MEED
Edmund O'Sullivan
Chairman of MEED Events and author of The Last Word column and the book The New Gulf - How Modern Arabia is Changing the World for Good.
Follow Edmund O'Sullivan on Twitter @eddieosullivan
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Investment to continue in interim Abu Dhabi airport facilities
21 May 2012, 11:35 GMT
Expansion to include new passenger and bus gates ahead of opening of midfield terminal in 2017 -
Iraq in negotiations with Cowi for designs of 'Silk Road' highway
21 May 2012, 10:51 GMT
Planned road to link Basra with Syria and Turkey -
Saudi projects market will continue to boom
21 May 2012, 9:44 GMT
Government investment to drive new infrastructure development in the kingdom -
GCC will need $100bn by 2020 to plug electricity generation shortfall
20 May 2012, 11:07 GMT
The region must add 80GW to its capacity by 2020 -
A Libyan miracle emerging from the Arab uprising
1 May 2012, 0:00 GMT
MEED’s Libya Focus Day highlights the business and project opportunities arising in the post-Gaddafi era -
Egyptian tourism is rebounding says minister
30 April 2012, 12:40 GMT
Sector suffered a downturn due to protests in 2011 -
AHIC told that business competition is intensifying in Middle East
30 April 2012, 12:26 GMT
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Algeria offer the best opportunities for companies in 2012 -
Carlson Rezidor to set up new hotel in Riyadh
30 April 2012, 12:21 GMT
Property will open in 2015 -
Mexico to develop direct flights from the Gulf
30 April 2012, 12:21 GMT
Wants to double tourism numbers -
‘Weak economics’ of Middle East hotel projects exposed by financial crisis and Arab uprisings
29 April 2012, 10:38 GMT
Too many developments relied on associated residential and commercial projects, AHIC told -
Property company chairman optimistic about Egyptian tourism
29 April 2012, 10:05 GMT
‘Stabilised chaos’ will return to normality soon, Orascom chairman tells AHIC -
Jumeirah Group has strong start to 2012
29 April 2012, 8:48 GMT
Focusing on opportunities in Middle East and Asia -
Impact of Arab uprisings continues to lift Dubai hotels
29 April 2012, 8:23 GMT
High growth for revenue per available room in the emirate while Egypt’s halves -
Saudi market one of the fastest growing in the world
29 April 2012, 7:59 GMT
Businesses in the kingdom experience 30 per cent rise -
Saudi Arabia faces major EPC challenges
23 April 2012, 14:34 GMT
Clients seeing price as most important factor for contract awards -
Essar Projects to seek strategic alliance in Saudi Arabia
23 April 2012, 14:33 GMT
Indian contractor aiming to break into Saudi Arabia market -
Saudi Arabia's National Water Company to award contracts worth $1.8bn in 2012
23 April 2012, 13:12 GMT
Saudi water company plans to spend $8.3bn by 2016 -
Population of Jubail Industrial City to double by 2030
23 April 2012, 12:40 GMT
Around $3.2bn of contract awards planned at the industrial city -
Saudi economic outlook remains bright
23 April 2012, 8:47 GMT
Saudi oil production expected to fall later this year -
Saudi Arabia prepares for Asian Cup 2019 bid
18 April 2012, 11:12 GMT
Doha hosted the tournament in 2011 -
MEED Awards 2012 message from chairman
MEED Awards 2012 - National Winners
The best of the best -
GCC petrochemicals players must play by WTO rules, says al-Husseini
21 March 2012, 13:23 GMT
Saudi Majlis member tells MEED conference that the GCC petrochemicals industry must take WTO seriously -
Gulf petrochemicals producers must combat dumping
21 March 2012, 11:50 GMT
MEED petrochemicals conference told that GCC producers should act to stop dumping and unfair trade -
Petrochemicals plants face wastewater issues
21 March 2012, 11:08 GMT
Wastewater rising in importance for Middle East petrochemicals sector -
Downstream industries key to Jubail industrial city plans
21 March 2012, 10:49 GMT
Downstream industries to be part of QPIC’s Jubail PTA/PET project, MEED petchems conference told -
