The Red Velvet Lawyer

Where is the Middle East Headed  After the Killing of Solemani Tonight I attended an event sponsored by the Al Jazeera Center for Studies focused on the topic: " Where is the Middle East Headed After the Killing of Solemani ." The program -- held on January 8, 2020 at the Al Jazeera Media Institute Auditorium -- featured four speakers: Mahommaed Cherkaoui, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Liqaa Maki, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Haoues Taquia, Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Majoob Zweiri, Director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.  The translation services were again disappointing because of a variety of technical issues.  Half the audience left after 30 minutes.  I stuck around for intermittent translation services and the chance to talk with people at the reception afterwards.  Accordingly, my notes are very incomplete.  So, any summary here is given with a very big caveat. The

Some Context After the News of the Killing of  Iranian Commander Suleimani As a US expat living in Qatar, I have attended a number of academic programs discussing tensions in the region between the US, its regional allies, and Iran. See here , here , here , here , and here . This past year, I wrote a review analyzing a new book on the security architecture and world-views of the regional actors. I recommended the book as a "fearless examination of the persistent tensions in the most volatile region in the world, along with the security architecture that makes it persistently unstable." See Book Review: Troubled Waters: Insecurity in the Persian Gulf, Mehran Kamrava (Cornell U. Press 2018) , 9 J. of Arabian Studies 116 (2019), available here .

Strategic Impasse that is Unlikely to Change Absent Third-Party Intervention Pushing the Limits: US –  Iranian Brinkmanship in the Gulf Brookings Doha Center October 20, 2019 Intercontinental Hotel, Doha Qatar Three panelists expressed pessimism and pragmatism last week in assessing the current tensions between the US and Iran.  The moderator, Ali Fathollah-Nejad , Visiting Fellow, Brookings Doha Center, began the program by giving a brief summary of recent actions taken by both belligerents. He described President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the US from the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) . In 2018, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iran , that among others things, affected Iran's ability to sell and export oil and natural gas. While European countries promised to mitigate the economic impact of these sanctions, their promises fell short.  As a consequence, Iran adopted a “maximum resistance str

Passionate Voices  Seeking an End to the Suffering Last week, I attended a somewhat chaotic event that showcases the intractability of the conflicts that exist in the Arab Gulf region. The event focused on the Yemeni war.  While some of the speakers briefly mentioned international parties, including the US, in their remarks, the focus remained on the interests of Yemenis.  Speakers also mentioned the intervention of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran in the conflict  Their focus may have changed if  Qatar University had hosted the event, just a few days later, after the drone attacks on the Saudi Arabian petroleum facilities on September 14, 2019. The information about the event appears below.  My summary appears after that information.  In summarizing the comments of the speakers and attendees, I suffer from several disabilities.  First, I must rely on the translators because I do not speak Arabic. Second, I have not done any in-depth research into Yemen's politi

High-Quality Scholarship  about Qatar In May 2019, Nova Science Publishers published Qatar: Political, Economic, and Social Issues (Haitham M. Alkhateeb ed.).  The book covers political, economic, and social issues as the name suggests. Chapters 2 to 6 feature my analysis of the Qatari response to the blockade by four neighboring countries - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. The book is available from Amazon in hard copy and from libraries in digital format. The Table of Contents, set out below, shows its broad coverage. Preface Chapter 1. Qatar's Nation Brand: Facing the Regional Challenges (Nawaf Al-Tamimi, PhD, and Azzam Amin, PhD, Journalism Program, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar, and others) Chapter 2. Bustards, Bullies, Billions, and the Blockade: Applying Dispute Resolution Theory to the First Nine Months of the Siege of Qatar (Paula Marie Young, College of Law, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar) Chapter 3. Power-B

Iran's Islamic Revolution at 40 Regional Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges By Dr. Kamal Kharazi Last night, I attended a lecture sponsored by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies .  I have attended prior programs offered by the Centre and found them intellectually stimulating.  They always offer points of view I have seldom heard in the West. I have blogged about them in a series of posts beginning here .  The invited guest, Dr. Kamal Kharazi , Chair of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations of Iran, gave a lecture followed by a brief question and answer period at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, Qatar.  The moderator introduced Dr. Kharazi as an "insider" to the Iranian Revolution .  That revolution celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2019.  He spoke in English from prepare remarks. Before I start, I want to note that I am working from my notes and apologize in advance if my summary contains any errors or misstatements.  I am happy to make any nee