[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Greenert confirms expanded footprint in Bahrain Hendrick Simoes examines the statement made by Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations, on the importance of Bahrain for US presence in the region.
Iran nuclear deal: Saudi Arabia and Gulf react with caution Ian Black examines the reactions of the Gulf states to the rapprochement between Washington and Tehran.
Is there a crisis in US-Saudi relations? Bernard Haykel argues that Washington has to address the kingdom’s regional concerns.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal: An Ally Frets About American Retreat Mathew Kaminski reports on a conversation between the Saudi prince and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal over the US policy in the Middle East and the Iranian threat.
U.S. and Saudis in Growing Rift as Power Shifts Robert F. Worth predicts that the fallout between the once-close allies indicates a shift in international and regional alliances.
A narcissistic US, an anxious Saudi Arabia and a hysterical Israel Amal Saad-Ghorayeb analyzes the “dysfunctional” relationship between the United States and its Israeli and Saudi allies in light of the nuclear talks with Iran.
Saudi Arabia irritated by the changing US relationship with Iran Ian Black reflects on the Saudi reaction to the growing rapport between Tehran and Washington.
Saudi hostility to the Iran nuclear deal should alarm us more than Israel’s Mary Dejevsky argues that in the long run, the hostility of Saudi Arabia to the nuclear deal with Iran can be a greater threat to regional stability.
Saudi King Tells Suleiman Army Must Fight Hezbollah The Saudi king tells the Lebanese president that the Lebanese army should prevent Hizbullah from fighting in Syria.
Beirut Bombing: A Saudi Gift to Iran Ibrahim al-Amin blames Saudi Arabia for the twin suicide bombings near the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
Saudi Arabia urges citizens to leave Lebanon The Saudi government asks its nationals to leave Lebanon following the two suicide bombings near the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
Arab ministers applaud for Israel’s president in secret meeting The Israeli president received applause from twenty-nine foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries during the Gulf security summit in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.
Saudi denies contact with Israel on Iran Riyadh rules out any contact with Israel following a report in Britain’s Sunday Times on the coordination between the two countries.
Iran-Saudi Arabia: a troubled affair Khosrow Soltani argues that an agreement between the two countries is essential to regional stability and their national interests.
Iran says seeks stronger cooperation with Saudi Arabia The Iranian foreign minister, on a tour in the Gulf states, tells reporters that Iran hopes to strengthen cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
Iraq and Saudi Arabia: between a rock and a hard place Salah Nasrawi asks if Iraq can navigate the geo-political rivalry between regional powers.
Mortar bombs land in Saudi desert Iraq and Saudi Arabia are investigating the firing of six mortar bombs which landed in Saudi Arabia, near the borders with Kuwait and Iraq.
What does Saudi Arabia want? Shashank Joshi provides an analysis of Saudi Arabia’s options following the West’s deal with Iran over its nuclear program.
Saudi’s internal power struggle sends ripples across international borders David Hearst looks at the impact of the battle over succession within the Saudi royal family on the kingdom’s foreign policy.
MPs questions UK relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain Frank Gardner examines the Foreign Affairs Committee’s concerns over the British government’s hypocrisy over its relations with the two Gulf kingdoms.
Qatar Opens Up to Hezbollah and Damascus After Hostage Deal Ibrahim al-Amin analyzes the Qatari efforts to mend its relations with Hizbullah and the Syrian regime.
Reports and Opinions
The Other Arab Awakening Thomas Friedman argues that the "radical evolutions" in the Gulf states that have not received attention represent a significant shift in state-citizen relations.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait tighten controls on clerics Mahmoud Habboush and Sylvia Westall argue that the Saudi and Kuwaiti authorities’ fear of preachers’ ability to stir sectarian tension has prompted them to rein in their clerics.
American man arrested in Dubai for making satirical video The Emirati authorities arrest Shezanne Cassim in April after posting a parody video about youth culture in the Gulf state on YouTube.
UAE activist Waleed al-Shehhi ‘jailed for trial tweets’ The activist is sentenced for two years for “violating state security” after tweeting about the trial of ninety-four Islamists who were accused of attempting to change the regime in the Gulf state.
