Polistratics 015

In This Week's Edition: China's Growing Influence In The MENA, An Attempt To Unseat The Greenback, The Israeli Far-Right And The Future Of The Abraham Accords ... And More!

This month’s post in my “Through The Sandstorm” blog …

America, China, and the MENA (NawafAlThani.com)

News stories I’m following this week …

• Turkey’s Next-Gen Fighter Jet and Stealthy Drone Are Here—and Massively Important. (Popular Mechanics)

• The Biden administration barely pretends to care about Syria anymore. (Washinton Post)

• Ukraine Situation Report: France Denies It’s Looking To Buy Back UAE’s Mirage Jets For Kyiv. (The Drive)

• China's growing influence in Mideast leaves US worried. (Deutsche Welle)

• UAE pardons Israeli woman who faced life in prison. (BBC)

• Biden lets China threaten the greenback's status as the world's reserve currency. (Washington Examiner)

• Lebanon has 'no other way out' than IMF deal, U.S. official says. (Reuters)

• Saudi-Egypt Twitter war marks the end of Riyadh's blank cheques for Sisi. (The New Arab)

• Bahrain jails men over YouTube discussion of Islam. (BBC)

• Russia is using propaganda to make Egypt the linchpin of its new Cold War with the West. (Euronews)

• Kuwait Wealth Fund Sells €1.4 Billion of Mercedes Shares. (Bloomberg/Autoblog)

• Is Israel’s far-right government jeopardizing Emirati ties? (Aljazeera)

• What Saudi Arabia’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation decision means for China’s influence in Middle East. (SCMP)

‘In other news’ …

• These Saudi Camel Carvings Are Older Than Stonehenge. (IFL Science)

• Ramadan 2023: Where do your dates come from? (Aljazeera)

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On Social-Media …

Rashida Tlaib @RashidaTlaib

This is the violent apartheid government of Israel. Don't look away. https://t.co/puUvGNu1Zr

CNN @CNN

Prior to the discovery of oil and gas in Qatar, life in the Gulf revolved around pearls. Today, this "lost" heritage is everywhere -- if you know where to look.

cnn.itHow an iridescent gem changed the face of QatarWhile oil and gas has fueled the rise of modern Qatar, a rarer natural resource has played the longest role in the Gulf country’s evolution. Today, this “lost” heritage is everywhere -- if you know where to look.

In other ‘posts’ …

Doha News @dohanews

🌙 Residents from around the country gather at Lusail Boulevard every evening to watch the firing of the iftar cannon, a decades old tradition during Ramadan. 🎤 We spoke to a few spectators about their experience. Have you been to watch the canons yet?

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