The race between the UAE and Saudi Arabia will define who sets the Gulfโs digital standards and who becomes its technological gatekeeper. Abu Dhabi's position is already well established, but Saudi Arabiaโs Vision 2030 ambitions are fast catching up, setting the stage for a Gulf-wide AI rivalry.
After three decades of cyclical violence, the recent DRC-Rwanda accord signaled not only hope for regional stability, but a new U.S. diplomatic approach driven by commercial ambition.
Support for Israel has been a bipartisan stance in U.S. politics for decades, but the recent war in Gaza has pushed both parties in differing trajectories.
Turkish President Erdoฤanโs latest economic and security outreach to the Gulf could easily benefit both sides, but Turkey's ambition and the Gulf's wariness of Ankara's influence could limit their cooperation.
Over the past decade, far-right political parties have continued to grow in strength globally. These once-isolated movements have experienced a growing push for international unity. Yet if the far right continues to achieve political success, their cohesion as a united front will be tested.
Nepotism, mismanagement, and liquidity shortages increasingly hamper Iran's private banking sector, with the Islamic Republic struggling to find a way out.