Sitemap - 2018 - The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey
Jonathan Fulton and Li-Chen Sim, "External Powers and the Gulf Monarchies" (Routledge, 2018)
JMD on NBN External Powers and the Gulf Monarchies
JMD on ACJS: US’s Iran Sanctions: Mixed Prospects and a Beyond-SWIFT Question
US’s Iran Sanctions: Mixed Prospects and a Beyond-SWIFT Question
Efforts to return Syria’s Assad to Arab fold amount to hollow victory for autocrats
Efforts to return Syria’s Assad to Arab fold amount to hollow victory for autocrats
US troop withdrawals threaten to fuel greater, potentially problematic Gulf assertiveness
JMD on NBN: Securing the Belt and Road
Crackdown in Xinjiang: China and the Islamic world’s Achille Heel
Stepped up US military posture in the Gulf threatens Indian hopes for Iran’s Chabahar port
Gulf rivalries spill onto the soccer pitch
Shifting Middle Eastern sands spotlight diverging US-Saudi interests
US Senate resolution potentially changes Middle East dynamics
ROYAL ROAD AHEAD: SAUDI PRINCE LEAVES G20 CONFIDENT, TURNING CORNER AFTER KHASHOGGI SCANDAL
JMD on NBN: Aasim Sajjad Akhtar's The Politics of Common Sense
Saudi diplomatic offensive seeks to put Khashoggi behind it and thwart Qatar
Nuclear energy; Saudi Arabia’s coming Washington battle
Chinese consulate attack puts Pakistan between a rock and a hard place
The Khashoggi crisis: (Re)Shaping US politics as well as relations with Saudi Arabia
Saudi sports diplomacy: A mirror image of the kingdom’s already challenged policies
The Khashoggi crisis: Saudi Arabia braces for tougher post-election US attitude
Strange bedfellows: Ideology trumps defense of ethnic, religious and minority rights
The Khashoggi crisis: Putting Humpty Dumpty back together
Saudi Arabia and Iran: When it comes to exiles, the pot calls the kettle black
Imran Khan CPEC Diplomacy: Remodelling Trade Politics between Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and China
Reforming the Faith: Indonesia’s battle for the soul of Islam
The Khashoggi Crisis: A blessing in disguise for Pakistan’s Imran Khan
Pakistan and its Militants: Who is Mainstreaming Whom?
A gruesome murder bares world powers’ flawed policies
Khashoggi crisis highlights why investment in Asia is more productive than in the Middle East
Turkey plays Khashoggi crisis to its geopolitical advantage
MbS: Riding roughshod or playing a risky game of bluff poker?
Kazakh court case tests Chinese power
Jamal Khashoggi rejiggers the Middle East at potentially horribly cost
Remodelling the Belt and Road: Pakistan picks up the torch
Pakistani poker: Playing Saudi Arabia against China
Achieving religious harmony in a world of fear and populism
Journalist’s disappearance challenges fragile Middle Eastern pragmatism
Fragility of Middle East alliances becomes ever more apparent
China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom
Global watchdog takes Saudi Arabia to task for lax anti-terrorism finance measures
Battling it out at the UN: Potholes overshadow US-Iran confrontation
Attack in Iran raises spectre of a potentially far larger conflagration
Middle Eastern Black Swans dot China’s Belt and Road
The Two-Trillion Bubble: What Aramco IPO reveals about MBS’s 2030 Vision
JMD on NBN: Saudi Inc. by Ellen R. Wald
China struggles with Belt and Road pushback
Party vs Faith: China drafts restrictions for all religions
JMD on NBN: Courtney Freer on Rentier Islam
Turkic Muslims: China and the Muslim world’s Achilles Heel
The battle for Idlib: A potential Catch-22 for China
Criticism of Saudi leadership seeps through cracks as report questions kingdom’s utility for Britain
The long shadow of the Gulf crisis: Qatar emerges as key player in Gaza crisis
Madiha Afzal: Pakistan Under Siege
Self-fulfilling prophecies: Chinese fear attacks by Uyghur jihadists
Playing politics with religion: Imran Khan puts himself between a rock and a hard place
Regional players manoeuvre to reengineer the Israeli Palestinian landscape
Transition in the Middle East: Transition to What?
Turkey’s financial crisis raises questions about China’s debt-driven development model
Pakistan at a crossroads as Imran Khan is sworn in
Amid ethnic protests, Iran warns of foreign meddling
The Uyghur militant threat: China cracks down and mulls policy changes
Yemen war challenges Saudi moral authority
NBN Book Review Podcast of With Us and Against Us by Stephen Tankel
Saudi Arabia and Iran woo incoming Pakistani prime minister
Multiple diplomatic spats raise questions about Saudi concept of sovereignty
Trouble in Sport Paradise: Can Qatar Overcome the Diplomatic Crisis?
Can the US make Iran sanctions stick?
Big power competition in the Eastern Mediterranean: Is Trump missing the point?
Talking to Rouhani: Is Trump shooting from the hip or following a script?
Despite concerns, China sees a potential ally in Pakistan’s Imran Khan
Lack of global leadership spurs instability in the Middle East
Saudi oil shipment halt: A potential watershed in the Yemen war
China’s policies spur Central Asians to cautiously chart independent course
Securing Xinjiang: China adds security component to Belt and Road initiative
Saudi-UK media tie-up: Targeting the non-Arabic-speaking Middle East
A double-edged sword: China and Pakistan link up with fibreoptic cable
Russian Hackers: The shadowy world of US and Gulf hacks just got murkier
Pakistani elections spotlight the country’s contradictory policies
Xinjiang: Pan-Turkism fuels China’s hearts-and-minds campaign
Xinjiang: China ignores lessons from the past
Pakistan’s financial crisis puts Belt and Road on the spot
Combatting political violence: Pakistan’s determination is put to the test
The battle for Iran: Policy or regime change?
