Adam Hanieh is a senior lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and the author of Lineages of Revolt: Issues of Contemporary Capitalism in the Middle East.
Western analysts often regard the Gulf as a strange anomaly among capitalist states. In fact, it has the same underlying dynamics as capitalist countries elsewhere, and it is powerfully shaping the politics of the Middle East.
Global oil prices have plummeted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean the giants of the industry are facing terminal decline: Big Oil could bounce back stronger than ever.
Media coverage has focused heavily on the impact of COVID-19 in Europe and North America. But countries in the Global South are far more vulnerable to the pandemic and its economic fallout. The Left needs to develop a truly global view of the crisis — and act accordingly.
The Saudi Arabia–UAE battle against Qatar is a struggle for regional power with no heroes to cheer for.
ISIS emerged out of the dashed hopes of the Arab Spring.
Any reversal of neoliberalism in the Middle East would require challenging powerful Gulf States.
The Oslo Accords weren’t a failure for Israel — they served as a fig leaf to consolidate and deepen its control over Palestinian life.