Legacy: Gulf - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Legacy: Gulf

The PwC Tower, or Libeskind Tower, Milan, March 12, 2021.

Analysis

Can Gulf states slash costly reliance on Western consultancies?

A one-year ban on PwC acquiring work in Saudi Arabia has highlighted the Gulf states' dependency on Western firms and the need to develop local consultancies and talent.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

Analysis

Can Saudi Arabia afford giga-projects with oil prices under $75 per barrel?

Riyadh could soon run a current account deficit as oil revenue declines amid huge spending commitments toward ambitious Vision 2030 projects. Saudi-led OPEC has also deferred an output increase plan to allow more time to reach desired oil prices.

Jennifer Gnana

Samuel Wendel

By Jennifer Gnana , Samuel Wendel

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE's final unit of Barakah nuclear reactor hooked to grid: What we know

The Emirates is the only Gulf country with a nuclear power program, though neighboring Saudi Arabia also has atomic power ambitions.

United Arab Emirates

A cargo ship is docked at the port of Yemen's Huthi-held city of Hodeida on July 28, 2024. Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi entity denies its ship hit as Houthis claim attack on Greek tanker

Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri denied reports that its tanker Amjad came under attack by the Houthis, the Yemeni armed group that has stepped up attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Latest News

Analysis

Telegram CEO's arrest spotlights UAE’s investment-based citizenship laws

MUNICH, GERMANY - JANUARY 24: Pavel Durov of Vkontakte speaks during the Digital Life Design conference (DLD) at HVB Forum on January 24, 2012 in Munich, Germany. ence and culture which connects business, creative and social leaders, opinion-formers and investors for crossover conversation and inspiration. (Photo by Nadine Rupp/Getty Images)

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Heavy floods hit Dubai, airport as Oman toll rises to 18

Dubai's roads were badly hit by the heavy downpours

Agence France-Presse

Oman launches $5 billion 'Future Fund' in sign of economic progress

HAITHAM AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP via Getty Images

Al-Qaeda attack in Yemen kills 2 members of southern forces

Security forces deploy near Aden International Airport in Yemen's southern city on April 14, 2023 during a prisoner exchange between the internationally recognised-government and the Sanaa-based Huthi rebels.

A general view of the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo August 18, 2013. Egypt's stock market fell sharply on Sunday as it resumed trading after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown by the army-backed government on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. Banks and the stock market reopened for the first time since Wednesday's carnage, with shares rapidly falling 2.5 percent. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS) - RTX12PJU

Egypt’s real challenge: reviving the economy

Even after a revolution that called for social justice, Egyptians must balance between legitimate demands to rectify the accumulated effect of years of social injustice, and the treasury’s ability to honor these demands.

Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf (front, 2nd R) walks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdulatif al-Zayani (front R) to attend a meeting of Gulf Arab monetary and finance officials in Riyadh October 5, 2013. The central bank of Saudi Arabia, one of the world's top holders of U.S. government bonds, said on Saturday it was not worried by the political deadlock in Washington that could cause the United States to default on its debt. The U.S. Congress must agree on a measure

Saudi Arabia Deepens Its Isolation

The kingdom’s rejection of UN Security Council seat does not convey more proactive foreign policy.

Lebanese army soldiers are deployed on their armoured vehicles in Beirut's southern suburbs September 23, 2013. Lebanese security personnel were deployed today in the southern suburbs of Beirut, part of a move to take over the checkpoints set up by Hezbollah after recent car bombings targeted the area, according to the local media. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13WWO

Nasrallah Warns Turkey, Gulf on Syria

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah speaks on Syria and the region.

Control, Halt, Delete: Gulf States Crack Down on Online Critics

The Gulf states’ heavy-handed response to online criticism was entirely predictable and shows no signs of abating.

