President Trump will keep the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and target the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a new White House policy announced today. The announcement will please allies concerned that the president would pull the US…
Author: Edmund O'Sullivan
I am a writer, author, economist and business person. I've reported on and done business in the Middle East since 1979 and travelled throughout the region. I specialist in reporting and writing, economic and media industry consultancy, business development and conference moderation.
The UK seeks to maintain trade relations in the Gulf despite the GCC split and Trump’s Iran rhetoric
The RAF’s Red Arrows over Doha in 2013. They return this weekend as part of the UK’s campaign to maintain its trade relationship with both sides of the GCC split The Royal Air Force (RAF) Red Arrows will fly over…
Is GCC split behind the spate of Arabian initiatives?
Women will be in the driving seat in Saudi Arabia from next June We’ll believe it when we see it, but King Salman’s order today that women will be able to get driving licences from next June means it won’t…
IMF says Qatar growth slowing
Measures imposed by some GCC and other states on 5 June following the diplomatic rift with some trading-partner countries led to a sharp contraction in imports into Qatar in June with a slight recovery in July but its non-oil growth…
S&P cautiously affirms AA- rating
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has affirmed Qatar’s rating at AA-/A-1+ but has cautioned that this might change if the boycott of Qatar by other GCC and Arabs states starts having a measurable effect on the economy. “We expect the ongoing…
IMF calls for tough economic measures
fiscal and external vulnerabilities have increased in the wake of the oil price decline, the IMF said today in a statement following the end of its annual Article IV consultation with the government of the kingdom. Real GDP growth is…
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali al-Thani becomes Qatar’s man to watch
Directly descended from the founder of modern Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali al-Thani is the grandson, son and brother of previous Qatari rulers. An obscure Qatari sheikh has become in less than a week one of Arabia’s best-known figures. Sheikh Abdullah…
Saudi Green Building Forum’s saaf® wins UN consultative special status
The UN’s Economic & Social Council (Ecosoc) has granted consultative special status to the Saudi Green Building Forum’s saaf® programme. This the first time a Saudi Arabian non-government organisation (NGO) has been recognised in this way for its work in…
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea tourism plan
Saudi Arabia wants to turn hundreds of kilometres of its Red Sea coastline into a global tourism destination governed by laws “on par with international standards” as part of its plan to transform the economy and reduce its reliance on…
IMF says Saudi current account to return to surplus this year
Saudi Arabia’s current account is projected to move back into surplus in 2017 after recording massive deficits due to lower oil prices in the past two years, the IMF said in a statement released today following the completion of its…