It seems that 2025 was not eventful enough in the Middle East — marked as it already was by crises, sudden shifts in alliances and geopolitical realignments — for the UAE’s strongman, Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ).To round it off, the year had to end with a bang: an unprecedented showdown with his rival-ally, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).Riyadh publicly accusing Abu Dhabi of "acting extremely dangerously" and giving it a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw from Yemen shows that the crisis had reached an extremely high level of seriousness in the kingdom's eyes. More from Anthony It is time to hold Lebanese banks accountable In the Gulf, even more than in other places, you usually don't air your dirty laundry in public.But could MBS act any differently toward a neighbor who, bolstered by his strategic alliance...
It seems that 2025 was not eventful enough in the Middle East — marked as it already was by crises, sudden shifts in alliances and geopolitical realignments — for the UAE’s strongman, Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ).To round it off, the year had to end with a bang: an unprecedented showdown with his rival-ally, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).Riyadh publicly accusing Abu Dhabi of "acting extremely dangerously" and giving it a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw from Yemen shows that the crisis had reached an extremely high level of seriousness in the kingdom's eyes. More from Anthony It is time to hold Lebanese banks accountable In the Gulf, even more than in other places, you usually don't air your dirty laundry in public.But could MBS act any differently toward a neighbor who, bolstered by his strategic...
Qaani: Minimum requirement for Lebanon is a return to pre-war lines