I am often asked what will happen in the Middle East, politically that is, especially regarding Syria, Israel and the Gulf countries. I might have lived there, but I do not know the answers. All I know is that it is survival of the fittest. Agreeing with this philosophy is Bryant Harris writing for Al Monitor. Here is what he says on the issue. Isr...

There's been a lot of talk about the withdrawal of US troops from Syria and how this will affect the destruction of IS (if it has not been already) and the rest of the world. I doubt that IS has been destroyed in the Middle East, and is unlikely to be. Turkey is known for hating the Kurds, whom it sees as a terrorist group, and the planned US withd...

There's a lot of talk nowadays about what the best apps are, the best intranets and the best browsers. Therefore, I was interested to read another article from Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) on the best intranets, 10 Best Intranets of 2019 by Kara Pernice and Patty Caya on January 6, 2019 Topics: Intranets Summary: Winners are from large and medium-siz...

Happy New Year. I've taken a break over the past fortnight as I've been cooking, and visiting, family and friends. This time of year is full on but it's soon over and then all goes back to normal. I've also got a sick mother, who came out of the care home for the day but we all found the day trying and traumatic. It's never easy. This email come in...

When I was living in the Middle East I often said that the Western world, mainly the US and Britain, should stay out of the region. Now senior fellows from the Brookings Institute agree with me. Mara Karlin and Tamara Cofman Wittes Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Painful though it may be, the United States needs to begin the work of pulling back from it...

Brexit may not be the Middle East, but whatever happens next week in Britain will affect the rest of the world. This is what the latest poll says, as polled by the Independent newspaper. Brexit: Majority of country now think Britain should remain in the EU, new poll finds A majority of the country now think Britain should remain inside the European...

This media release came in today about New Zealand's sovereign wealth fund. It's performing well, its success recognised across Asia. The NZ Super Fund has been awarded the Sovereign Wealth Fund prize at the 2018 AsianInvestor Institutional Excellence Awards in Singapore. The editorial team at AsianInvestor noted the NZ Super Fund's "longstanding o...

How the bizarre relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia will play out is open to interpretation. It may be that the bigger bet is with Saudi Arabia on the US rather than the other way around. In this article written by James Foley, a former US ambassador, on Al Jazeera some possibilities are laid out. Trump's embrace of MBS puts both countries...

I was looking at the Unicef website for images of Yemen and I came across this article which I thought was not only interesting but informative. It looks at why New Zealand has one of the most unequal education systems in the world. New Zealand has one of the most unequal education systems in the world and the gap between the highest and lowest per...

This article looks at the ramifications for the Saudi Crown Prince (MBS) of the recent killing of Jamal Khashoggi and how he is trying to salvage his credibility, as well as for the country as a whole. Bruce Riedel November 26, 2018 Article Summary Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince are touring the country and region to drum up support for the he...

A review of my time in Yemen. And here's a photo of Sana'a, Yemen's capital, as it was then Imagine sitting on an uninhabited white sandy beach, with a turquoise sea and a turquoise sky. It sounds idyllic. Indeed, it should have been. But we were only on the beach as a bolt hole, for fear we would be shot at, like our colleagues the day before, som...

I'm posting an article on the value of Bitcoin falling. It is written by Matein Kahlid, who writes weekly (normally) for Khaleej Times in Dubai. I used to work at Khaleej Times, on the business desk, so know Matein well. He writes fluently and clearly on business topics. So if you are invested in Bitcoin, here is one take on the subject. The virtua...

Globally, there's been a lot of excitement about females being able to drive in Saudi Arabia. It's not nearly as straightforward as that, with women in Saudi Arabia saying that some can and some can't. There are age limits in place. Some of the women activists have also be imprisoned in the Kingdom, as Amnesty International points out, as reported ...

The war in Yemen is a forgotten war. I was in Yemen for New Year about 20 years ago, and it was revelation. At that stage, the Civil War had ended so we were able to travel reasonably easy, much easier than today for example. Sana'a. Yemen's capital, was a delight to behold- a photographer's dream- but I'm sure it has been largely destroyed now. He...

The Middle East certainly dominates the news nowadays, so this article I read about Turkey and "fake news" and Israel and Palestine were intriguing to read, especially because I learned something. The first article appeared on the BBC and talks about how Turkey manipulates the news. Turkey is the world's largest jailer of journalists, ranking 157 o...

Enter your text here  The issue with Iranian sanctions is a crazy one. Will the imposition of sanctions bring Iran to the negotiating table, as the US hopes, or will they have the opposite effect? With so much uncertainty about the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran I read this article in Al Monitor with considerable interest. Israel pins hope...

I read this media release from the New Zealand Super Fund with interest. I'm sure other companies could take a lead from the Fund in terms of their human resources policy. Features of the NZ Super Fund's new benefits package include a top-up to full pay for 26 weeks during primary carer parental leave, a KiwiSaver lump sum top up for unpaid parenta...

I don't understand sanctions on Iraq. Probably a lot of people don't. While three nuclear sites in Iran are exempt from sanctions this article also shows how the Iraqis are exempt on electricity sanctions from Iran. How does that work? This is how Al Monitor explains it. US gives Iraqis an out on Iran sanctions Bryant Harris November 5, 2018 Articl...

VAT was introduced in the UAE on 1 January 2018. I'm sure ex-pats find many items more expensive. Most were expensive before. Now, visitors to the UAE can claim back VAT but they are being warned about s phishing scam. This article was in Khaleej Times. The new phishing scam has come to light following e-mails being sent out to customers of a local...

Yemen is the forgotten story of the Middle East. The war between the Houthis, and the Saudis and the Emiratis and of course the US and the UK (although not directly) is ongoing. There is little sign of let up, despite the US imposing a 30-day deadline for the warring factions to resolve their differences. I spent time in Yemen, travelling around, a...