Monthly Archives: July 2012

Gulf in the News – July 18, 2012

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UAE, US authorities investigate shooting by a US navy ship in waters off Dubai

Source: Gulfnews (Read full story)

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Authorities in the UAE and the US Navy are investigating a United States navy oil-supply vessel’s firing on a fishing boat off the coast of Jebel Ali, killing an Indian fisherman and critically injuring three other men, officials said.

“The UAE’s authorities are investigating [the incident],” Wam quoted Dr Tareq Ahmad Al Hidan, political affairs assistant to the Foreign Minister, as saying.

According to a US military official a US navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel on Monday off the coast of Dubai after the motor vessel “disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the US ship.

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Dr. John Duke Anthony on “Analyzing Transformational Change in the Arab World”

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On April 13, 2011, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony spoke to members and guests of the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs on “Analyzing Transformational Change in the Arab World.” Courtesy of the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, the National Council is pleased to make available this video and audio recording of Dr. Anthony’s address.

Dr. John Duke Anthony – “Analyzing Transformational Change in the Arab World” podcast (.mp3)

Gulf in the News – July 16, 2012

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Habshan-Fujairah pipeline inaugurated today

Source: Gulfnews (Read full story)

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The new pipeline can carry three-quarters of the UAE’s oil exports if needed. Until now, the UAE, like Qatar and Kuwait, had been entirely dependent on Hormuz to export its crude and the pipeline ends its dependence on a shipping artery that Iran has increasingly threatened to block as Western sanctions on its oil exports have tightened.

The US and its allies in Europe have been saying Iran’s nuclear programme is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear programme is meant for peaceful purposes and if its oil exports are threatened, it will close the Strait of Hormuz.

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Gulf in the News – July 13, 2012

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Saudis boost security in Eastern Region amid tension

Source: Reuters (Read full story)

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Saudi Arabia may be further worried about Tehran’s reaction after a European Union oil embargo, widely expected to hurt Iran’s vital energy exports, went into effect on July 1 over its disputed nuclear programme.

Iran has threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway at the mouth of the Gulf where about a third of sea-borne oil exports pass, if it came under attack over its disputed nuclear programme.

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“A Window onto the Gulf Cooperation Council” – Remarks by His Excellency Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani

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“A Window onto the Gulf Cooperation Council,
Together With a View Regarding Its
Involvement Of Late With Yemen”

Remarks by

His Excellency Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani,
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council

to the

Gulf Research Center’s Third Annual Gulf Research Meeting,
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

July 11, 2012

Introduction by Dr. John Duke Anthony,
Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

 

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is privileged to publish the remarks made earlier today by H.E. Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, who has granted his permission.   The occasion is the three-day Third Annual Gulf Research Meeting (GRM) presented by the Gulf Research Center (GRC) with offices in Jeddah, Geneva, and Cambridge, UK.   Founded by Dr. Abdalaziz Sager less than two decades ago, with the overriding strategic maxim of “Knowledge for All,” the GRC has rapidly become a leading institute specializing in research, education, seminars, workshops, publications, and consultancy.

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Gulf in the News – July 11, 2012

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At least 22 dead in Yemen police academy suicide bombing

Source: Reuters (Read full story)

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That attack – claimed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – along with Wednesday’s bombing – showed quite how far the Yemeni government is from defeating the Islamist insurgents despite a U.S.-backed military offensive which drove them out of their southern strongholds.

The insurgents have vowed to carry their fight across Yemen.

Theodore Karasik, director of research and development at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said AQAP appeared to be adopting methods used in Iraq.

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U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report Identifies Security Challenges in the Persian Gulf

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On June 29, 2012, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report entitled “Gulf Security Architecture: Partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council.” The full report can be downloaded here (.pdf) and below is a link to a summary of its key conclusions.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report Identifies Security Challenges in the Persian Gulf

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Washington, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today released a staff report examining the evolving security framework in the Persian Gulf. The report, “The Gulf Security Architecture: Partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council,” identifies challenges and opportunities associated with promoting U.S. interests and a stable security environment in the Gulf region. Home to more than half of the world’s oil reserves and over a third of its natural gas, the stability of the Gulf is critical to the global economy. A confluence of events in the Middle East – the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the Arab Revolutions, and the ongoing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program – have raised questions about the Gulf region and U.S. relations with the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

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Gulf in the News – July 9, 2012

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U.S. Adds Forces in Persian Gulf, a Signal to Iran

Source: The New York Times (Read full story)

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Since late spring, stealthy F-22 and older F-15C warplanes have moved into two separate bases in the Persian Gulf to bolster the combat jets already in the region and the carrier strike groups that are on constant tours of the area. Those additional attack aircraft give the United States military greater capability against coastal missile batteries that could threaten shipping, as well as the reach to strike other targets deeper inside Iran.

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