Weakness, Not Strength: Why the Decline of Russia and China Is the Defining Strategic Risk of the Decade.
By Rick Clay While global attention is fixed on the volatility of oil markets and the escalating events across the Middle East, I believe it is necessary to redirect focus toward the geopolitical health of our two greatest economic and military adversaries, Russia and China. The world’s energy anxieties and regional crises, although significant, risk […]
Abu Dhabi’s Capital of Capital Defies the War.
By Julia Rita While a regional conflict now in its seventh month has rattled energy markets, shipping lanes, and tourism across the Gulf, Abu Dhabi’s international financial centre has kept expanding. In the first half of 2026, Abu Dhabi Global Market added 4,688 professionals, issued 1,814 new licences, and recorded a 54 percent jump in […]
ADNOC Seeks Stakes in Thai and Dangote Refineries to Lock In Crude Demand.
By John Rossomondo Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. is in talks to take stakes in some of the biggest refining operations in Thailand and Africa, a move aimed at securing buyers for its crude and expanding its fuel-trading business, according to people familiar with the discussions. The talks cover refineries run by units of Thailand’s […]
Charlie Kirk’s Work Still Speaks: Approaching One Year After His Death.
By Tim Frazer Four days from now it will be one year since Charlie Kirk was killed. We still feel the absence. We also see what did not die with him. On September 10, 2025, Kirk was shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was […]
Sudan Under International Scrutiny Over Alleged Chemical Weapons Program.
By Prof Bill Mikhail Sudan’s war has entered a deeply troubling new phase as investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post raise serious questions about the existence of a secret chemical-weapons program and stockpiles allegedly linked to the Sudanese military. The reports, published on the same day, present new evidence and allegations […]
Near-Weapons Threshold: U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Maps Route to 20% Enrichment.
By Asiimwe Angel New documents shared with Congress last week reveal that the Trump administration’s civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia includes an explicit roadmap for uranium enrichment on Saudi soil—potentially reaching nearly 20 percent, a level far closer to weapons-grade than typical power-reactor fuel. The 30-year “123 agreement,” signed in July 2026 by […]
The House Is Still in Play. The Map Is Not What It Used to Be.
By Ampamya Ronah A midterm election that historically favors the party out of power, combined with a generic-ballot lead for Democrats, has created an impression that control of the House is within easy reach. That impression is incomplete. Gerrymandering and deepening polarization have shrunk the number of truly competitive districts, so even a favorable national […]
From Sharjah to New Damascus: Arada’s $7 Billion Bet on Syria’s Rebuild.
Nabimara Benson Sharjah-based developer Arada has signed a joint venture with Syria’s recently created sovereign wealth fund to build a $7 billion mixed-use district west of Damascus one of the largest foreign real-estate commitments announced since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The project, branded New Damascus, is planned on a four-million-square-metre plateau near the Mezzeh […]
How the UAE Built a 1.8 Million-Barrel-a-Day Escape Route Around Hormuz.
By Nash Seman A state’s strength is not built by wealth alone. In moments of crisis, the route that carries that wealth can become more valuable than the resource itself. That is the central lesson of the instability surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The struggle is no longer only about oil, production capacity, or ownership. […]
The UAE Severance and the End of Tehran’s Economic Architecture.
By Rick Clay The United Arab Emirates’ decision on August 19, 2026, to suspend indefinitely all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran is far more than a diplomatic response to Tehran’s alleged missile attacks on maritime traffic. It is a strategic rupture that may close the most important economic gateway the Islamic Republic […]