International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

Trump Visits Arab Kings: Making Deals, Accepting Bribes, Shifting Policy

Dan La Botz — 2025-05-19T08:47:28Z

President Donald Trump visited three of the Persian Gulf monarchies last week, receiving adulation, praising the feudal regimes, making deals, and accepting bribes while also carrying out a significant shift in U.S. Middle East policy. Amidst beautiful palaces and mosques, surrounded by Arabian horses, and watching sword dances, Trump and the monarchs heaped praise on each other.

- IVP604 - May 2025 / United States (USA), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Rivals in the Service of Empire: Abu Dhabi, Qatar and the United States

Gilbert Achcar — 2024-09-06T09:42:18Z

Abu Dhabi and Qatar are the two brother enemies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Their consanguinity is evinced in several areas.

- IV596-September 2024 / United States (USA), Qatar, Abu Dhabi

The Power of Gulf Capitalism

Kit Wainer — 2020-01-23T09:07:56Z

ADAM HANIEH HAS produced a compelling and well-documented account of the modern evolution of capitalism in the Persian Gulf. Skillfully utilizing the Marxist categories of class, state, and mode of production he situates the role of Gulf capitalists, organized around the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), within the larger global capitalist economy. His concluding chapter ties the economic trends he details to an analysis of the political crises of the past decade.

- Reviews section / Saudi Arabia, Reviews, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait

Money, Markets, and Monarchies

Adam Hanieh — 2019-02-02T18:39:39Z

Adam Hanieh talks about his new book to Jadaliyya.

- Reviews section / Saudi Arabia, Reviews, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The "crisis in the Gulf": understanding the roots

Gilbert Achcar — 2017-08-25T04:41:01Z

In order to understand the violent campaign launched by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt against Qatar, it is necessary to look beyond trivialities such as the ransom that the Qataris allegedly paid In Iraq (to Shiite groups, in order to free more than twenty hawkers hunting in Iraqi territory) and accusations that Qatar supports terrorism. Such accusations lose credibility because they are made by actors who have done exactly that for decades. We must return to the context before the Arab Spring and how it was affected by the Great Uprising.

- IV511 - August 2017 / Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar

The Qatar Crisis

Adam Hanieh — 2017-07-17T08:21:09Z

The Saudi Arabia–UAE battle against Qatar is a struggle for regional power with no heroes to cheer for.

- IV510 - July 2017 / Saudi Arabia, Qatar

Crisis between the reactionary monarchies of the Gulf

Joseph Daher — 2017-07-05T08:48:31Z

On June 4, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt (followed a few hours later by Bahrain, Yemen, the Maldives, Mauritania and the Libyan dissident government) broke off relations with the Emirate of Qatar for its links with "terrorist organizations and denominational groups seeking to destabilize the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State, and al-Qaeda", not to mention the maintenance of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite differences. The crisis came a week after intense controversy over remarks attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, where he criticized Riyadh's determination to isolate Iran diplomatically while taking up the defence of Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood, both viewed as terrorist groups by Riyadh. Doha was moreover excluded from the Arab military coalition led by Riyadh against the alliance of the Houthists, backed by Iran and the former dictator Ali Abdallah Saleh, while the Qatari media, such as al-Jazeera, have been banned in the majority of countries that have broken off relations with Qatar.

- IV510 - July 2017 / Saudi Arabia, Qatar

What lies behind the blockade of Qatar?

Gilbert Achcar — 2017-06-30T05:42:57Z

“How do you explain the rupture by Saudi Arabia and its allies, on June 5th, of their diplomatic relations with Qatar, accused of "supporting terrorism"? Is this the outcome of a crisis that has been maturing for a long time?”

Yvan LemaÃ®tre of L'Anticaptialiste spoke to Gilbert Achar to find out.

- IV509 - June 2017 / Qatar

Campaign Against Qatar is Latest in Series of Attacks by the Region's Old Establishment

Gilbert Achcar — 2017-06-19T10:58:40Z

This article by Gilbert Achcar was translated, presented and and published by The Arabist on 16 June 2017.

- IV509 - June 2017 / Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE)