In shadowy covert wars, Iran takes centre stage
Saudi women gain access to stadiums: More questions than answers
Palestinian football chiefs hit out at FIFA over Israel decision (JMD quoted in Arab News)
Crown Prince Mohammed’s vow to moderate Saudi Islam: Easier said than done
Saudi Arabia Is Open for Business, but Not Everybody’s Buying (JMD quoted in NYT)
Activists and Gulf crisis turn Qatar into potential model of social change
Egypt’s football Ultras fight on in battle over stadiums (JMD quoted in New Arab)
Gulf crisis broadens definitions of food security
Kurdish battle positions Kurds as US ally against Iran
Countering supremacy: Johor Sultan battles Muslim equivalent of Islamophobia
Saudi Arabia's Revolution From the Top Has No Place for Critics (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Soccer success has a price: Pressure builds to lift Egypt’s stadium ban
US-Turkish visa spat: A fight for basic freedoms
Battling for independence: Small states stake their claim
Playing with Fire: Israel and its problematic friends solidify ties
Women’s driving: Saudi ultra-conservatives lick their wounds
Stick to Sports? No Thanks. (JMD on Press Row)
Malaysian launderette owner stirs Asian hornet’s nest
Repeal of women driving ban tests Saudi reform drive (JMD quoted on AFP)
Women’s driving: Saudi Prince Mohammed’s litmus test
Washed up: Malaysian launderette refuses non-Muslim customers
Shaping Eurasia’s future: Unintended consequences of abrogating Iran’s nuclear deal
Testing the waters: Saudi women get one-time access to a stadium
Trump’s chaos produces results: Gulf states upgrade ties to Israel
Signs of hope in the Middle East? Don’t hold your breath
Saudi Crackdown on Dissent Wins Backing From Religious Body (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Rohingya plight feeds Muslim assertiveness
Jihadist support for Rohingya puts Pakistan and China on the spot
PLIGHT OF MYANMAR’S ROHINGYA: MILITANT ISLAM’S NEXT RALLYING CALL? (JMD in SCMP)
Iranian-Syrian World Cup qualifier ripples far beyond the pitch
BRICS potentially strengthens Trumps hand in tackling Pakistani support of militants
The Gulf crisis: Fighting it out down and dirty
Variations on a theme: The Gulf crisis settles into a family squabble
Trump's Afghan Military Solution Will Fail (JMD on The Real News Network)
Trump draws geopolitical battle lines in South Asia
Football: Second religion of the Middle East (MEE Book Review)
Little-Known Qatari Sheikh Embraced by Saudi in Sudden Move (JMD quoted on Bloomberg
Food for thought: UAE ambassador’s hacked mails feed crucial policy debates
Reducing Middle East tensions? Saudi-UAE moves hint at willingness to engage with Iran
China contributes to doubts about Pakistani crackdown on militants
The Gulf crisis produces snail-pace social change and a dangerous arms race
Gulf media wars produce losers, no winners (Corrected version)
The Gulf crisis: Qatar’s 2022 World Cup moves into the firing line
Playing with Fire: Trump’s Iran policy risks cloning North Korea
Playing both sides against the middle: Saudi engages with Iraqi Shiites
Strife in Jerusalem: Fears of popular revolts bring Israel and Arabs together
The Gulf crisis: A lesson in reputation management
The Gulf crisis: Small states battle it out (SSRN Working Paper Part 1)
Qatar scores, at least on the soccer pitch
US moves against Iran raise spectre of wider regional conflict
How will the Qatar crisis affect internal Palestinian politics? (JMD quoted on Diwan)
The Gulf crisis: A battle of megalomaniacs
The Gulf crisis: Fake news shines spotlight on psychological warfare
CORRECTION: Calls for Stripping Qatar of World Cup suggests Gulf crisis at a stalemate
The Gulf crisis: A coming out of small states
Should small states act like small states? (JMD quoted in Straits Times)
All the UAE’s men: Gulf crisis opens door to power shift in Palestine
Left with no choice: Egypt allows fans to attend international soccer matches
Extremism report puts Saudi Arabia and British PM May on the spot, strengthens Qatar in Gulf Crisis
Qatar: A case study for the role of small states in international relations
Gulf crisis stalemate fuels fears in Muslim Asia
Crisis puts future of Saudi reforms and GCC in doubt
“El fútbol es una estrategia de seguridad para Qatar” (JMD in El Pais)
Saudi-UAE demands challenge fundamentals of international relations
FIFA’s new rule to fight racism in football (JMD quoted)
Saudi Prince Has Throne in His Sights. Now for the Hard Par (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
The Rise of a Prince Ends Doubts Over Saudi Arabia’s Direction (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Gulf crisis ties global soccer governance into knots
The rise of Mohammed bin Salman: A mixed blessing?
The Gulf Crisis: Southeast Asia has seen it all before
The Gulf Crisis Grappling for a face saving solution
Qatar Crisis Mediators Expect Saudi, U.A.E. Proposals Soon (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Stepping up the pressure: Saudi strong arms Muslim nations to take sides in Gulf crisis
The longer the Gulf crisis lasts, the higher the stakes get
Gulf crisis: A battle for the future of the Middle East and the Muslim world
On Qatar, Pakistan walks a diplomatic tightrope (JMD on Al Jazeera)
Gulf Crisis: Rewriting the Political Map?
