... security issues in the Middle East and North Africa took place.
High-level experts from Russia, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, China, and India took part in the discussion. The discussion focused on the attempts of the leadership of Iraq to mediate in negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as the potential impact of the change of power in Afghanistan on the balance of power in the region and the prospects for strengthening security in the Middle East.
Irina Zvyagelskaya, RIAC Member, Head of the Center for the Middle ...
... a satellite state. This will mark the coming era which will witness many Kuwaiti liberals, calling for safeguarding the country from any foreign interference.
Bahrain
As for Bahrain which is almost connected in its domestic and foreign policies with Saudi Arabia, it is slated that Manama will proceed further with the current trend of policies which would affect its relations with other GCC states at a later stage including those with Oman and at a later stage with Iraq due to the strong connections between Iraqi military groups with those in Bahrain whom Bahrain would accuse of tampering with its security and stability.
Other Key Players
Irina Zviagelskaya, Nikolay Surkov:
Russian Policy in the Middle East: Dividends ...
... of Saudi power projection, it is practical to start with area where Saudi Arabia is located, that is, the “South.”
The South
We speak here of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar. With possible implications into the “North”: Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Saudi Arabia
is pivotal for the whole region and is unstable at the same time. The current path is pointing to an ever more oppressive system, concentrating power and stagnant wealth into the hands of a very small group. Such system will become ever more ...
... participation of American troops in 2003–2004 and during which al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army troops rallied against the occupation forces following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Thus, steps have been taken to intensify contacts between the southern regions of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Despite the fact that many problems remain (corruption is a prime example), such actions affect trade relations between the two states, help to build trust and reduce the importance of confessional differences, all of which contribute to ...
... Adnani released a statement in May that called upon Muslims worldwide to make Ramadan “a month of calamity everywhere for non-believers”.
A string of attacks carried out by Islamic State fighters throughout the Middle East rocked Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the final days of the holy month of Ramadan. The devastating suicide bomb attack in a predominantly Shia area of Baghdad that took 292 lives was shocking in its barbarity but was not surprising in its nature. The Islamic State that claims ...
... requires Nouri al-Maliki’s government to modify its domestic policies and offset the destructive influence by external actors, chiefly Saudi Arabia.
Necessity to Contain Iran
Statista / Iraqbodycount.org
Number of documented civilian deaths in
the Iraq war from 2003 to 2013
Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the destabilization of Iraq is primarily rooted in significant changes in the Middle East security system. Following its policy of stabilizing relations with Iran, the U.S. has destroyed the containment system of the ...
