Israel

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

The Palestinian militant group Hamas contacted Oman and an unnamed regional country about relocating its political leaders from Doha, Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 20.

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

United States

Turkey

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar is reassessing its role as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas war amid stalled attempts to broker a cease-fire and U.S. and Israeli criticism of Qatar's handling of negotiations, BBC reported on April 17. 

Qatar: Doha Reassesses Mediator Role in Israel-Hamas War

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly announced that Cairo reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to increase Egypt's IMF loan to $8 billion, The Washington Post reported on March 6.

Egypt: Cairo Finalizes $8B IMF Loan Expansion After Economic Reforms

Energy

Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced that his country, which is already in the process of boosting its liquified natural gas export capacity from 77 million tons per annum to 126 million tons per annum by 2027, would develop an additional 16 million tons of export capacity per annum by the end of the decade, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 25.

Qatar: Energy Minister Announces New LNG Export Capacity Expansion

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Turkey's indigenously developed TAI TF Kaan fighter jet conducted a 10-minute maiden flight around the capital city, Ankara, TRT World reported on Feb. 21.

Turkey: Indigenous Fighter Jet Makes Maiden Flight

The political leaders of the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas said they were "studying" a proposed Qatari-mediated cease-fire, The Times of Israel reported on Feb. 2.

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Deal in Final Stages, but Hurdles Remain

Europe

Israeli protesters are demanding that the government pause fighting in the Gaza Strip to earn the release of more Israelis held by militants, and some protesters are pushing for early elections, The Times of Israel reported on Jan. 22.

Israel, Gaza: Domestic Protests, Foreign Criticism Mount as War Continues

Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced that Israel will allow the delivery of medicine and aid to vulnerable areas of Gaza in exchange for the Palestinian militant group Hamas allowing medicine deliveries to Israeli hostages in the strip, Al Jazeera reported on Jan. 16.

Qatar, Israel: Qatar Reaches Medicine Deal With Israel, Hamas

Assessments

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks during a press conference alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 13, 2023. 

As Hamas loses control of Gaza, Qatar's political incentives for hosting the group's political leaders will decrease, which will likely see Doha align its Palestine policies with the other GCC members.

How Will the Gaza War Impact Qatar’s Foreign Policy and Its Ties to Hamas?

China

Hungary

Ukraine

An Air China aircraft takes off at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: China Braces for Lunar New Year Travel, EU Discusses Funding for Ukraine

Iran

Lebanon

Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attend a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on Oct. 28, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. 

Israeli assassinations of Hamas officials abroad would likely provoke more antisemitism and rebukes from Western governments, and maintain the risk of regional escalation with Iranian proxies and potentially Iran itself.

The Potential Ramifications of Israel's Alleged Campaign to Kill Hamas Leaders

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Morocco

Tunisia

Yemen

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Iran’s foreign minister (right) poses for a picture with his Saudi counterpart on June 17, 2023, in Tehran.

The detentes that have emerged between long-standing rivals have made the region more peaceful, but old wounds could still reopen.

In the Middle East, Shared Interests Are Turning Former Foes Into Friends -- For Now

Snapshots

Afghanistan

Qatar's then deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (center), speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Washington D.C. on Feb. 10, 2023. 

The meeting suggests the Taliban may be willing to compromise on some issues, but such talks are unlikely to yield significant change in Afghanistan anytime soon. 

What to Make of the Rare Meeting Between the Taliban’s Leader and Qatar's Prime Minister

Columns

On Geopolitics

Journalists surround one of the lawyers (front) representing former European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, who has been charged in a corruption investigation involving Qatar, at a courthouse in Brussels, Belgium on Dec. 22, 2022.

The recent ''Qatargate'' scandal involving EU lawmakers reflects a pattern of statecraft that increasingly risks backfiring on Arab Gulf states, as their strategic value to the U.S. and Europe wanes.

Understanding Arab Gulf States' Influence Campaigns in the West

Media

Podcasts

The recent Qatar-Europe influence scandal has a long history and implements common practices.

Essential Geopolitics: The Influence-Peddling Saga of Qatar and Europe

A construction site of a stadium being built for the 2022 World Cup is seen on March 30, 2019, in Doha, Qatar. 

The high sunk cost of this year's games in Doha is fueling questions about the long-term economic sustainability of such massive infrastructure projects in the Arab Gulf.

Will the World Cup Be the Grand Finale of Qatar's Megaprojects Era?

Iranian-made satellite carriers (left) and missiles (right) are displayed in front of the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 20, 2020.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The integrated air and missile defense system laid out in the proposed DEFEND Act could entice Saudi Arabia to deepen normalization with Israel.

U.S. Lawmakers Unveil a Plan to Shield Middle East Allies From Iranian Aggression

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani hold a joint press conference on the Afghanistan crisis in the Qatari capital of Doha on Sept. 7, 2021. 

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

By enhancing its ties with the world’s largest military, Doha’s recognition as a major U.S. partner will help shield it from Saudi or Emirati pressure. 

What to Make of Qatar’s Designation as a U.S. Non-NATO Ally

The emblem for the 2022 World Cup games is displayed on a museum building in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 3, 2019.

The Yemen Civil War

With its physical security now less guaranteed than nearby Qatar's, the UAE will enact more social liberalization policies to remain a top destination for travel and investment. 

Houthi Attacks in the UAE Will Boost Qatar’s Business Appeal

Qatar occupies the Qatar Peninsula, a thumb of land jutting into the middle of the Persian Gulf. It has one land border with Saudi Arabia, but shares waters with Bahrain, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. It has no surface rivers or lakes, and its water supply is buried beneath the sandy desert that is practically the country’s only topographical feature. It lacks forests and, prior to the modern era, could not develop an indigenous agricultural sector.    This makes the country uniquely dependent on the outside world for survival. Qatar possesses proven 885.3 trillion feet of natural gas reserves just beneath the waves of the Gulf in a field it shares with Iran, and it makes Qatar the third-largest holder of light natural gas in the world and the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Since it began exporting LNG, Qatar has become the richest country on Earth per capita. The exports pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz or are sent through an undersea pipeline to the United Arab Emirates.     After Qatar ceased being a British protectorate in 1971, its royal family declined an offer to join the federation of the United Arab Emirates and chose to chart an independent course. Qatar joined the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional bloc, in 1981, and although it was officially neutral in the Iran-Iraq War, Qatar joined the coalition to evict Iraq from Kuwait in 1991. In 1996, Qatar began hosting U.S. troops at its Al Udeid air base and opened the offices of the state-sponsored Al Jazeera media outlet. In 2010, it was awarded the rights to the 2022 World Cup.    Its geopolitical position makes Qatar uniquely reliant on open trade for prosperity and outside powers for security. It must have reliable trade routes to export its LNG, and it requires outside sponsors to prevent Saudi Arabia or Iran from gaining too much influence over it. For now, it relies on the United States to provide both. That alliance allows Qatar to maintain a precarious balance against geographically advantaged neighbors.

SITUATION REPORTS

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

Qatar: Doha Reassesses Mediator Role in Israel-Hamas War

Egypt: Cairo Finalizes $8B IMF Loan Expansion After Economic Reforms

Qatar: Energy Minister Announces New LNG Export Capacity Expansion

Turkey: Indigenous Fighter Jet Makes Maiden Flight

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Deal in Final Stages, but Hurdles Remain

Israel, Gaza: Domestic Protests, Foreign Criticism Mount as War Continues

Qatar, Israel: Qatar Reaches Medicine Deal With Israel, Hamas

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