US Election: Gulf Arab Leaders Face New Reality after Biden Victory

BBC: "You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little distracted," said the Saudi ambassador to the UK as his eyes flicked towards his mobile phone. "I'm keeping an eye on the results coming in from Wisconsin."

That was eight days ago, when we still did not know who would be in the White House in January.

When Joe Biden was declared the winner, the Saudi leadership in Riyadh took rather longer to respond than they did when Donald Trump was elected.

This is hardly surprising: they had just lost a friend at the top table.

Mr Biden's victory could now have far-reaching consequences for Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states.

The US strategic partnership with the region goes back to 1945 and it will likely endure, but changes are coming and they will not all be welcome in Gulf capitals. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2020

Can the US Guarantee Gulf Security? | Inside Story

Washington has blamed Tehran for the attack on Saudi oil facilities and says it's now building a coalition against Iran.

The Gulf region is on the edge. Who's responsible for last week's attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, has led to accusations from different sides. The US and Saudi Arabia say Iran is behind the Aramco strikes. But the Houthis in Yemen say they are responsible and have warned of more to come.

The US Secretary of State visited allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE to talk to their leaders. Mike Pompeo said Washington was seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but blamed Iran for seeking an 'all-out war.'

Iran's foreign minister says the U.S. is preparing to use the Aramco incident as an excuse to attack his country, and that Tehran's ready to defend itself. So, will tension escalate even further? Or would diplomacy defuse it?

Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver; Mohammad Marandi, Professor of American Studies at the University of Tehran; Adolfo Franco, Republican strategist and former adviser to Senator John McCain

Can Trump, Israel, and Gulf Allies Get Putin to Turn on Iran?

Days after Netanyahu's visit to Moscow, Trump will meet with Putin in Helsinki. But despite talk of a "grand bargain" that enlists Russia in helping the US-Israel-Saudi-UAE front against Iran, don't expect it to happen, says professor and syndicated columnist Rami Khouri

France: Le Pen Blasts EU Hypocrisy over Gulf States in War against IS

Leader of the Front National Marine Le Pen hit out at EU handling of foreign and migrant policy during a rally in Lille, Monday, as part of her campaign for upcoming French regional elections on December 6 and 13. Le Pen is running as the Nord-Pas-de-Calais regional presidential candidate.

David Cameron Accused of Failing to Pressure Gulf States over Isis Funding due to Tory Links to Wealthy Saudis

David Cameron was also accused of shelving a report into
the Muslim Brotherhood because it would be 'unhelpful'
to the Saudis

THE INDEPENDENT: Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown suggests Cameron had failed to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia and Qatar to stop its 'rich businessmen' from funding jihadists because of the 'closeness' between the Tories and wealthy Arab individuals

David Cameron has been accused of failing to tell Gulf states to crack down on the flow of funds to Isis because of the Conservative party’s links to rich Arab individuals.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown suggested that the Prime Minister had not put enough pressure on countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar to stop its “rich businessmen” funding the Salafists and the Wahhabists and had also failed to do enough to persuade them from joining the bombing of Isis in Syria.

This could be explained by the “closeness” between Gulf donors and the Tory party in the UK, Lord Ashdown alleged.

He also accused the Prime Minister of shelving a report on the funding of the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain because it came up with findings that were “unhelpful” to the Saudis. » | Matt Dathan, Adam Withnall Online political reporter | Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Gulf States Share Shock of Terror Attack on Mosque in Kuwait

THE GUARDIAN: Neighbouring states fear further violence during Ramadan as the holy month is marked with deadly bombings

The aftermath of the attack on a Shia mosque in Kuwait has resonated well beyond its borders into neighbouring Gulf countries, which have long shared both its worldview and its fears that Islamic State is stalking them.

On Saturday, Kuwaiti officials announced arrests linked to the Friday blast at the Imam al-Sadiq mosque, which killed 27 and maimed 200 more, as security at places of worship from Sharjah to Doha was tightened and rhetoric against the group intensified across the region.

Officials in Kuwait had long said an attack of the type carried out during Friday prayers would be very difficult to stop. The fact that it took place in the holy month of Ramadan, when worshippers were likely to be less on their guard than usual, made it even more so.

Isis had made no secret of its intentions to launch attacks during Ramadan, with its spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, releasing a speech earlier last week calling for strikes in the remaining three weeks of the fasting month, which would lead to greater blessings in the afterlife. » | Martin Chulov | Saturday, June 27, 2015

Army Chiefs Tell Government: Stop Gulf States Funding Terrorism

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Government urged to put pressure on Gulf leaders into tackling extremism by strangling the funding of terrorist networks and the religious ideology that fuels them

Pressure is mounting on the Government to take action against wealthy Gulf states accused of funding Islamist terrorism after the beheading of Alan Henning, the British aid worker kidnapped in Syria.