Sahara to back Saudi downstream petchems joint ventures
21 March 2012, 5:38 GMT
Four projects backed by Sahara Petrochemical Company to open by end 2014 -
Bids for PetroRabigh polyol project due later this year
21 March 2012, 5:33 GMT
EPC bids to be invited in 2012 for Saudi polyol project -
Saudi petrochemicals business booms
20 March 2012, 9:02 GMT
Petrochemical projects now worth $50bn in the kingdom -
Middle East ethane crackers to maintain profitability
20 March 2012, 8:53 GMT
Regional producers would still be among the world’s most profitable even if prices rise to $4 a million BTU -
Maaden-Alcoa aluminium joint venture to produce flat products for car industry
7 March 2012, 7:32 GMT
Ras al-Khair mill will open in August 2013 -
Takamul aims to increase Oman aluminium investments
6 March 2012, 14:46 GMT
Firm considers aluminium packaging and construction materials projects -
Gulf Aluminium Council works with European lobby group on tariffs
6 March 2012, 14:16 GMT
GCC producers seek lower tariffs for exports into EU -
Qatar plans joint venture carbon fibre maker to serve car industry
6 March 2012, 13:53 GMT
Doha will rely on support from Germany’s VW Group and Porsche -
Project finance to play a central role in Kuwait Metro plan
27 February 2012, 11:19 GMT
Scheme will be divided into six packages -
Qatar plans to float project sukuk
27 February 2012, 11:19 GMT
Doha is also studying a private-public partnership law -
Qatar will need 100,000 people to run 2022 World Cup
9 February 2012, 6:48 GMT
The 30-day event will require 40,000 volunteers -
Qatar economy expected to grow robustly
6 February 2012, 9:44 GMT
IBQ managing director says Qatar economy will continue to grow -
Qatar 2022 head says World Cup to drive economic development
5 February 2012, 12:45 GMT
Hassan al-Thawadi says tournament at heart of Doha’s development plan -
100,000 people needed for 2022 World Cup
5 February 2012, 12:33 GMT
MEED Sports Business Forum told 100,000 people needed for global sporting event -
Qatar to set up Central Planning Office to coordinate projects
14 December 2011, 4:49 GMT
New body will oversee World Cup infrastructure schemes -
Soil condition tests will be critical for Qatar tunnel projects
14 December 2011, 4:13 GMT
Tunnels will be used extensively on metro project -
Bahrain to face growing treated sewage effluent surplus
22 November 2011, 7:25 GMT
Industrial use of treated sewage effluent needs to be encouraged, says Works Ministry -
Kuwait is studying privatisation of sewage pumping station
21 November 2011, 12:37 GMT
Gulf state produces about 450,000 cubic metres a day of treated sewage effluent -
Etihad rail to issue stage two tenders of UAE federal railway soon
15 November 2011, 12:35 GMT
Work is about to start on stage one of $11bn federal rail scheme -
Department of Economic Development says Abu Dhabi continues to grow robustly
15 November 2011, 11:41 GMT
Abu Dhabi emirate’s economy is growing despite unrest in the region -
Abu Dhabi International airport expects 12 million passengers in 2011
15 November 2011, 10:30 GMT
There is increasing pressure on expanding terminal capacity at the airport -
Prequalification starts for Kuwait airport terminal
3 November 2011, 9:46 GMT
Bidding is expected in second quarter of 2012 -
Kuwait to lift sewage treatment capacity to 1.35 million cubic metres a day
3 November 2011, 5:28 GMT
Expansion plans include the Sulaibiya, Kabed and Umm al-Hayman plants -
Local banks need GCC support to finance major Kuwaiti projects
2 November 2011, 11:56 GMT
Funds available at Kuwaiti banks are limited -
PIC to work with KPC subsidiaries to boost Kuwait petrochemicals
2 November 2011, 11:56 GMT
Company also looking at investments in Asia -
Kufpec aims to increase production capacity by 100 per cent by 2020
2 November 2011, 10:49 GMT
International arm of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation operates in 15 countries -
Kuwait petrochemicals industry plans for growth
2 November 2011, 8:33 GMT