Kuwait Twitter ‘insult’ prison sentence condemned Musad Shamsah is sentenced for five years for a comment he made about Sunni-Shia theology even though he deleted the tweet ten minutes after posting it.
Saudi women drivers: Leading female campaigner stopped Sebastian Usher reports on Aziza Yousef, a female campaigner who was stopped by the police for driving through Riyadh in defiance of the ban of women driving in the kingdom.
UN helps eloped Saudi ‘Juliet’ asylum case Sebastian Usher reports on a Saudi woman who fled to Yemen to marry her Yemeni lover despite objections from her family and Saudi authorities.
Forbidden Love: Saudi Woman Flees to Yemen, Seeks Asylum Jamal Jubran salutes the Saudi woman who fled to Yemen and applied for asylum to be able to marry her Yemeni lover.
Repression in Bahrain
Court denies request to free Bahrain’s top activist A Bahraini court refuses to free Nabeel Rajab.
Bahrain says arrests two ‘terror’ suspects The interior minister announces the arrest of two Gulf nationals on suspicion of terrorism.
Crisis in Yemen
Yemen president rules out southern split, separatist call rallies The Yemeni president asserts that he will not allow the separation of the country.
South Yemen leader pulls out of reconciliation talks A south Yemeni separatist leader suspends his participation in the national dialogue, a move that could lead other politicians to pull out of the talks.
U.N. Yemen envoy says former president’s camp undermining talks Sami Aboudi reports on Jamal Benomar’s accusation of loyalists of the former president undermining reconciliation talks.
Yemen Houthi MP shot dead in capital A news report on the assassination of Abdul Karim Jedban, who took part in the national dialogue, as well as the attempt on the life of the United Nations envoy to Yemen.
Gunmen kill two Belarus military instructors in Yemen Mohammed Ghobari reports on the assassination of two Belarusian military experts in southern Sanaa.
Gunmen kill Yemeni colonel and son in eastern Yemen – official Colonel Ahmed al-Marfadi and his son are shot dead in Hadramawt.
Yemeni man still looking for answers after White House drones meeting Spencer Ackerman writes on Faisal bin Ali Jabar, whose brother and nephew died from missiles fired by US drones.
Yemen bans motorbikes in capital to curb “shoot and scoot” attacks The Yemeni government temporarily bans motorbikes in the capital following the rise in assassination attempts.
North Yemen fighting kills more than 120 A news report on the death toll of the fighting between the Huthis and Salafis in Yemen.
Migrant Workers
Fifa World Cup 2022: Qatar ‘to act on workers rights` The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee meets with Amnesty International and promises to release its workers’ welfare standards that the construction firms should follow.
No respite for Qatar’s migrant workers, international trade union finds Matthew Taylor asserts that the appalling conditions under which foreign workers in Qatar work and live have not improved.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign labour crackdown drives out 2m migrants Ian Black reports on the ongoing crackdown on migrant workers in the Kingdom, and the hostility the Ethiopian workers face.
Analysis: Saudi labor crackdown promises long-term gain for short-term pain Angus McDowall analyzes the Saudi government’s justifications for crackdown on foreign workers.
Qatar grants exit visa to stranded French footballer Owen Gibson reports on Zahir Belounis, a French footballer who has been trapped in Qatar for two years without pay, who finally got an exit visa.
British firm plans ‘humane’ housing for Qatar World Cup migrant labourers Robert Booth writes on the Quantex Qatar’s joint venture of building a new generation of “humane” homes for migrant workers in Qatar.
Human Rights Watch
Landmine Ban: Yemen Admits Using Mines The organization urges the Yemeni authorities to investigate allegations that the Republican Guards implanted thousands of antipersonnel landmines in 2011.
Saudi Arabia: Labor Crackdown Violence The organization condemns the violence against Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
Dispatches: Equality for Domestic Workers in the Gulf Tamara Alrifai argues that the Gulf states need to ratify Domestic Workers Convention 189 of the International Labour Organization so that migrant workers’ basic rights are guaranteed.
