Special to WorldTribune.com By Norman Bailey The chaotic, not to say anarchic situation in much of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region is often compared in complexity to the game of chess. It is nothing like chess, which has set rules and is governed strictly by rational calculation. No, the situation is much more like […]
Special to WorldTribune.com A Saudi special forces commander and his UAE counterpart were among the dead in the attack which targeted coalition forces near the southwestern city of Taiz. A Saudi-led coalition command center in Yemen was hit by a missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Dec. 14. News reports said the troops were […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Arab states are mostly “laying low” in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) for a few main reasons, analysts say. While several states are part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, others are dealing with ISIL jihadists in their own backyards. The U.S., UK, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com A Saudi-led coalition force of 4,000 troops is preparing for what is expected to be a grueling ground war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. UAE Brig. Gen. Nasser Mushabab Al Otaibi is leading the combined land force that consists of soldiers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan. The troops […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Saudi Arabia is going all out in its war on U.S. shale oil and to preempt the return of Iran’s oil production after sanctions are lifted. Even as the price of crude sunk below $40 per barrel, the Saudis and OPEC decided on Dec. 4 to increase production by 31.5 million barrels […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Oil prices plummeted to their lowest levels since the depths of the global recession in February 2009 as investors braced for a flood of Iranian oil in an already glutted market. U.S. premium crude prices plunged nearly 6 percent to $37.65 in New York and Brent […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Iran is eager to put a dent on Saudi Arabia’s all-out effort to dominate the oil market. Teheran will increase its oil output by 500,000 barrels per day immediately after sanctions are lifted and does not need permission to do so, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said. The Saudis have continued to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Norman Bailey An ISIL attack on the Suez Canal, Iran and Russia fomenting strife in Saudi Arabia — such violent scenarios make awful sense. It is now generally accepted that the Russian commercial airliner that crashed in the Sinai fell victim to a terrorist attack through the introduction of a bomb […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The Obama administration has approved the sale of thousands of smart bombs to Saudi Arabia in a deal seen by many as compensation for the Iran nuclear agreement. President Barack Obama had vowed to increase U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia and other Sunni allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama has cancelled the Keystone XL, ending a seven year saga in which the pipeline from Alberta, Canada would have provided 800,000 barrels of oil to the USA on a daily basis. By scuttling the controversial deal which has been part of an […]