A gathering of military, diplomatic and academic experts — including top officers from U.S. Central Command — concluded that Arab nations of the Middle East are the critical piece in establishing peace and stability. “Untying the Gordian Knot: Envisioning Peace in the Middle East” was the title of the conference at the University of South Florida in September 2024. The university’s Global National Security Institute hosted the event in Tampa, Florida, with U.S. Central Command. “We’re in a dangerous time in the Middle East,” said retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of U.S. Central Command. “But we’ve been in bad places…
Unipath
When Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service officers talk to each other, they use terms not used anywhere else. It is as if these heroes have a language of their own. They know each other by the number of battles they have fought and the injuries they have sustained during these fierce engagements against terrorist gangs, battles that resemble those from ancient sagas. Their gatherings encompass the full spectrum of Iraqi society — Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens and Assyrians — united under the Iraqi flag. This is how Brig. Gen. Ali Hashem al-Kenani, deputy commander of the First Special Operations Division of the Counter-Terrorism…
Leading the effort to shore up security in the region, Egypt hosted in September 2024 the Ministerial Council of the Arab League at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Along with Arab states’ ministers of foreign affairs, several prominent international officials attended, including Turkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, U.N. Commissioner-General of United Nations Relief, and U.N. Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag. Mainly focused on the conflict in Gaza, topics included: Calling on parties in the Gaza conflict to exercise restraint, prevent escalation and engage in negotiation to end…
Pakistan hosted an Iraqi military delegation in August 2024, a meeting that focused on boosting cooperation between the two countries’ Air Forces. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Dawood Salman, secretary-general of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, visited Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, chief of the Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. Topics of mutual interest filled their agenda, including expanded training and cooperation between the two militaries, particularly in aviation. Commander of Iraqi Air Force Lt. Gen. Shehab Jahid Ali was part of the delegation. Marshal Sidhu reiterated Pakistan’s support for providing capacity-building to the Iraqi Air Force. Pakistan…
At the conclusion of its 161st meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September 2024, the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) affirmed in its final communique that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have joint exclusive right to exploit the natural resources in Al Durra gas field. According to international law and based on agreements between them, the field lies entirely in the territorial water of the State of Kuwait, adjacent to the Kuwaiti-Saudi Partitioned Neutral Zone. The Council firmly rejected any claims of rights by any other party — alluding to Iran — to intrude in this area. United…
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon’s official visit to Kuwait in November 2024 promised to broaden security cooperation between the two countries. The main point of the visit was for Tajik officials to join the International Conference on counterterrorism and border security, but President Rahman used the occasion to discuss economic ties with Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya. Kuwait reiterated support for Tajik infrastructure projects through the Kuwait Development Fund. Kuwait has helped provide financing for road improvements, water management and other economically critical projects. Kuwait views engagement in Central Asia as a way to expand its geopolitical footprint in…
Boosting the Saudi defense sector, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment (MISA) and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the pioneering Italian defense group Elettronica in September 2024. Saudi Arabia seeks to increase the contribution of foreign direct investment to the kingdom’s GDP to 5.7%. And the Saudi-Italian memorandum aims to increase the Saudi private sector’s contribution to Saudi GDP to 65%. Saudi Arabia has set a goal of producing half of the country’s defense procurement domestically by 2030. The signing of this memorandum took place during MISA participation in the 50th edition…
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for increased defense collaboration among the Central Asian countries to address security challenges common to all five countries. Consisting of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the so-called “C5” states could develop a regional security architecture to reduce reliance on external powers, Tokayev suggested. This concept of collective defense would also allow the C5 to build partnerships with other mid-sized countries such as those of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Central Asian leaders held a summit in Riyadh recently to press for greater cooperation with Middle Eastern partners. Arab leaders will travel to…
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Abu Dhabi to enhance peace and security through a continued strategic partnership. The February 2025 engagement included discussions about regional and national security issues, including peace in Gaza and Lebanon. Rubio thanked Sheikh Mohamed for his country’s humanitarian assistance to residents of Gaza and highlighted the imperative that hostages be released. In light of attacks by the Houthi terrorist group on commercial shipping, the two leaders addressed threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Concurrent with…
To strengthen defense and economic partnerships with North African countries, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, accompanied by members of his Cabinet, visited Egypt and Tunisia in August 2024. During his meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, al-Sudani asserted that, “a stable Iraq is a strength for all brotherly and friendly countries in the region.” He went on to say that his country is capable of being a meeting ground for partnering countries to restore stability and defuse wars in the region. Pledging to continue providing full support for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, President el-Sisi stressed the Egyptian…