There’s plenty that’s attracted criticism of Saudi Arabian policy since King Salman succeeded to the kingdom’s throne almost five years ago and made his son Mohammed Bin Salman, now crown prince, a cabinet minister. There’s the war in Yemen and…
Tag: GCC
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…
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…
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…
Qatar must meet 13 conditions for embargo to end
On the spot. Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim will find it hard to satisfy Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies Kuwait has presented Qatar a list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, the four Arab nations that…
The GCC split was inevitable, it won’t last and Saudi Arabia will come out on top
Three things can be said about the extraordinary action taken this week against Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. The confrontation — which has been brewing for more than two decades and involves dozens of points of friction…
Arab leaders hope Trump will make their new year wishes come true
Reviled by Western liberals and dismissed by foreign policy specialists, Donald Trump is being viewed with favour by leaders of the Arab world’s most powerful nations. In an interview with the The Financial Times published today, Egypt’s President El-Sisi welcomed Trump’s…
GCC construction projects market down one-third in 2016
The GCC projects market is expected to record at best $120 billion worth of contract awards in 2016, down at least a third on 2015 levels and well below what was initially forecast, as low oil prices severely impact government…
Fitch says GCC bank outlook remains negative
Low oil prices continue to pressure bank liquidity and are also taking their toll on asset quality and earnings for banks in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Fitch Ratings says in a report released today. Fitch’s sector outlook for GCC…
GCC finance needs to be $560bn
GCC governments will need financing worth $560bn in 2015-19 as a result of lower oil prices, S&P Global Ratings said in a report published today. “We estimate that, in nominal terms, GCC sovereigns’ combined fiscal deficit will reach $150bn…