منال الزبيدي

Saudi Arabia’s alliance strategy appears to be shifting from direct military intervention, exemplified by the 2015 Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen, toward broader defense networks intended to deter conflict. The article traces this evolution through the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, the 2025 strategic defense agreement with Pakistan, the newer Mecca defense agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, and expanded maritime cooperation in the Red Sea. While these partnerships could increase the costs for Iran and its allies of attacking Saudi Arabia, the Yemen experience shows that military superiority does not guarantee a political settlement. Diverging interests among partners, including Pakistan’s relationship with Iran and Turkey’s complex regional calculations, may test the credibility of the new deterrence framework. Saudi Arabia therefore appears to be combining burden-sharing and military deterrence with diplomacy, while facing the difficult question of when avoiding war becomes more costly than responding to it.

Saudi Arabia’s response to attacks by Iran-aligned Iraqi militias is presented as a recalibration of deterrence rather than a move away from diplomacy. After years of restraint and support for de-escalation, Riyadh is portrayed as concluding that diplomacy without a credible cost for aggression can encourage further attacks. The analysis argues that modern threats from drones, precision missiles, and cross-border armed groups require proactive defense and clearer rules of engagement. It also calls for Iraq to strengthen state authority and prevent unofficial actors from using its territory, while urging Iran to reassess its reliance on allied militias. Saudi deterrence is framed as a means of protecting Gulf security, energy markets, and international trade, and of creating better conditions for sustainable political solutions.

Morocco is portrayed as having pursued a quarter-century of gradual reform, institutional strengthening, infrastructure investment and economic modernization under King Mohammed VI. The article highlights praise from UN official Miguel Ángel Moratinos and French geopolitical expert Gérard Vespierre, who describe Morocco as a regional model and strategic bridge between Europe, Africa and the Atlantic. Major initiatives cited include the Atlantic royal initiative, the Atlantic African Gas Pipeline, industrial and logistics infrastructure, social reforms, women’s rights, Amazigh-language promotion and preparations to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. France’s 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara is presented as a turning point for bilateral economic, security and industrial cooperation. The overall argument is that Morocco has answered criticism through practical achievements, stability and sustained development rather than political rhetoric.

The article argues that renewed international reporting on the Pegasus spyware case largely recycles allegations first made in 2021 without providing decisive technical or judicial evidence that Moroccan authorities operated the spyware against specific targets. It criticizes sensational headlines, reliance on anonymous sources and leaked documents, and the treatment of repeated media coverage as proof. The author emphasizes that identifying Pegasus on a device does not establish who operated it, since attribution requires verifiable records linking servers, commands and infrastructure to a specific actor. French and Spanish investigations are described as inconclusive, while Moroccan and company denials are portrayed as insufficiently represented. The article concludes that the case should be resolved through independent technical examination and judicial proceedings rather than repeated media accusations.

Middle East Online expresses condolences to its Arabic-section managing editor, Mohammed Al-Hadi Al-Haidari, following the death of his mother. The publication’s staff offers sympathy to him and his family and prays for the deceased’s mercy and for the family’s patience.

Iraq's June 2026 arrests of politicians, officials and influential figures under an anti-corruption campaign raise the question of whether the operation represents genuine institutional reform or a redistribution of power. Comparisons with Tunisia under Kais Saied and Saudi Arabia's 2017 Ritz-Carlton crackdown show that anti-corruption rhetoric can recover public funds while also weakening established elites and concentrating authority. The Iraqi campaign's credibility will depend not on the number of arrests but on transparent evidence, public and fair trials, respect for defendants' rights, judicial independence and equal treatment of all political factions.

Egypt’s decision to close shops, malls, restaurants and cafés at 9 p.m. from March 28, 2026, initially for one month, has disrupted Cairo’s distinctive nighttime social and cultural life. The policy reportedly reduced electricity consumption by about 10 percent in its first days and is therefore defensible as a temporary response to global energy pressures. However, Cairo’s tourism and local economy also depend on evening activity, and the measure should not become permanent. Longer-term solutions should include green buildings, thermal insulation, residential solar power, appliance-efficiency standards, LED street lighting, regulated heating and cooling, remote work and public awareness campaigns.