Two retired generals and a former defence secretary claimed that nations such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia were helping the rise of violent extremism by channelling cash to terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), which carried out Mr Henning’s murder.

The trio of senior military figures said air strikes against Isil were insufficient to defeat the terrorist threat. Instead, they called on the Government to pressure Gulf leaders into tackling extremism by strangling the funding of terrorist networks and the religious ideology that fuels them.

Investigations by The Telegraph suggest that tens of millions of pounds have been raised for Isil — and al-Qaeda — by wealthy individuals in the Gulf region while its leaders have “turned a blind eye” to the problem or been complicit in funding certain groups. » | Robert Mendick, Tim Ross and Patrick Sawer | Saturday, October 04, 2014 [?]

'Schizophrenic' US Foreign Policy Pushing Arab States Toward Russia, Bahrain Warns

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Obama administration's stance on Iran and Syria could see US lose influence in the Middle East, Bahrain's rulers warn

America’s “schizophrenic” approach to the Middle East could result in many key Arab states deciding to align themselves more closely with Russia, the rulers of Bahrain warned on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, warned that Barack Obama's administration would lose influence in the region if it persisted with what [is] a “transient and reactive” foreign policy.

There has been a sharp rise in tensions between Washington and several major Arab states in the wake of last month’s controversial interim agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Citing President Obama’s handling of the recent crisis over Syria’s chemical weapons, which allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize the initiative, Sheikh Salman said some states were now seriously reviewing their relations with the US.

“The Russians have proved they are reliable friends,” said Sheikh Salman, referring to Mr Putin’s diplomatic intervention to prevent Western military action against Bashar al-Assad.

“As a result some states in the region have already started to look at developing more multilateral relations rather than just relying on Washington. America seems to suffer from schizophrenia when it deals with the Arab world.” » | Con Coughlin, Defence Editor, Bahrain | Sunday, December 08, 2013

Peter Tatchell: ‘FIFA Has No Option But to Cancel Qatar World Cup’ over Tests to ‘Detect’ Gays

PINK NEWS: Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has called on FIFA to cancel the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as it was revealed that Gulf Cooperative Countries introduced new rules to “detect” and ban gay people from entering the country.

Mr Tatchell said the new rules, announced earlier this week, “will mean that gay players and spectators will be banned from attending the football world cup.”

Speaking to PinkNews, he said: “There is no known medical test to detect homosexuality. I wonder what quackery the Kuwaiti authorities plan to invent in their vain attempt to identify gay men. It simply won’t work.

“Banning gay people from entering the country will deter foreign investors and companies. They won’t want to subject their employees to such barbaric, medieval humiliations.

“The proposal that this gay ban will apply across all Gulf Cooperation Countries will mean that gay players and spectators will be banned from attending the football world cup in Qatar in 2022. This contradicts previous assurances given to FIFA by the Qatar government that everyone will be welcome and that there will be no discrimination.

“FIFA now has no option but to cancel the world cup in Qatar. Allowing it to go head in these circumstances would involve FIFA colluding with homophobic discrimination.” » | Joseph Patrick McCormack | Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Related »

Outrageous! Gulf States to Introduce Medical Testing on Travellers to 'Detect' Gay People and Stop Them from Entering the Country

MAIL ONLINE: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE already outlaw homosexuality, but are toughening their controversial stance / Kuwait's director of public health says 'gays will be barred'

A medical test being developed by Kuwait will be used to 'detect' homosexuals and prevent them from entering the country – or any of the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), according to a Kuwaiti government official.

GCC member countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – already deem homosexual acts unlawful.

This controversial stance is being toughened, according to Yousouf Mindkar, the director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry.

He told Kuwait newspaper Al Rai: ‘Health centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries. However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states.’

Richard Lane, from gay rights campaign group Stonewall, said: ‘These proposals are not only futile but contrary to international human rights law. Many Gulf states have gone to great lengths to market themselves as open for international business. Their leaders should think long and hard about putting forward measures to restrict freedom of movement and further prohibit the best talent from doing business in the region simply because of their sexual orientation.' » | Ted Thornhill | Monday, October 07, 2013

Pre-paid Strike: Arab States Ready to Pick Up US Tab for Syria Attack

Meanwhile the US is rallying support for a military intervention in Syria at home and abroad. Secretary of State John Kerry has said some Arab nations have offered to bear the cost of a US-led campaign. He made the comment when briefing American lawmakers on plans to strike the war-torn country.

Crackdown Cohorts: US Backs Gulf Regimes, Ignores Rights Abuses
Support for several Gulf states where a crackdown on Internet freedom has reached new highs, resulting in arrests and bans, is also causing deep concern. Given this disturbing string of incidents across the Gulf States, many wonder why Washington is ignoring the persistent human rights violations there.