Challenges for the Kuwait petrochemicals sector include competition from the region and beyond -
Drake & Scull says it aims to be a PPP developer in Kuwait
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
UAE firm tells MEED conference it is seeking involvement in Kuwait’s PPP plans -
Government support critical for Kuwait PPP projects
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
Kuwait is pushing ahead with more than 30 PPP projects -
Kuwait well positioned to become regional transport hub
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
Agility chairman tells MEED conference that Kuwait has a lot to offer the region’s transport sector -
MEED Kuwait conference told cabinet approval expected soon for first Ministry of Health BOT
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
A transaction has been appointed for the 500-bed Physical & Rehabilitation hospital -
MEED Kuwait conference told dredging contracts for Bubiyan port to be tendered in 2012
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
Port is planned to start operating with capacity for 2 million TEUS in 2016 -
MEED Kuwait conference told that Municipality is pressing ahead with masterplan upgrade
2 November 2011, 0:00 GMT
Masterplan divides Kuwait into seven areas -
US faces complex issues to address energy security
17 October 2011, 8:38 GMT
Challenges encouraging more interest in gas and renewables investments -
Building energy-management reduces Saudi Arabia power costs
17 October 2011, 8:12 GMT
Consumption could be cut by up to 30 per cent -
Major contract awards expected before end of 2011
17 October 2011, 8:05 GMT
MEED Projects data suggests flurry of major contract awards on the way -
Ken Yeang calls for green buildings to be integrated infrastructure
16 October 2011, 14:46 GMT
Saudi Green Buildings Forum told that infrastructure needs to address four critical issues -
King Abdullah Financial District now the world's biggest green development
16 October 2011, 13:37 GMT
Massive real estate project seeking green accreditation -
Princess Noura University sets standard for Middle East sustainability
16 October 2011, 12:02 GMT
Project seeking Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design accreditation -
Green buildings movement is becoming increasingly influential
16 October 2011, 11:58 GMT
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar join green building agenda -
Incentives sufficient to promote green buildings, says Minister
16 October 2011, 8:45 GMT
Exising regulations good enough in Saudi Arabia for sustainability -
Rule enforcement vital to save energy in Saudi Arabia
16 October 2011, 8:42 GMT
Private sector called on to do more to reduce waste in the kingdom -
Energy efficiency a top priority in Saudi Arabian construction
16 October 2011, 8:39 GMT
Air-conditioning efficiency to be tackled to reduce building sector’s biggest energy consumer -
Retail banks need to respond to rapid social change, says Doha Bank
5 October 2011, 8:12 GMT
Technoology and social changes mean banks have to adjust -
ADCB says retail banks need to learn from consumer product makers
4 October 2011, 11:50 GMT
Retail banks need to look outside their industry for role models about how to communicate with their customers -
IBQ sees major opportunities for banks in Qatar
4 October 2011, 9:37 GMT
Phillip King tells MEED conference that credit card market to grow by 20 per cent -
Head of Mashreqbank says greedy banks are failing customers
4 October 2011, 9:13 GMT
Abdul Aziz al-Ghurair tells conference that banks must become more customer-orientated -
UAE aims at obesity and smoking cuts by 2018
26 September 2011, 12:59 GMT
UAE wants to cut obesity by 1 per cent a year and smoking by 2 per cent a year -
UAE focusing on primary healthcare
26 September 2011, 8:43 GMT
Health Ministry has 150 health centres in the UAE -
UAE to increase health screening
26 September 2011, 8:41 GMT
Government steps up drive against non-communicable diseases -