Egypt’s decision to close shops, malls, restaurants and cafés at 9 p.m. for an initial month beginning March 28, 2026, has unsettled Cairo’s distinctive nighttime culture. The measure reportedly reduced electricity consumption by about 10 percent in its first days and is defended as a temporary response to global energy pressures. However, the article argues that Cairo should receive greater consideration because of its tourism and economic importance, while exemptions for hotels and tourist venues in cities such as Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan and Marsa Alam remain in place. The policy should not become permanent; Egypt is urged to pursue longer-term measures including green buildings, thermal insulation, solar power, efficient appliances, LED lighting, regulated heating and cooling, remote work and public awareness campaigns.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s statements during Iranian attacks are presented as messages of reassurance, resilience and unwavering commitment to the country’s strategic ambitions. The article argues that domestic cohesion, international support, economic strength, technological capacity and effective security institutions will enable the UAE to emerge stronger. It frames the conflict as a competition between the UAE’s model of development, openness and stability and Iran’s model of confrontation and retaliation, concluding that attempts to undermine the UAE have failed.

The article argues that Muslim Brotherhood-linked digital networks target the UAE because Abu Dhabi has consistently opposed political Islam, rejected the group’s political legitimacy and supported state institutions, stability and development across the region. It portrays the UAE’s policies as directed against extremist ideas rather than religion itself, citing its 2014 terrorist designation of the Brotherhood and similar measures by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Russia. The article accuses the group of using social media and artificial intelligence to amplify disinformation, manufacture regional tensions and avoid confronting its own political failures. It concludes that such campaigns are unlikely to change the UAE’s strategic policies or its regional standing.

A personal visit to Dubai's Museum of the Future prompts Manal Al-Zubaidi to reflect on how quickly imagined technologies can become practical projects. The museum's visions of flying vehicles initially seemed distant, but Dubai's planned commercial air-taxi service, developed with Joby Aviation and supported by Skyports Infrastructure, is expected to begin before the end of 2026. The service could cut travel between Dubai International Airport and Palm Jumeirah to about ten minutes, compared with roughly 45 minutes by car, while integrating with the metro, buses and other transport modes. The project is presented as evidence of Dubai's ambition to address congestion through vertical, low-emission mobility and to turn its future-oriented vision into an active policy agenda.

Clashes between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo have exposed the fragility of their agreement and revived the risk of a broader conflict. Damascus seeks to restore full sovereignty and integrate the SDF into state military and security institutions, while the SDF aims to preserve its autonomous structures and political gains. The fighting has reportedly displaced more than 140,000 people and killed at least seven civilians. Turkey supports efforts to curb Kurdish influence, while the United States is trying to protect its partnership with the SDF and prevent an ISIS resurgence without provoking Ankara or Damascus. The agreement may be revised under external pressure, but its future remains caught between paralysis and renewed violence until a comprehensive settlement defines the relationship between Syria’s center and its regions.

The UAE is presented as a global aviation and development success story built on political and social stability, strategic infrastructure investment, modern regulation and human-capital development. Aviation contributes substantially to the national economy while supporting tourism, trade, logistics and supply chains. During 2025, the country launched a unified national platform for drones, approved the design of Abu Dhabi's first hybrid vertiport for an air-taxi project, and issued what is described as the world's first regulatory framework for hybrid operations. It also advanced a national aviation-emissions reduction plan focused on technology, operations and sustainable aviation fuel, while strengthening its role in the International Civil Aviation Organization. Record airport passenger numbers and major fleet orders by Emirates, flydubai and Etihad Airways are cited as evidence of confidence in the sector's long-term growth and the UAE's ambition to shape, rather than merely follow, the future of global aviation.

Morocco is portrayed as entering 2026 with strengthened diplomatic momentum over Western Sahara. The article highlights UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which it says recognizes Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the leading basis for a political settlement and identifies Algeria as a direct party to the dispute. The arrival of new non-permanent council members—including Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia, which recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara—is presented as further strengthening Rabat’s position. Bahrain’s planned council presidency in April and Greece’s presidency in October are described as opportunities to consolidate these gains and support a future autonomy-based settlement. The article argues that international fatigue with prolonged conflicts and growing support for pragmatic solutions could make 2026 a decisive year for resolving the dispute in Morocco’s favor.