David Cameron Defends Arms Deals with Gulf States
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is "legitimate and right" as autocratic countries have a right to self defence, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister defended military deals with Gulf states, as he launched a major push to equip them with British-made Typhoon fighter jets on a three day visit to the region.
Mr Cameron's candid stance on arms sales - which is un[u]sual for Prime Ministers - was criticised by human rights campaigners. Amnesty International UK's head of policy and government affairs Allan Hogarth said: "Selling arms to countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE should only be considered if there are absolutely watertight guarantees over them not being used to commit human rights violations.

"Saudi Arabia has been the recipient of record-breaking arms deals involving the UK, yet these have been highly secretive and there's been little or no follow-up over how the weaponry was used."

Amnesty said that in 2009 the Saudi air force used "UK-supplied Tornado fighter-bombers in attacks in Yemen which killed hundreds -possibly thousands - of civilians".

But speaking in Dubai before later visits to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Mr Cameron said: "We have one of the strictest regimes anywhere in the world for sales of defence equipment but we do believe that countries have a right to self-defence.

“We do believe countries have a right to defend themselves. And we do believe Britain has important defence industries that employ over 300,000 people and so that sort of business is completely legitimate and right." » | Monday, November 05, 2012

Gulf States Urge Citizens to Leave Lebanon over Syria Fears
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon owing to fears the Syrian conflict is spilling over the border.

The warning by the four Arab states comes after a series of kidnappings of Sunni Muslims by Shias.

On Wednesday, rioters blocked the road to Beirut airport, as dozens ofSyrians were kidnapped and their shops vandalised in violence that triggered orders from Gulf nations for citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.

Rioters set fire to tyres on the road, while an Air France flight was diverted to Damascus for refuelling before flying on to Larnaca in Cyprus because of the insecurity, apparently triggered by unconfirmed reports over the fate of Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria in May.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also formally suspended Syria’s membership in protest at the ongoing violence. » | Thursday, August 16, 2012

Casualty of Media War: Gulf States Ditch Syrian TV Dramas

Day of Rage in Saudi Arabia: How Much Change Can the Gulf Expect?
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Regime change may not come swiftly to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, where protesters have called for a 'Day of Rage' today, but a revolution of a different sort is taking place.

Cairo; and Muscat, Oman – From Saudi Arabia’s “Day of Rage” today to an explosion of free speech in Oman, Arab unrest is making ever-larger waves in the oil-rich Gulf region.

Most of the protesters in these Gulf nations are seeking reform, not the overthrow of the royal ruling families. But citizens’ willingness to express their discontent – even after their leaders have made unprecedented concessions – signals what may be the beginning of the end for the monarchies’ strategy of buying compliance with generous social welfare benefits.

“We’re told they’re stable regimes that manage to buy off protests,” says Toby Jones, a Middle East historian at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “But they’re characterized by deep disillusionment, and disappointment, about the nature of the political system.... There was always a simmering level of frustration, and that’s going to be there five years from now, 10 years from now, just like it has been.”

Regime change may not come swiftly to the Gulf, as it did to Tunisia and Egypt, but the newfound boldness to press for more rights is a revolution in its own right in countries where people have long been subdued by fear. A free-speech revolution >>> Kristen Chick, Correspondent, Jackie Spinner, Correspondent | Friday, March 11, 2011

Naval Battle Between UAE and Saudi Arabia Raises Fears for Gulf Security
THE TELEGRAPH: A naval clash in the Gulf has reignited fears over the security of the world's most important shipping lanes and disputed oilfields.

The United Arab Emirates navy is thought to have opened fire on a small patrol vessel from Saudi Arabia after a dispute over water boundaries.

According to one report, two Saudi sailors were injured in the alleged bombardment.

The Saudi vessel was forced to surrender, and its sailors were delivered into custody in Abu Dhabi for several days, before being released and handed over to the Saudi embassy earlier this week.

The incident has shocked diplomats who hope the countries, both key American allies, will help implement the West's strategy to constrain Iran's nuclear and military ambitions.

The clash happened in disputed waters between the coasts of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and the peninsula on which the gas-rich state of Qatar sits.

The seabed is rich with oil deposits, while the Dolphin pipeline project to carry natural gas direct from Qatar to Abu Dhabi has provoked irritation in the Saudi authorities. Nevertheless, direct conflict between the two countries' armed forces is highly unusual.

The Gulf is one of the most heavily armed regions in the world. The Saudi government has been building up its army and air force for years in response to what it sees as a regional threat from Iran.

The UAE was slower to join the arms race, despite a long-running row with Iran over three Gulf islands previously under Abu Dhabi control which were seized by the late Shah in 1971 on the night the Emirates celebrated their independence.

