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James Dorsey

Dr. James M. Dorsey, a non-resident senior associate at the BESA Center, is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture.

At the heart of increasing strains between Pakistan and its traditional Arab allies is India’s ability to help the Gulf states hedge their bets amid regional uncertainty.
Based on public opinion polling in the Arab world, the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE have taken some steps in the right direction—the question is how far they can go.
Saudi Arabia and its crown prince saw the chairmanship as an opportunity to showcase the kingdom’s leadership and vision, but then came the global pandemic and the worst economic downturn since World War II.
The kingdom, its image tarnished by multiple missteps, is seeking to ensure that it is not perceived as the odd man out as smaller Gulf states establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
Beijing could move ahead with a proposed $400 billion cooperation agreement by pushing for Iranian membership in the SCO and renewing interest in a China-Pakistan-Iran-Turkey energy pipeline, but has not moved on either one.
Coupled with the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, and myriad conflicts in the Middle East, the dispute poses challenges to Saudi Arabia’s quest for leadership of the Muslim world.
A Saudi-Pakistani spat over Kashmir, Gulf state feuds and strife between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates put to the test the notion that the Arab and Muslim world shares common interests.
Hobbled by U.S. sanctions and a global economic downturn, Iran has discovered a new weapon: hot air, in the form of a cooperation deal with China that carries messages to its opponents.
Syria could become a key node in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, but it could also drag China closer to the Middle East’s multiple conflicts.
The coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout confront regional leaders with a stark choice: Dial down tensions or risk ever more aggravated political and economic threats.
The United Arab Emirates and Turkey are locked in a regional power struggle that has fueled conflict in Libya and could spark renewed fighting in Syria.
Israel is proving to the Gulf States that it is a more reliable partner in some respects than big powers like the United States, China or Russia, but cooperation with Israel has limits, too.