No images? Click here 1,498 words — A 5-minute read Good Morning | We are in the waning hours of Donald Trump’s mandate as US president. Joe Biden is preparing to take the Oath of Office and today’s edition of Connect the Gulf is designed to help you explore some of the questions that loom for the Gulf region as a new era begins in Washington:
Was this email forwarded to you? New Chart: More US arms to Gulf under Trump than ever beforeUS arms sales to the Gulf states soared during Donald Trump’s presidency, with American manufacturers shipping more weapons to the region each year than under any previous US president.
Some 35% more US weaponry flowed to the Gulf states during the first three years of Trump’s mandate, compared to the last three years of Barack Obama’s, according to calculations by the Stockholm International Peace Institute (data for 2020 is not yet available). Biden has pledged to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, which depends on American weaponry.
As the Trump era ends, the Gulf states have built up arsenals that have never been so huge and sophisticated. The impact: This flood of weapons has contributed to making the region’s wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria longer and deadlier than ever before.
Next steps: Will Biden move to block any of the massive arms deals Trump’s administration has attempted to rush through congress during his last weeks in office? These include:
*The data in this story reflects actual shipments (“transfers”) of US-manufactured conventional military equipment to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Click here for more information on how the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute compiles this data. ** Trend-indicator value (TIV) is a unit developed by the source to measure the flow of major conventional weapons that reflects their military capability, rather than their financial value. Returning to the Iran nuclear talksIn one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order this afternoon that will kick-start the United States' return to the so-called Iran Deal. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Obama-era agreement, which placed strict limits on Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. Trump imposed a set of sanctions that has crippled Iran's economy.
Returning to the deal is central to the foreign policy Biden hopes to execute in the Middle East.
Yes, but: The “maximum pressure” campaign that Trump waged against Iran may have weakened Washington’s negotiating position.
To watch: What role will Iran’s main regional rivals, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel, play as this deal is negotiated?
Also in the mix: Qatar has offered to facilitate a dialogue between its Gulf Arab neighbours and Iran in order to ease things forward as Biden takes office.
Gulf human rights test ahead for BidenBiden has pledged to vigorously defend human rights, especially in Saudi Arabia where he has promised to “make sure America does not check its values at the door to sell arms or buy oil”.
Yes, but: Biden is likely to face tremendous pressure not to alter America’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Bumper oyster harvest in UAE watersTen million oysters are growing in nets moored off the coast of Fujairah, at the UAE’s first oyster farm.
The farm, called Dibba Bay, imports baby oysters from hatcheries in France and the UK. They then grow in the nutrient-rich waters off Fujairah for eight months before being harvested and shipped to supermarkets and restaurants in the UAE and overseas.
It is rare to cultivate oysters in warm bodies of water like the Gulf of Oman. But the waters off Fujairah offer up a perfect combination: a constant supply of natural food like algae and a strong upwell of cold water.
Image source: Sebastian Castelier / Shutterstock.com THIS FRIDAY:Check your inbox for Gulf Traveller, the all-travel edition of our newsletter, featuringLadakh, India; the Todroos Mountains of Cyprus and the West Bank🛫⛰️🐪 Blacklisting Houthis threatens rescue of leaking Red Sea tankerThe United Nations says its efforts to secure a decaying and leaking oil tanker off Yemen’s Red Sea coast may be hindered by the US government's designation of the Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization. With a full load of crude, the Safer has been anchored off Yemen’s Ras Issa oil terminal for five years.
After years spent negotiating with the Houthi authorities to gain access to the vessel, the UN has hired a private company to assess the damaged tanker. Work was on track to begin next month. But, there are concerns the blacklisting of the Houthis will put contractors in legal jeopardy, the UN says. Connect QuickCOVID-19 | Emirates and Etihad are partnering with the International Air Transport Association to introduce a COVID-19 vaccination “passport” for passengers who have tested negative or have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. COVID-19 | The pandemic continues to surge in the UAE, which registered a record 3,491 cases on Tuesday. Infections in the Emirates have almost tripled since November. Meanwhile, the country says that it has inoculated two million of its 10 million or so residents against the virus. Jamal Khashoggi | The city council of Washington DC is expected to rename the road running in front of the Saudi embassy “Jamal Khashoggi Way” to honour the journalist who was murdered by government operatives in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Saudi Arabia | The Kingdom’s Human Rights Commission reports that authorities carried out 27 executions in 2020, down from 184 in 2019. A moratorium on the death penalty for non-violent drug offences appears to account for the drop in executions. The move might be designed to soften the image of the Kingdom, which seeks to attract foreign investors and tourists. Oman budget talks move behind closed doorsA new law in Oman decrees that budget talks and the questioning of ministers by the Majlis al-Shura legislative council must take place behind closed doors.
Discussions around Oman’s budget will be closely watched as the already indebted state piles up more debt. Thanks for reading to the end! We depend on word of mouth to grow the audience of Connect the Gulf. You can help!
Thanks! About Us Connect the Gulf is a 5-minute independent email newsletter designed to keep readers informed with smart, factual news about the changing Arab Gulf States.
The newsletter was founded in late 2020 by Andrew Mills, a journalist who has been working in the Gulf for more than a decade. This week’s edition of Connect the Gulf was written and edited by Andrew Mills, with contributions from Sebastian Castelier and Islam Salahuddin. It was sub-edited by Louise Bolotin. |