POT, KETTLE: WHY IRAN BLAMES SAUDI ARABIA FOR ISLAMIC STATE ATTACKS (JMD in SCMP)
Qatar World Cup 2022: Tournament's sanctity a bargaining chip for Gulf foes (JMD quoted on CNN)
Crisis in the Gulf: Escalation or negotiation?
Muslim Asia caught in the middle as diplomatic row rocks Middle East (JMD quoted on Reuters)
Gulf crisis: Surrender or dig in for the long haul
WHY SAUDI-UAE CAMPAIGN AGAINST QATAR AND IRAN PUTS CHINA IN A BIND (JMD in SCMP)
Saudi-Led Alliance Moves to Isolate Qatar Over Iran Tensions (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Saudi-UAE campaign to isolate Qatar and Iran puts Muslim nations in a bind
US takes step towards embrace of Gulf plan to destabilize Iran
THE US-SAUDI PLOT FOR IRAN THAT SPELLS TROUBLE FOR CHINA’S NEW SILK ROAD (JMD in SCMP)
Policy differences emerge among Gulf states days after wooing President Trump
Two conferences spotlight Muslim world’s struggle to counter militancy
One Belt, One Road: A plan for Chinese dominance and authoritarianism
Palestinians lament FIFA's delayed decision on settlement teams (JMD quoted in Al-Monitor)
Conflict in the Middle East threatens Pakistan and lynchpin of China’s One Belt, One Road
Rising Iranian-Pakistani tensions render Pakistani policy unsustainable
Pakistan caught in the middle as China’s OBOR becomes Saudi-Iranian-Indian battleground
Blasphemy and Terrorism: Catchall Phrases to Repress Dissent
Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad: The rise and fall of political corruption in international sports
The pope in Egypt: Tiptoeing through a minefield
Saudi ultra-conservatives take anti-reform stand on women’s sports
Rouhani’s defeat in upcoming election to put nuclear deal at risk (JMD quoted on Trend)
Trump and China risk sparking dangerous Middle East arms race
King Scales Back Austerity Plan That Set Saudis Grumbling (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Settlements and Soccer (JMD on Peace Now podcast)
Pakistan’s lurch towards ultra-conservativism abetted by Saudi-inspired pyramid scheme (Part 2)
FIFA Congress: An Israeli-Palestinian battleground
Towards a New World Order in Eurasia: The 21st Century’s Great Game (Part 2)
Sport, culture and entertainment: Driving tricky Saudi change
Towards a New World Order in Eurasia: The 21st Century’s Great Game
Saudi-Iranian rivalry fuels potential nuclear race
Pakistan in the hot seat as general takes command of Saudi-led alliance
Mixing politics and sports: Turkish soccer campaigns for President Erdogan
Defeating the Islamic State: A war mired in contradictions
Middle East Soccer: Trump’s Israel-Palestine peace making put to the test
Protest in Iran: The murky geopolitics of soccer
Spreading the Gospel: Asian Leaders Wary of Saudi Religious Diplomacy
Pakistani military engagement: Walking a fine line between Saudi Arabia and Iran
WHY SAUDI ARABIA, CHINA AND ISLAMIC STATE ARE COURTING THE MALDIVES (JMD in SCMP)
Walking a tightrope: China maneuverers between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Sunni ultra-conservatism and Western populism: Two sides of the same coin
WHAT SAUDI KING SALMAN WANTS FROM HIS TOUR OF CHINA, MALAYSIA (JMD IN SCMP)
The Post-2011 Arab World: Change is the Name of the game (JMD on Mobilizing Ideas)
Asian ports: Pitfalls of China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative
Whither the Muslim World’s NATO?
Bowing to pressure: Iran grants women spectators access to sporting event
Challenging the state- Pakistani militants form deadly alliance
Militants put half-hearted Pakistani counter-terrorism at crossroads
Women’s gyms lay bare limits of Saudi reforms
EXCLUSIVE - Going into politics: Detained Pakistani militant tests the system
Trump pressured to confront Pakistan on support for militants
Protecting Militants: China blocks UN listing of Pakistani as a globally designated terrorist
Tackling Iran: Trump fuels the fire
Pakistani crackdown: One hand works to neutralize the other
The Muslim world: Liberals pay the price for Trump and Saudi-supported illiberalism
Qatar’s World Cup sparks battle for legal, social and political reform
Trump’s presidency bolsters autocrats as Egypt designates soccer icon a terrorist
Creating Frankenstein: Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative footprint in Africa
Qatari backtracking on labour rights and cooperation with Russia reflects new world order
Qatar and the 'Voiceless Victims' mystery (Reposted by Al-Bab.com)
Islamic State Violence fuels culture wars and widens generation gaps
Think that 2016 was a tough year for Saudi Arabia? Wait till you see 2017