Qatar’s 2017 airlift of cows in the context of the coronavirus-induced backlash against globalisation
by Rashmee
Posted on May 26, 2020
When analysts write about a coronavirus-induced backlash against globalisation and its sprawling supply chains, I think of Qatar’s 2017 airlift of cows. It was a remarkable operation, often described as the largest airlift of cattle in history. And it sounded farfetched, this attempt to create a Wisconsin in the Arabian desert. But in July 2017, … Continue reading “Qatar’s 2017 airlift of cows in the context of the coronavirus-induced backlash against globalisation”
Read MoreCoronavirus is teaching us all how to be vulnerable together
by Rashmee
Posted on March 10, 2020 / The National
On Sunday, Italy, the eurozone’s third largest economy, locked down Milan and the industrial regions that serve as the country’s economic engine for a whole month. The day before, South by Southwest, the influential tech, film and music conference held every year in Austin, Texas, was cancelled. So was the London Book Fair, one of … Continue reading “Coronavirus is teaching us all how to be vulnerable together”
Read MoreNoodle time: What the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to China really means
by Rashmee
Posted on February 22, 2019
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) continues to exchange pleasantries with his hosts in China – that festival of optimism ends today, Friday, February 22 – but what does it really mean? Three things, at the very least. ** MBS is demonstrating that he has options beyond the West, as Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North … Continue reading “Noodle time: What the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to China really means”
Read MoreThe G20 meets, a shadow of itself, the smell of death upon it
by Rashmee
Posted on November 30, 2018
Today (Friday, November 30), the G20 summit convenes, 10 years after its debut as a leaders’ confab. [When it was set up in 1999 the G20 was a forum for finance chiefs and central bankers from economies representing some two-thirds of the world’s population and 85 per cent of global output. It became a leaders’ … Continue reading “The G20 meets, a shadow of itself, the smell of death upon it”
Read MoreWho ‘premeditated’ Jamal Khashoggi’s murder?
by Rashmee
Posted on October 26, 2018
News that Saudi Arabia’s chief public prosecutor will arrive in Turkey on Sunday prompts the question: Why? What could Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor possibly find out in Ankara or Istanbul that he couldn’t in Riyadh? For, it should be plain as the nose on the public prosecutor’s face that the locus of the whole affair … Continue reading “Who ‘premeditated’ Jamal Khashoggi’s murder?”
Read MoreThe Saudi paradox: Hollywood-watching millennials a world apart from the world
by Rashmee
Posted on October 23, 2018
Here’s a snapshot of Saudis who support Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman: “young and urban, the kind of people who represent the core of support for Mohammed’s Vision 2030 program of social and economic restructuring, which has included allowing women to drive for the first time, introducing cinemas and other entertainment, and creating more jobs. … Continue reading “The Saudi paradox: Hollywood-watching millennials a world apart from the world”
Read MoreIs there a sensible way forward on Saudi? Yes, but Trump may not go along
by Rashmee
Posted on October 20, 2018
One of the most sensible commentaries on the way forward with Saudi Arabia comes from Neil Quilliam (@NeilQuilliam1), who is senior research fellow on Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. Dr Quilliam makes a plea for realism. On the part of Saudi Arabia just as much as the West. Riyadh has to know … Continue reading “Is there a sensible way forward on Saudi? Yes, but Trump may not go along”
Read MoreThe Khashoggi cover-up is in the works in full view of the world
by Rashmee
Posted on October 19, 2018
It won’t be too long now before we find out who exactly ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. It won’t be the Saudi Crown Prince, quelle surprise. As the New York Times reports, there will be a different scapegoat for the whole imbroglio. The evil force will be named as Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, a … Continue reading “The Khashoggi cover-up is in the works in full view of the world”
Read MoreTrump’s breezy response to Saudi denials is an affront to human values
by Rashmee
Posted on October 18, 2018
Donald Trump may be president but one has to wonder if he really thinks he speaks for America. Americans are not so blinded by money as to not be sickened by reports of the sheer mediaeval brutality of Jamal Khashoggi’s death. If those graphic details are correct, Mr Khashoggi died horribly and in great pain, … Continue reading “Trump’s breezy response to Saudi denials is an affront to human values”
Read MoreSaudi case shows how poor a businessman Trump is
by Rashmee
Posted on October 17, 2018
I was reading Josh Rogin in The Washington Post when I realised why Donald Trump declared bankruptcy six times. He’s a very poor businessman. More to the point, he’s a foolish and poor businessman because he thinks he’s too clever by half and can’t bear to get – or take – advice. What does Josh … Continue reading “Saudi case shows how poor a businessman Trump is”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK