This year’s UAE Security Forum, being held in-person again in Abu Dhabi, will assess regional geopolitical trends and advance a common vision for strengthening security cooperation, recognizing the linkages and advantages of integration among countries in the regions of the Gulf, Levant, and Red Sea, and increasing engagement with the United States. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, will deliver the keynote address.
Pope Francis’ visit to Bahrain showcases the kingdom’s decadeslong effort to champion religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue while also providing critics with a high-profile occasion to question the sincerity of these government efforts and raise human rights concerns.
Bargaining over the resources of the government is set to remain just one expression of the struggle for authority in Iraq. Actual sovereignty is likely to continue to be a coercive negotiation backed by various substate militias’ force of arms and financial interests.