Yemen: Reject Restrictions on Political Rights The organization enjoins representative of the National Dialogue to reject a proposal that would limit the political rights of potential candidates.
Yemen: Strike Down Immunity Law Representatives of the National Dialogue need to scrap the country’s immunity law.
Yemen: Review Saudi Woman’s Refugee Claim The Yemeni authorities should not deport a Saudi woman who fled to Yemen to marry her Yemeni lover.
Culture
TED talks’ unlikely success in Yemen A news report on the unanticipated success of TED talks in Yemen, with two more conferences planned.
Why I Choose Not to Apply to TEDxSanaa An editorial by Rooj Alwazir discussing the exclusionary practices of the conference.
Market and Business
Dubai chosen to host 2020 World Expo trade convention Dubai beats Brazil, Turkey, and Russia to win the bid to host the World Expo trade convention in 2020.
How Qatar became a football force: from Barcelona to PSG and World Cup David Conn reports on how Qatar became a major player in football.
Arabic
اليمن | فشل الوساطة بين الحوثيين والسلفيين
A news report on the failure of the talks between the Houthis and Salafis in Yemen, and the outbreak of fights between the two groups.
الفوضى الخلاقة يمنياً
Thuraya Asi writes on creative chaos in Yemen.
اليمن | مقتل خبير بيلاروسي واصابة زميله
A new report on the death of a Belarusian military expert and the injury of another when militants opened fire on them in Yemen.
اليمن: مقتل 6 في معارك بين الشرطة والقاعدة
Six people die in clashes between the police and al-Qaeda militants in the province of Hadramawt in Yemen.
الحوار اليمني يتخبط في مستنقع الأمن
A news report on the impact of the lack of security on the National Dialogue in Yemen.
اليمن | "الجنوبي" ينسحب من الحوار
Jamal Jubran reflects on the National Dialogue in Yemen in light of the increased incidents of assassination in the country and the decision of the members of the Southern Movement to suspend their participation in it.
مخاوف يمنية
Mohammed Kraishan examines fears of instability in Yemen on the second anniversary of the ousting of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
اليمن: حظر الدراجات النارية في صنعاء ومجلس الأمن يتهم أتباع صالح بإعاقة التسوية
Khalid al-Hamadi writes on the Yemeni government`s decision to ban motorbikes in the capital following the rise of assassinations and on the Security Council`s accusation of the former Yemeni president`s loyalists of blocking a compromise.
اغتيال مسؤول عسكري ونجله جنوب اليمن ومنع الدراجات النارية في العاصمة
A high-ranking military personnel and his son are assassinated in Yemen on Monday.
اليمن: الاغتيالات تجتاح صنعاء وقيادات أمنية وخبراء أجانب ضحاياها
Khalid al-Hamadi provides an account of the wave of assassinations in Yemen, whose main targets are security leaders and foreign experts.
اليمن: صالح يشن حملة كبيرة ضد مبعوث الامم المتحدة ويطالب بتغييره
Khalid al-Hamadi reports on the former Yemeni president`s campaign against the United Nations special envoy to Yemen.
علاقة الخليفيين المتشددين بالغرب
Abbas Bousafwan analyzes the relations between Western government, in particular the United Kingdom and the United States, with the conservative elements in Bahrain`s al-Khalifa.
أمطار البحرين تعري فساد الحكومة
The heavy rainfall in Bahrain two weeks ago exposes the corruption of the government.
السعودية ترحب وصحفها تشكك
The Saudi government praises the agreement between Iran and the P5+1. However, its newspapers cast doubt upon Iran`s true intentions and commitment.
قلق سعودي وترحيب قطري
A news report on Saudi anxiety over, and the Qatari welcome of, the agreement in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1.
الرياض تتراجع عن موقفها الايجابي تجاه مؤتمر جنيف 2 بعد تبدل الموقف الروسي
Saudi Arabia changes its positive attitude towards Geneva 2 after changes in the position of Russia.
العلاقات السعودية - الأمريكية: بيت من زجاج.. يرجم بالحجارة!
