Saudi Arabia and the US have announced a nuclear deal that has rocked the Gulf. The landmark agreement would establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia with the help of US companies. Critics fear it could lead to Saudi Arabia developing nuclear weapons or even set off a nuclear arms race in the Gulf.
This deal is likely to be a new layer of a deep-seated and bitter rivalry in the Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE already has a nuclear deal with the US, albeit a less extensive one. This news of this controversial deal follows attacks from Iran on the Gulf in the context of the US-Israeli war on Iran. This war has transformed the Gulf and sharpened the Saudi-UAE rivalry further.
The countries’ leaders Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) of the UAE used to be bros, but their race to dominate the Gulf has soured the relationship.
From trying to build the biggest skyscraper like Burh Khalifa and Jeddah Tower, to buying up football clubs like Manchester City and Newcastle United, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will compete on anything. But this competition is fueling conflicts in Sudan and Yemen with devastating human consequences.
As the US withdraws from its role as security guarantor in the region, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are scrambling to align themselves with new partners. The UAE is particularly working with Israel and might even be building and sharing military facilities with them in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia.
Can these neighbors find any common ground — or might this rivalry and the possible new nuclear deal split the Middle East even more?
Chapters:
00:00 Impact of the Iran war on the Gulf
00:43 MbS and MbZ: from friends to rivals
01:13 The UAE and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East
02:11 Heated rivalry
03:09 Why did Iran attack the Gulf states?
04:03 UAE leaves OPEC
04:47 Mecca, the holiest city in Islam
05:13 Iran’s proxies, including Houthis in Yemen, destabilize the Middle East
06:00 Saudi Arabia and UAE fight in Yemen
07:34 The UAE is building an empire – including on Socotra
09:01 Is the Strait of Hormuz enough for the UAE?
10:01 Sudan: How the UAE is backing the rebel RSF militia
10:13 A UAE military base in Somaliland
10:49 UAE influence in the Horn of Africa
11:58 Israel divides Saudi Arabia and the UAE
12:06 How the UAE is working with Israel
13:59 Is the US still a security guarantor in the Gulf?
14:51 New Saudi-US nuclear deal – a nuclear arms race in the Gulf?
15:49 Pakistan and Saudi: Aligned on defense?
16:45 Could there be a conflict between Saudi Arabia and the UAE?
17:24 Gulf states: Prisoners of geography
#SaudiArabia #UAE #Iran #MappedOut #dwgeopolitics
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