Saudi religious diplomacy targets Jerusalem
The Middle East: History threatens to repeat itself
Shooting oneself in one’s own foot: Pakistan’s failed effort to evade terrorism finance listing
Iran’s Chabahar port is where Asian and Middle Eastern rivalries collide
Malaysian-Saudi relations: A lesson in the pitfalls of authoritarianism and autocracy
Indonesian Muslim leader signals global shifts in meetings with Pence and Netanyahu
Eurasianism wins in Turkey even if ideologue loses election
The Saudi-Moroccan spat: Competing for the mantle of moderate Islam
Morocco may have lost the World Cup but could lead the way in protest
Israel adopts abandoned Saudi sectarian logic
Saudi Arabia drags geopolitical baggage on to the World Cup pitch
Parallels between Turkish soccer and general elections could prove uncanny
Saudi effort to isolate Iran internationally produces results
Israel scores painful own goal in run-up to the World Cup
Jordanian protests: Revisiting the Arab Spring and setting a benchmark
King Abdullah of Jordan: Balancing on an ever-tighter tightrope
2018 World Cup potentially set to become latest Middle Eastern battlefield
Politicizing Education: Israel and Myanmar set worrisome precedent
Mahathir’s reforms could put Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the spot
How much solidarity with Iran can the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization afford?
2018 World Cup offers Chechnya opportunity to play Middle Eastern politics
Middle Eastern culture wars: The battle of the palates
Dodging UN and US designations: Hafez Saeed maintains utility for Pakistan and China
What to do with Pakistani militant Hafez Saeed? Pakistan and China grope for ambiguity
The battle for the Iranian nuclear deal: China approaches a watershed
Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister puts Pakistani military and China on the spot
Trump’s abrogation of Iran deal may put his America First policy to the test
Middle Eastern rivalry spills onto Asian soccer pitches
SPACE SCIENCE AND THE ARAB WORLD Astronauts, Observatories, and Nationalism in the Middle East
Playing US sanctions: China walks a fine line in Iran
Saudi Moroccan soccer spat symbolizes the Arab world’s new politics
May 12: A potentially future-shaping day for the Middle East
Gulf crisis escalates as major corporations are forced to take sides
Shifting energy import patterns enhance China’s clout in the Middle East
Astronomy: The outer frontier of MbS’ liberalization
Geopolitics magnify sustained political violence in Balochistan
Algerian controversy over Salafism puts government control of religion on the spot
Saudi engagement in Iraq: The exception that confirms the rule?
The Saudi Export of Ultra-conservatism in the Era of MbS – an Update
Rolling back militancy: Bangladesh looks to Saudi in a twist of irony
Turning Qatar into an Island: Saudi cuts off its nose to spite its face
The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Politics of Middle Eastern Soccer
Remembering Syria: Iran struggles with potentially explosive environmental crisis
Moderating Islam: Saudi Prince Mohammed walks on shaky ground
China moves to counter violent and non-violent expressions of Uighur identity
Anticipated harder US policy towards Iran magnifies Iranian Arab protest
Egyptian ultras: Down but not out
Will the real Pakistan stand up, please?
Natural gas: An underrated driver of Saudi hostility towards Iran and Qatar
Make Wine Not War: Wineism’s recipe for a sustainable political future
Saudi Prince Mohammed’s religious moderation unlikely to change Asian realities
Saudi moderation: How far will Crown Prince Mohammed go?
Shooting an Own Goal: China’s Belt and Road funding terms spark criticism
Countering Extremism: Jihadist Ideology Reigns Supreme
Pakistan struggles to get a grip on militancy and ultra-conservatism
Smoking and drinking: Churchill sets an example today’s Western leaders can learn from
International soccer bodies ignore blatant rule violations in run-up to Egyptian election
Arabs leverage lucrative nuclear contracts to enhance security and keep options open
The Middle East’s nuclear technology clock starts ticking
China’s dilemma: Balancing support for militants with struggle against political violence
Gulf crisis upends fiction of a separation of sports and politics
Valentine’s Day pinpoints limits of Saudi prince’s Islamic reform effort
China’s step into the maelstrom of the Middle East (JMD in EAF)
Expanding regional rivalries: Saudi Arabia and Iran battle it out in Azerbaijan
Surrendering a Brussels mosque: A Saudi break with ultra-conservatism?
Chinese extradition request puts crackdown on Uyghurs in the spotlight
Crisis in the Maldives: A geopolitical chess game
Asia’s dark underbelly: Conflicts threaten long-term stability and development
Double-edged sword: Opinion poll shows Trump’s Iran policy risks
Tackling Pakistani madrassas An uphill struggle
Moderating Saudi Islam: Government proposes tightening fundraising rules
How regional rivalries threaten to fuel the fire in Syria and Iran
Kidnapping and ant-Shiite rhetoric stirs Malaysian debate about Saudi-inspired ultra-conservatism
Testing Prince Mohammed’s pledge to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam
Iran: Protests and threat of renewed sanctions focus economic thinking
Whither Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ‘moderate’ Islam?
Gulf crisis turns Qatar into the ‘region’s Israel’
Chinese engineer’s disappearance takes on geopolitical significance
Sovereign wealth funds: Investment vehicles or political operators?
Salafi mission calls into question Saudi concept of moderation and policy in Yemen
Iranian protests expose contours of leadership in the Muslim world
Saudi sports: The dark side of Crown Prince Mohammed’s reforms
Pakistani politics risk aggravating problems and heightening regional tension
Covert wars: Iran and Saudi Arabia revisit their strategies
A game of chess: Gulf crisis expands into the Horn of Africa
Iranian protests raise tricky questions for US and Saudi policymakers