Arab foreign ministers attend a bi-annual meeting of the Arab League in Cairo September 9, 2009. Among the issues being discussed is US President Barack Obama's Middle East peace initiative where he has called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity, as a basis for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict. Israel recently authorized construction of hundreds of housing units on occupied Palestinian land. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT POLITICS) - RTR27MDV

Middle East Needs 'Win-Win' Approach to Regional Security

An approach is overdue for regional security that recognizes the interests of Iran, Israel and all the states of West Asia.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) meets with Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (L) in Baghdad, July 7, 2013. Barzani visited Baghdad on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in a symbolic step to resolve disputes between the central government and the autonomous region over land and oil. The visit follows an equally rare trip by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who met Barzani in Kurdistan last month, breaking ice between leaders who have repeatedly accused each other of violating

Activist's Detention Possible Turning Point for Kuwaiti Women

The sentence of political activist Sara Aldrees highlights growing female involvement in Kuwaiti politics.

A woman holds a poster of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi during a pro-Islamist demonstration in Istanbul July 1, 2013. Pro-Islamist groups held a demonstration in Istanbul in support of Mursi on Tuesday. Egypt's armed forces handed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi a virtual ultimatum to share power on Monday, giving feuding politicians 48 hours to compromise or have the army impose its own road map for the country. The slogan on the poster reads, "Mursi, you are not alone!" REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Ta

Turkish Islamists Angered By Arab Gulf Stance on Egypt

Turkey’s isolation over Egypt has forced it to rethink its regional policies.

A portrait of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is seen on barbed wire outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo July 8, 2013. At least 51 people were killed on Monday when demonstrators enraged by the military overthrow of Egypt's elected Islamist president said the army opened fire during morning prayers outside the Cairo barracks where Mursi is believed to be held .REUTERS/Louafi Larbi (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX11GWI

Gulf States Embrace Post-Brotherhood Egypt

Gulf states are lining up to support Egypt after President Mohammed Morsi's ouster, including more than $8 billion in financial assistance, but should do more to ensure the country does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Supporters of Kuwaiti former member of parliament and opposition politician Musallam al-Barrak wave flags as they march towards the central prison in Andulos, after a ruling sentenced Barrak to jail for insulting the emir, April 15, 2013. Barrak was sentenced to five years in jail on Monday for insulting the emir, his lawyer said, in a ruling that brought thousands of people to the streets in protest. The Kuwaiti criminal court found Barrak guilty of insulting Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah in a speech in O

Kuwait’s Liberal Bloc Welcomes Court Ruling on Parliament

Kuwait’s liberal bloc is seizing the opportunity to restore its political voice with the dissolution of parliament.

A woman votes at a polling station in Kuwait city February 2, 2012. Kuwaitis headed to the polls on Thursday for the fourth time in six years in a snap parliamentary election in which opposition candidates expect to expand their influence and push for change in the oil-exporting Gulf Arab state. REUTERS/Stringer (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2X7TI

Kuwaiti Parliament is Failing Women Citizens

A new proposal to increase unemployment payments to jobless Kuwaiti women will ensure more women stay at home and out of the workforce.

Smoke is seen after United Arab Emirates F-16 fighter jets fired missiles during joint military manoeuvres with the French army in the desert of Abu Dhabi May 2, 2012. REUTERS/Ben Job (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE SEE: GM1E85G1LE201 - RTR31I22

The Limits to Europe's Pivot to the Gulf

As the US strategic posture pivots toward Asia, Europe is looking again at the Gulf.

Kuwaiti men stand at the main entrance of the Kuwait Parliament December 10, 2009, after the parliament session on the issue of "bedoons" (stateless Kuwaiti residents) was cancelled due to the lack of quorum. Police had cordoned off the area surrounding the Parliament to prevent any possible protests from the stateless people in the city. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT POLITICS) - RTXROPH

Is Kuwait Serious About Bedoon Naturalization?

Given the history of unfulfilled promises by the Kuwait government, the Bedoon community is skeptical of the country's seriousness in granting them citizenship, Mona Kareem writes.