But now the UAE, despite its small size, is the fourth largest purchaser of weaponry on the international market in the world. >>> Richard Spencer in Dubai | Friday, March 26, 2010

Germany's Westerwelle Embarks on Tour of Turkey, Gulf
AFP: BERLIN — Germany's foreign minister embarked Wednesday on a tour of Turkey and the Gulf to promote efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and weigh security risks emanating from Yemen and Iran.

Guido Westerwelle, who is head of the pro-business Free Democrats and vice-chancellor in Angela Merkel's centre-right government, flew to Ankara with a delegation including several executives scouting investment opportunities.

Westerwelle's spokesman said the five-day tour, which will also take in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, would focus on the Iranian nuclear programme, Afghanistan, and the threat posed by Al-Qaeda operatives based in Yemen.

"The issues will also include the situation in Middle East, the state of the peace process and how we can manage, together with our partners in the region, to bring about a new start in the Middle East peace process," Andreas Peschke said amid a swirl of regional diplomacy aimed at restarting talks.

Westerwelle was to join his counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu for dinner in the Turkish capital ahead of official meetings Thursday with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other government ministers.

Germany boasts a three-million-strong minority of Turkish origin -- the largest outside Turkey.

Merkel's conservatives are deeply sceptical about Ankara's bid to join the European Union and would prefer to grant Turkey a "privileged partnership" with the bloc. Westerwelle is seen as more supportive of its long-term accession. >>> | Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Gulf Petro-powers to Launch Currency in Latest Threat to Dollar Hegemony
THE TELEGRAPH: The Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modelled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate.

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect,” said Kuwait’s finance minister, Mustafa al-Shamali, speaking at a Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.

The move will give the hyper-rich club of oil exporters a petro-currency of their own, greatly increasing their influence in the global exchange and capital markets and potentially displacing the US dollar as the pricing currency for oil contracts. Between them they amount to regional superpower with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (£739bn), some 40pc of the world’s proven oil reserves, and financial clout equal to that of China.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are to launch the first phase next year, creating a Gulf Monetary Council that will evolve quickly into a full-fledged central bank.

The Emirates are staying out for now – irked that the bank will be located in Riyadh at the insistence of Saudi King Abdullah rather than in Abu Dhabi. They are expected join later, along with Oman.

The Gulf states remain divided over the wisdom of anchoring their economies to the US dollar. The Gulf currency – dubbed “Gulfo” – is likely to track a global exchange basket and may ultimately float as a regional reserve currency in its own right. “The US dollar has failed. We need to delink,” said Nahed Taher, chief executive of Bahrain’s Gulf One Investment Bank.

The project is inspired by Europe’s monetary union, seen as a huge success in the Arab world. But there are concerns that the region is trying to run before it can walk. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Tuesday, December 2009

Gaffney: Treasury Submits to Shariah
WASHINGTON POST / Commentary: The U.S. Treasury Department is submitting to Shariah - the seditious religio-political-legal code authoritative Islam seeks to impose worldwide under a global theocracy.

As reported in this space last week, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt set the stage with his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Persian Gulf states. His stated purpose was to promote the recycling of petrodollars in the form of foreign investment here.

Evidently, the price demanded by his hosts is that the U.S. government get with the Islamist financial program. While in Riyadh, Mr. Kimmitt announced: "The U.S. government is currently studying the salient features of Islamic banking to ascertain how far it could be useful in fighting the ongoing world economic crisis."

"Islamic banking" is a euphemism for a practice better known as "Shariah-Compliant Finance (SFC)." And it turns out that this week the Treasury will be taking officials from various federal agencies literally to school on SFC.

The department is hosting a half-day course entitled "Islamic Finance 101" on Thursday at its headquarters building.

Treasury's self-described "seminar for the policy community" is co-sponsored with the leading academic promoters of Shariah and SCF in the United States: Harvard University Law School's Project on Islamic Finance. At the very least, the U.S. government evidently hopes to emulate Harvard's success in securing immense amounts of Wahhabi money in exchange for conforming to the Islamists' agenda. Like Harvard, Treasury seems utterly disinterested in what Shariah actually is, and portends.

Unfortunately, such submission - the literal meaning of "Islam" - is not likely to remain confined long to the Treasury or its sister agencies. Thanks to the extraordinary authority conferred on Treasury since September, backed by the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the department is now in a position to impose its embrace of Shariah on the U.S. financial sector. The nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Treasury's purchase of - at last count - 17 banks and the ability to provide, or withhold, funds from its new slush-fund can translate into unprecedented coercive power.

Concerns in this regard are only heightened by the prominent role Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari will be playing in "Islamic Finance 101." Mr. Kashkari, the official charged with administering the TARP fund, will provide welcoming remarks to participants. Presumably, in the process, he will convey the enthusiasm about Shariah-Compliant Finance that appears to be the current party line at Treasury. >>> Frank J Gaffney Jr | November 4, 2008

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