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The UAE Walks Out, and Saudi Arabia Has Only Itself to Blame
When Suhail Al Mazrouei confirmed on Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates would withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ on 1 May 2026, the message landed in Riyadh with the force of a closed door. After nearly six decades inside the cartel, Abu Dhabi has decided its national interest is better served outside the tent. It…
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Seasons of light: Ramadan through ancient travellers’ eyes
From Mecca and Damascus to Cairo, travellers across the centuries recorded the rhythms of Ramadan, documenting lantern-lit mosques, night prayers, learning circles, and the generosity of shared iftars
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Iran, Mojtaba and the future of the Islamic Republic
Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as Iran’s new Supreme Leader marks the most consequential political transition in the Islamic Republic in more than three decades. For the first time since the 1979…
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MBS, Guardian of Holy Places, Master of the Unholy Game
How the House of Saud weaponized Islam, at home and abroad, while its elite played by entirely different rules
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The UAE Walks Out, and Saudi Arabia Has Only Itself to Blame
When Suhail Al Mazrouei confirmed on Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates would withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ on 1 May 2026, the message landed in Riyadh with the force…
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MBS’s Losing Bet
Mohammed bin Salman gambled Saudi Arabia’s security on friendship with Iran and has now gone silent.
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How MBS’s Built a Neo-Colonial Order
For nearly a decade, Mohammed bin Salman has worked on his facade. In public he is the reformer: Vision 2030, women behind the wheel, cinemas reopening, a Chinese-brokered deal with…