Subhi Hadidi describes the US-Saudi relations as a house made of glass.
السعودية: مأزق أم إنهيار للسياسة الخارجية؟
Madawi al-Rasheed analyzes the crisis in Saudi Arabia`s foreign policy.
عبدالله النفيسي: الامير السعودي شريك لمردوخ وليس شيخ الأزهر ليتكلم باسم السنة
Abdulla al-Nafisi criticizes Prince Walid bin Talal, who said that Arab countries and Sunni Muslims support an Israeli attack on Iran because they are against Iran and the Shi`a, reminding him that he is not the spokesperson of the Sunnis Muslims.
عمليات ترحيل العمالة الأجنبية المخالفة مستمرة في السعودية
The four-week-long campaign of deporting illegal foreign workers in Saudi Arabia continues.
الدبلوماسية البريطانية لن تتغير بعد التقرير البرلماني
Said al-Shihabi examines the British diplomacy towards Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in light of a report issued by the British Parliament`s Foreign Affairs Committee.
التحالف المشرقي: معاً ضد الوهابية
Ahmad Fakhir analyzes the Zionist-Wahabi alliance against Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq.
المالكي: الرياض مسؤولة عن التوتر مع بغداد
The Iraqi prime minister blames Riyadh for the tension with Baghdad.
عبدالله لسليمان: فليقاتل الجيش حزب الله
The Saudi king tells the Lebanese president that the Lebanese army should prevent Hizbullah from fighting in Syria.
كيف سترد السعودية على الهجوم العراقي؟
An editorial on Saudi Arabia`s possible reaction to an attack on its borders carried out by an Iraqi Shia group.
الملك السعودي يدعو إلى تطبيق الأنظمة بحق العمالة المخالفة
The Saudi king calls upon the security services to implement the rules against foreign workers who are working illegally in the kingdom.
السودان أعادت أكثر من 11 ألفا من مواطنيها كانوا يعملون في السعودية
The Sudanese government repatriates more than eleven thousand Sudanese nationals who were working illegally in Saudi Arabia.
الدبلوماسية السعودية تبحر في أربعة محيطات
Said al-Shihabi argues that Saudi diplomacy has to tackle four tricky dimensions: local, regional, Arab, and international.
خيوط اللعبة | حماية السعودية من إسرائيل
Sami Klaib examines Saudi-Israeli collaborative relationship.
عن قصة حب سياسية: السعودية العاشقة
Mona Safwan writes on the Saudi young woman who fled to Yemen to marry her Yemeni lover despite objections from her family and Saudi authorities.
قصة حب ممنوعة: سعودية تفر الى اليمن وتطلب لجوءاً إنسانياً
Jamal Jubran salutes the Saudi woman who fled to Yemen and applied for asylum to be able to marry her Yemeni lover.
السعودية: سبع وفيات جراء السيول
The death toll of the heavy rains in Saudi Arabia reaches seven.
فلسطين | 40 مليون ليتر وقود قطري إلى غزة
Qatar sends forty million liters of fuel to Gaza.
موفد لأمير قطر في بيروت: لقاءات مع حزب الله واتصالات مع دمشق ومتابعة لصفقة أعزاز
Ibrahim al-Amin writes on the meetings between the Qatari emir`s envoy to Beirut and Hizbullah and on Qatar`s efforts to have normal relations with Iran and Hizbullah.
الدوحة ترضخ للرياض: بدء ترحيل لبنانيين
Qatar gives in to Saudi pressure and takes measures to deport thirty Shi`a Lebanese nationals despite the recent talks between Qatar and Hizbullah.
قطر: الانتقادات التي نتعرض لها حول وضع العمال `مضخمة`
Qatar describes reports on the conditions of migrant workers in the country as exaggerated.
تأجيل الحكم على مفكر كويتي بتهمة `شق الوحدة الوطنية` إلى الشهر المقبل
A Kuwait court postpones the sentence of the Kuwaiti thinker, Abdulla al-Nafisi, who is accused of undermining national unity and insulting the Shi`a doctrine, until early December.