Bahrain's banks are not only set to recover after the negative impact of the Corona pandemic but are embarking on greater digitalisation of its services, writes Ahmed Abdul-Rahman The Corona pandemic had a significant negative impact on banks around the world, as they witnessed a contraction in their revenues and growth. Although Bahrain's banks al...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised questions about the future of the Middle East, writes Ahmed Abdel -Rahman Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have severe repercussions for the whole world, the Middle East included. Several Middle Eastern countries are looking to balance their relations with the US and Russia, and many are stuck in the middle ...
Is the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, set to become one of the most sought-after places in the world for supplying oil? One would think so, after the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, visited both countries over the last few days to encourage them to increase oil supply. Although the budgets in these...
The Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to have dragged on for many days, yet it has only been three weeks since it started. Certainly, it seems longer than that. The impact on the Middle East has been significant, both in terms of increasing the price of staple foods such as wheat, along with the price of oil. As Russian oil becomes more expensive w...
The Egyptian government wants to increase the country's exports to Africa, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. Egypt is aiming to increase its exports to the African continent so that it reaches USD10 billion by 2025. It is doing so because the continent has special geographic importance to Egypt. The most prominent features of the plan are reviewed in this...
In this article, Ahmad Abdel-Rahman looks at how the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens food security in several Arab countries . The continuing war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion raises fears of a food crisis in several Arab countries. Even though Ukraine is geographically far from the Arab world, the impact of the Russian attack on Ukra...
In this article Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains what some of the geopolitical effects of the Russia-Ukraine war might be on the Middle East. The international conflict between Russia and Ukraine highlights the intensity of conflict between the US and Russia. Russia wants to end American hegemony in the world and shift towards a multipolar system with C...
The Russian-Ukrainian war is a headache for the world as well as for MENA economies specifically. Ahmed Abdel-Rahman explains how the war might impact them in terms of food supply. The Russian invasion of Ukraine looms large over the world and has prompted the largest number of countries to evacuate their nationals from Ukraine since World War II. ...
The petrochemical industry in Egypt is seeking to become more important globally, capturing the increase in global demand, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. He explains how this will be done. The petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilizer industries in Egypt have witnessed a huge leap in exports over the past year. As well as the fact that they are added va...
The nightmare of war haunts the Arab communities in Ukraine, and calls for immediate measures to mitigate the crisis, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. A war in Europe is looming. The chances of a Russian invasion of Ukraine seems likely, despite diplomatic efforts led by several European countries to defuse it. Such a dangerous situation is putting ...
The Gulf countries are grappling with several issues now - from the Houthis attacking the UAE to how these countries will deal with the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine- which seems to be happening as I write this. The question now is how far will Russia encroach on Ukrainian territory? These issues too apply to other Arab speaking countri...
In this article, Ahmad Abdel-Rahman discusses the significance of Russian-Iranian competition as well as their alliances in the Middle East, along with its political and economic dimensions. Russia views Iran as vital geographically. It is not only an important land crossings to the warm waters of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean but it is also import...
The green economy in Egypt aims to attract new investments. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains how the government will achieve this. The visit of the South Korean president to Egypt from January 19 to 21 this year strengthened political and economic relations between the two countries. Both agreed to the future expansion of joint projects to enhance...
There is a great deal happening in the Gulf States, from attacks on the UAE by Houthi fighters, the "normalisation" of relations with Israel, oil shortages in Iran which is affecting Iraq in particular, and the UAE's generally "successful" response to Covid. The UAE has also been "successful" in controlling the message. The authorities want to make...
Egypt's foreign policy in 2021 sought to settle regional and international conflicts and offer realistic solutions to various regional and international crises, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. Egypt's president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has made a major shift in the country's foreign policy. Decisions are made that suit Egypt's long-term goals rather than re...
In this article Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains how the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, in the absence of a regional security system, could play out. The Middle East does not have a regional security system. Instead, the region relies on three factors to give it security: a balance of power, a balance of interests, and peace. These will not a...
Amnesty International's latest report entitled "Is Israel committing the crime of apartheid" has come in for a lot of criticism from, unsurprisingly, Israel and Jews and Israelis elsewhere in the world. They protest that the report is bias, discriminatory, and anti-Semitic. Since I have received some of the treatment outlined in the report- and I a...
Afghanistan has had significant news coverage recently, both because of the US pull out of troops from that country, and because a Kiwi journalist, Charlotte Bellis, who previously worked for Al Jazeera, and was reporting from Afghanistan during the pullout of US troops, has made headlines in different parts of the world. The story goes like this. ...
After a dispute lasting about 30 years, this week Saudi Arabia has decided to bury the hatchet and resume ties with Thailand. The relationship between the two countries fell apart, when in 1989 a Thai servant, Kriangkrai Techamong, who worked in the palace of Prince Faisal bin Fahd, stole 91 kg in jewellery, including the world-famous 50 carat Blue...
At a time when the world is going through much change as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, attacks on the UAE by Houthi rebels and an imminent attack by Russia on Ukraine, the fact that some people are still focused on peace between countries and how to achieve this is important. Here Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International, a Bu...