BREAKING: #UAE President #KhalifabinZayed just died. Crown Prince of #AbuDhabi since 1969, and Abu Dhabi Ruler & President since his father Sheikh Zayed died in 2004. The #BurjKhalifa was initially named to honor him.

A few words on him + what happens now in a thread. 1/ After #KhalifabinZayed suffered a stroke in 2014, his younger brother Mohammad bin Zayed (#MbZ) became de facto leader of the #UAE. Now the Federal Supreme Council (including the rulers of the 7 Emirates) will ratify #MbZ as official President of the #UAE. Basically guaranteed 2/

A thread on imagining impacts of the #Metaverse on “my” world. How will the job of a #geopolitics analyst be different? How will this new platform change international relations in general and the #Gulf in particular? Feel free to add your take, it’s simply thinking out loud.
1/ First, meetings & events. #Zoom events are here to stay, alongside in-person ones. But a digital event on #Metaverse could be so much better and closer to a real-life experience, enhanced by instant access to resources 2/

It’s out! 🎊
My new @ecfr paper on how #Europe can ride the #climate momentum in the #Gulf deploying its #GreenDeal to meet #NetZero & #geopolitical objectives in the region ➡️ bit.ly/2XOK8bG
Read b4 #COP26 #COP26Glasgow
Few take-aways 1/ Good that #SaudiArabia & #UAE have pledged #NetZero but #GCC total domestic emissions are only 2.4% of world’s. The #EU needs to focus on the emissions they export, mostly to #China, I argue how: bit.ly/2XOK8bG 2/

#EU Foreign Ministers meet today for #Gymnich. They will discuss #Afghanistan. But then they will discuss the #Gulf. This is a rare occurrence - EU Ministers have discussed #JCPOA often but very rarely regional geopolitics between the #GCC, #Iraq & #Iran. They do now because… ⬇️ …because of the #Baghdad_summit last week and #France’s involvement in it. Most in #EU that #Iraq can be the hub for regional diplomacy in the #Gulf, building on talks btwn #SaudiArabia & #Iran. Reality is that with no progress on #Yemen these talks are shallow but ⬇️

The moment we were waiting for has come. New #Kuwait Emir, #SheikhNawaf, nominates his brother Mishal Al-Ahmad as Crown Prince. He is a security person, w/past experience in the Interior Ministry and Deputy Chief of the Kuwaiti National Guard since 2004. Some thoughts. 1/ The National Assembly (NA) has to confirm Mishal al-Ahmad as #Kuwait CP with 2/3 majority. As @bmalsaif said, Emir prolonged term of the outgoing NA to Oct 20 coz it was the safer option - new Parliament likely to have more opposition members & elections vulnerable to meddling 2/

On the #Trump-mediated normalization between #Bahrain & #Israel keep in mind that this is not unexpected or historic per se, but because there might be a #SaudiArabia angle. Me & @h_lovatt wrote it for @ECFRMena last month ecfr.eu/amp-article/co… In fact, there was much to say about #Bahrain and #Israel in my June article for @ispionline, when #annexation was possibly imminent. Find the article here: ispionline.it/it/pubblicazio…

#SaudiArabia FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan has been quite busy these days! Today in #Italy, right after #Cyprus and, before, a North Africa tour. On geopolitics, Riyadh and Rome have two major things to talk about: #Libya and #EastMed. Both have to do with #Turkey.

https://twitter.com/FaisalbinFarhan/status/1291709415813459968

#Italy and #SaudiArabia do not traditionally have an in-depth, serious geopolitical engagement. This is for many reasons, many of which are common to other continental #Europe-an countries, excluding #France. I have analysed those in my @ECFRMena paper: ecfr.eu/publications/s…

🎙️New @arabdigest podcast: I discuss w/@BillLaw49 about how a #US retrenchment from the #MENA triggered a competition between #Russia #China #Turkey #Iran #UAE & #SaudiArabia to occupy vacuum and implications for #UK and #Europe. Highlights:
@ECFRMena
tinyurl.com/y2awxgd7 Yes I did really say "sometimes the #MENA region today seems like the Far West w/the Sheriff (#US) taking a nap". The multipolar competition deepened & entrenched conflicts in #Yemn, #Libya, #Syria and is extending towards the #HornofAfrica and #EastMed m.soundcloud.com/arabdigest/the…

Truly fascinating story linking #tech & #geopolitics, and involving #Gulf. #Google sponsors new undersea fiber optic cable connecting #Europe & #Asia, specifically #Italy & #India, via the #ArabianPeninsula. Should cut costs by 50% & really increase efficiency. Few details 👇 1/ The cable will be split in 2. Blue goes from #Italy to #Jordan (Aqaba) via #Israel and is done w/Telecom Italia. Raman goes from #India to Aqaba via #Oman & #SaudiArabia and done w/Omantel. The split is due to Saudi opposition of direct link to Israel (normalization, much?). 2/

#SultanQaboos of #Oman died. The royal family chose Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al-Said to succeed. Who is he? What does it mean? A thread 1/ First, the royal family was quick in agreeing to a successor. This portrays externally a show of unity that is very important in a volatile region and vis-à-vis concerns that neighbors like #SaudiArabia and #UAE would have likes to interfere in the process. #Oman closed ranks. 2/