Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Military & Security

A rare shooting attack occurred near a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Oman's capital, Muscat, on July 15, resulting in at least six deaths and dozens of injuries, BBC reported the next day.

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

Politics

In a Cabinet reshuffle, Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was appointed the United Arab Emirates' defense minister and deputy prime minister, Bloomberg reported on July 14. 

UAE: Dubai's Crown Prince Appointed Defense Minister

Djibouti

Ethiopia

Somalia

Economics

Djibouti is training members of the Awdal State Movement rebel group, which opposes Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, Somali Guardian reported on July 9.

Djibouti: Reported Training of Anti-Somaliland Rebels Threatens To Destabilize the Breakaway Region

Sudan

United States

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, announced that it had blocked the assets of seven Emirati companies through its "blocked pending investigation" designation due to their potential violation of U.S. sanctions on Sudan, Sudan Tribune reported on June 6. 

Sudan: U.S. Treasury Blocks UAE Companies' Assets Over Sudan Conflict 

Chad

France

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged to strengthen economic and military cooperation with Chad during a trip to the country on June 5, Alwihda Info reported on June 6.

Chad: Russian Official Discusses Military and Economic Cooperation With N'Djamena

Saudi Arabia

South Korea

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to improve trade openness between the two countries by eliminating tariffs on 90% of imports over the next decade, expand economic investment and boost energy cooperation, Reuters reported May 29. 

UAE, South Korea: Countries Sign CEPA, MOUs to Cut 90% of Tariffs and Boost Energy Cooperation

China

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith said the company's artificial intelligence deal with UAE-backed company Group 42, or G42, could eventually involve the export of critical AI technologies and components, including weights for an AI model and sophisticated chips, Reuters reported on May 22.

U.S., UAE: Microsoft To Export Critical AI Technologies in Deal With UAE's G42

Mozambique

Portugal

Energy

In a May 22 statement, the United Arab Emirates' Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., or ADNOC, said it agreed to purchase Portuguese energy corporation Galp Energia's 10% stake in Mozambique's Area 4 offshore concession for $650 million.

Mozambique: ADNOC Acquires 10% Stake in Mozambique's Area 4 Block

Assessments

Bahrain

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Turkey

Europe

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

Snapshots

South Africa

Brazil

Iran

India

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

Ukraine

A graph of the ruble exchange rate against the background of the Russian flag and paper banknotes. 

A new U.S. sanctions package on Russia raises risks of secondary sanctions for financial institutions around the world, leading more companies to cut off ties to Russian entities.

With a New Sanctions Package, the U.S. Squeezes Russian Trade

The Mohajer 6 drone is displayed on Aug. 23, 2023, in Tehran, Iran. Through a sort of drone diplomacy, Tehran hopes to rekindle dormant ties with the Sudanese government to aid the latter in its ongoing civil war.

A stronger Sudanese government negotiating hand would result in a power-sharing structure reducing Rapid Support Forces, and by extension, UAE, influence.

Why Iran Is Sending Drones to the Sudanese Armed Forces

Taiwan

Belgium

Leaders at the closing day of the BRICS Summit on Aug. 24, 2023, in Johannesburg. On Jan. 1, BRICS will admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after agreeing at an August summit to expand its membership.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Taiwan's Election Media Blackout, BRICS Expansion

Yemen

A grab from handout footage released by Yemen's Huthi Ansarullah Media Center on Nov. 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the rebel group during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The rebel group's escalating harassment of commercial shipping in the region may leave the Biden administration with little choice but to directly strike back at the Iranian proxy.

In the Red Sea, Houthi Attacks Force the U.S. to Mull a Tougher Response

Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6, 2023.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The rare visit was likely aimed at aligning the Arab Gulf states on OPEC+ policy and assuaging their concerns about Russia's ties with Iran, but could prompt the U.S. to respond.

The Aims and Implications of Putin's Trip to the UAE and Saudi Arabia

COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Kenya

OPEC headquarters on June 3, 2023, in Vienna. OPEC+ will meet Nov. 26 to decide whether to deepen production cuts.

Social Issues

The Weekly Rundown: Climate Negotiations at COP28, OPEC+ Meets Following an Oil Sell-off

Iraq

Kuwait

Lebanon

Syria

Tunisia

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. 

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

An aerial view taken Oct. 29, 2022, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Saudi-UAE tensions will intensify economic, diplomatic and defense competition, with implications for business operations in both and for security in countries like Sudan and Yemen.

Saudi-UAE tensions will intensify economic, diplomatic and defense competition, with implications for business operations in both and for security in countries like Sudan and Yemen.

The Saudi-UAE Regional Rivalry Intensifies

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

The United Arab Emirates is located on the southwestern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. To its west is Saudi Arabia and to its east is Oman. Iran is only a few miles north, across the Persian Gulf. With desert in its west and south, dry mountains in its east and the warm waters of the Persian Gulf to the north, the United Arab Emirates' climate is unable to support agriculture beyond small-scale oases and camel herds. The country is divided into three broad regions: the coastal harbors of the Gulf, bounded by the sandy desert of the Rub al-Khali, or Empty Quarter; the interior, where settlements cluster around oases; and the northeast, which is broken up by the Al Hajar Mountains.      There are no natural rivers and few timber supplies in the United Arab Emirates, and nearly all the country's drinkable water is trapped beneath oases. In the premodern era, citizens mainly survived off piracy, trade and pearling, and the most powerful settlement was the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah near the Al Hajar Mountains. After the discovery of oil in the 1962, power shifted permanently to the more southern Abu Dhabi, which holds 94 percent of the country's proven oil reserves. These coastal cities are the core of the country. Founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan established the United Arab Emirates &mdash; the Arab world's only successful federation &mdash; in 1971 and ruled until his death in 2004. At that time, his son and current president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan took over power.      The United Arab Emirates seeks to maximize its independence while warding off the influence and control of more powerful regional players Saudi Arabia and Iran. To do this, it has leveraged its energy supply and strategic location to secure alliances with extra-regional powers like the United States. Utilizing its oil receipts, the United Arab Emirates has imported foreign labor from South and East Asia, as well as the Arab world. Combining that labor with global technology, the country has rapidly transformed itself from a desert backwater to a key transport hub, tourist destination and regional military power.  

SITUATION REPORTS

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

UAE: Dubai's Crown Prince Appointed Defense Minister

Djibouti: Reported Training of Anti-Somaliland Rebels Threatens To Destabilize the Breakaway Region

Sudan: U.S. Treasury Blocks UAE Companies' Assets Over Sudan Conflict

Chad: Russian Official Discusses Military and Economic Cooperation With N'Djamena

UAE, South Korea: Countries Sign CEPA, MOUs to Cut 90% of Tariffs and Boost Energy Cooperation

U.S., UAE: Microsoft To Export Critical AI Technologies in Deal With UAE's G42

Mozambique: ADNOC Acquires 10% Stake in Mozambique's Area 4 Block

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