https://www.scmp.com/rss/523665/feed The latest news and top stories on Ahmed Aboudouh, a foreign affairs security and geopolitics specialist. As an associate fellow at Chatham House and head of the China Studies Unit at the Emirates Policy Centre, he focuses on Middle East policy, regional security and China’s influence in the MENA region. His expertise extends to Gulf geopolitics and the global implications of US-China competition. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The Gulf’s six Arab monarchies, battered by Iranian drones and missiles because of a war they never wanted, are watching with trepidation to see what Pakistan-hosted US-Iran negotiations will yield for their collective future. After China and Russia vetoed the Gulf Cooperation Council’s bid to attain UN Security Council approval for “defensive” measures to force open the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, analysts say the GCC states have little sway over what is about to transpire in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349655/us-iran-talks-leave-gulf-states-edge-about-price-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349655/us-iran-talks-leave-gulf-states-edge-about-price-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:00:18 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Since the Iran war began late last month, it has threatened shipping across the Middle East’s two most important maritime chokepoints – the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb – through which much of Asia’s energy imports and manufactured exports flow. For Gulf states and their major trading partners in Asia, the conflict is forcing a hard question: what, if anything, can protect supply chains if US security guarantees can no longer be taken for granted? Analysts say the usual answers –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346627/iran-war-exposes-fragility-gulf-asia-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346627/iran-war-exposes-fragility-gulf-asia-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:00:16 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen The joint US-Israel strikes on Iran, which have plunged the Middle East into deeper turmoil, have received qualified support from some countries and condemnation from others. China – which confirmed the death of one Chinese national in Iran and the evacuation of its 3,000 citizens from the country – partnered with Russia on Saturday to hold an emergency session of the UN Security Council and condemned the military action. In a call on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345253/whats-behind-chinas-careful-response-its-ally-iran-after-us-israel-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345253/whats-behind-chinas-careful-response-its-ally-iran-after-us-israel-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:36:38 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A proposal by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza is already under fire, just days after its release, over last-minute changes pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that critics say could undermine Arab-Islamic support and derail the path to peace. Analysts say the “principles for peace” deal, unveiled on Monday, risks alienating the very Arab and Muslim nations the pact depends on – by allowing Israeli forces to occupy most of Gaza indefinitely unless Palestinian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327517/will-trumps-gaza-peace-plan-work-netanyahus-changes-spark-arab-islamic-unease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327517/will-trumps-gaza-peace-plan-work-netanyahus-changes-spark-arab-islamic-unease?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:30:37 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain When Gulf leaders touched down in Kuala Lumpur for a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this May, the ink was barely dry on their massive investment pledges of some US$2 trillion in the United States to placate President Donald Trump. But as the summit doors closed, the senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) turned their attention eastward, towards forging a pan-Asian economic zone reminiscent of Brics that could shield them and Asean from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3318799/asean-gcc-economic-axis-global-souths-answer-us-volatility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3318799/asean-gcc-economic-axis-global-souths-answer-us-volatility?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:00:10 +0000