The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer

  By James M. Dorsey To watch a video version of this story on YouTube please click  here. A podcast version is available on Soundcloud,   Itunes ,  Spotify ,  Spreaker , and   Podbean. Even before it officially launched, Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2030 World Cup is on thin ice. The bid suggests that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is determined to do whatever it takes to become a dominant force in international sports. However, the hubris underlying the approach, rooted in a belief that there is little that money cannot buy, may be the kingdom’s Achilles Heel. Saudi Arabia has good reason to believe that it is on a roll. One of the world's foremost oil producers, Saudi Arabia is in demand as Europe reduces its dependency on Russian product in the wake of the Ukraine war. Moreover, countries and corporations across the globe are eager to cash in on opportunities generated by Mr. Bin Salman's mega-projects and plans to diversify the Saudi economy. For

  By James M. Dorsey To watch a video version of this story on YouTube please click  here. A podcast version is available on Soundcloud,   Itunes ,  Spotify ,  Spreaker , and   Podbean. The United Arab Emirates has mastered playing both sides against the middle. In the game’s latest iteration, the Gulf state earned significant brownie points in Washington this week by withdrawing a draft United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity. The replacement of the draft resolution, which if adopted would have been legally binding, with a non-binding statement by the Council’s president , backed by all members, including the United States, allowed the Biden administration to appear to be castigating Israel without creating a political storm. Moreover, the UAE maneuver shielded President Joe Biden from potential allegations of hypocrisy as he focused attention on the first anniversary of the Ukraine war with his visit to Kyiv and in the United

  By James M. Dorsey To watch a video version of this story on YouTube please click  here. A podcast version is available on Soundcloud,   Itunes ,  Spotify ,  Spreaker , and   Podbean. India has been racked by Intercommunal violence, fueled by the rise of Hindu nationalism, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by far India's most popular politician, and his ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, and Mr. Modi's, Hindu nationalist ideological cradle, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, which stands for National Volunteer Organization. Like Mr. Modi, various of his ministers and associates trace their roots to the RSS. Many hold the RSS, a powerful grassroots organization with some six million members, responsible for the violence and explosion of anti-Muslim sentiment in India. Even so most would agree that there may be no Hindu Muslim reconciliation without Muslim engagement with the RSS. So far. The RSS'S primary Muslim contact point has not bee