Qatar Emerges as Power Broker in New Afghanistan
![US representative Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Taliban representative Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) sign the agreement in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain], cc US State Department, modified,](https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/SigningDOHA-768x369.jpg "US representative Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Taliban representative Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) sign the agreement in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain], cc US State Department, modified,")
Doha has spent years building political capital with the Taliban. Now it will have an opportunity to spend it.
Middle East Gamechanger? Gauging the China-Iran Deal
Though short on details, the recent China-Iran deal could one day be looked back on as a seminal moment in the geopolitics of the Middle East.
Great Power Competition Comes to the Middle East: Iraq and the China-Iran Agreement
The recent China-Iran agreement presents Baghdad with a profound geopolitical choice: the United States or China?
Is the US Repeating Old Mistakes in Libya?
The United States is once again stepping foot into Libyan affairs after years of disregard for the oil-rich country. Will Washington manage to overcome old mistakes and help end Libya’s endless civil war?
Turning Inward: GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds Reinvent Themselves in the COVID Era
![Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud participates in the Counter-ISIL Ministerial Joint Ministerial Plenary Session, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 21, 2016. [State Department Photo/Public Domain], https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deputy_Crown_Prince_Mohammad_Bin_Salman_bin_Abdulaziz_Al-Saud_Participates_in_the_Counter-ISIL_Ministerial_Plenary_Session_-_Flickr_-_U.S._Department_of_State_(cropped).jpg](https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deputy_Crown_Prince_Mohammad_Bin_Salman_bin_Abdulaziz_Al-Saud_Participates_in_the_Counter-ISIL_Ministerial_Plenary_Session_-_Flickr_-_U.S._Department_of_State_cropped-768x369.jpg "Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud participates in the Counter-ISIL Ministerial Joint Ministerial Plenary Session, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 21, 2016. [State Department Photo/Public Domain], https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deputy_Crown_Prince_Mohammad_Bin_Salman_bin_Abdulaziz_Al-Saud_Participates_in_the_Counter-ISIL_Ministerial_Plenary_Session_-_Flickr_-_U.S._Department_of_State_(cropped).jpg")
But the path to a post-oil future won’t be easy.
COVID-19 Brewing a Perfect Storm of Political Crisis in Lebanon
How far can Lebanon’s institutions be stretched before they simply collapse? This year could have an answer.
Biden Shows Saudis the Exit in Yemen Civil War
But amid the total humanitarian and strategic disaster of Riyadh’s war policy, it will still be hard to walk through it.
The EU’s New ‘Eastern Question’: Refugees, Gas, and Neo-Ottoman Imperialism
The ‘Eastern Question’ has re-emerged to haunt EU policymakers, and a proper answer requires a true understanding of region’s historical specificities.
FLASH:IEA Reduces Oil Demand Forecast for 2021
Weak oil demand is projected to persist through the first half of 2021, compounding divisions within the OPEC+ cartel.
Opportunities and Obstacles in Qatar-Indonesia Relations
A desire to diversify export markets has pushed Indonesia and Qatar closer together in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work to do before the bilateral relationship can truly flourish.