Non-communicable diseases now the key UAE health challenge
26 September 2011, 8:23 GMT
Lifestyle changes pose major health risk -
Qatar hives off primary healthcare
26 September 2011, 6:43 GMT
GP surgeries separated from national health service in restructuring -
Qatar Rail corridor approval due by year-end
21 September 2011, 9:25 GMT
Decision will allow construction work to start -
Saudi Binladin uses dykes to stop sand drift on to North-South railway
20 September 2011, 13:46 GMT
Local contractor had 2,000 people working on the contract -
Vickers banking report pleases practically no one
15 September 2011, 10:38 GMT
It is the most important report on the future of banking for half a century. But the report on the recommendations of the UK’s Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) will not prevent a new global banking crisis. -
Iraqi echoes in Nato’s Libya adventure
8 September 2011, 9:11 GMT
It is said that Libya in 2011 is different from Iraq in 2003, but there are striking similarities -
Lessons from Libya
Issue 35 2-8 September 2011
Events in Libya since February have told us nothing we didn’t already know. The road to a new Middle East is as obscure as ever -
Dispelling the myth of the oil price shock
18 August 2011, 8:47 GMT
US politicians are angry about Opec and gasoline prices, but there is new evidence that oil price increases do not seriously damage the world economy -
GCC dollar peg in question again as American debt worries mount
21 July 2011, 9:19 GMT
The currency question will be back on the Gulf economic agenda in 2012 -
Backing Qatar
14 July 2011, 9:04 GMT
Qatar is the target of a campaign of vilification and rumours, but its plans for the World Cup in 2022 are a gift to football and the world. Doha deserves our support -
Iraq flaring 700 million cubic feet a day of gas
14 June 2011, 14:09 GMT
Most gas is flared in southern oil fields -
IFC and Standard Chartered seeking opportunities in Iraq
14 June 2011, 12:12 GMT
Infrastructure and retail banking are the targets -
Iraq plans to eliminate power shortages by 2015
13 June 2011, 12:30 GMT
Government is aiming for 20,000MW in four years -
Ministry says Iraq power demand to rise to 12,500MW this summer
13 June 2011, 12:29 GMT
Forecast power supply for the same areas in Iraq will be 7,500MW -
Iraq implements emergency power station plan
13 June 2011, 11:14 GMT
Government plans to build 40-50 power stations by end of 2012 -
Iraq restructures private power plans
13 June 2011, 11:06 GMT
Baghdad was planning four independent power projects -
Prequalification for Ashghal expressway projects to start in July
8 June 2011, 13:43 GMT
Ashghal expressway schemes expected to total $12.2bn -
Doha seeks programme manager for roads network
7 June 2011, 11:58 GMT
Most of Qatar’s roads have been temporary -
Qatar plans massive rail tunnels
7 June 2011, 11:53 GMT
Doha is preparing 12 separate tunnel contracts -
Qatar says it wants first-class engineers
7 June 2011, 11:53 GMT
Government official says decision is pending for West Bay crossing -
Doha prioritises transport projects
7 June 2011, 11:52 GMT
Government official says there will be opportunities for the private sector -
New agenda for the Middle East
2 June 2011, 11:48 GMT
Political instability and the death of President Obama’s Arab-Israel peace initiative are dominating the world’s headlines. But a new Middle East may emerge from the turmoil of 2011 -
Obama’s conundrum
26 May 2011, 6:48 GMT
President Obama’s address on 19 May failed to disguise the incoherence of America’s Middle East policy. Events are speaking louder than words -
Six major projects proceeding at Kuwait International Airport
25 May 2011, 12:55 GMT
New terminal building is being designed -
Aldar project completions accelerating
24 May 2011, 11:07 GMT
Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Properties will complete and hand over several major projects in 2011, the company’s chief executive officer Sami Asad told the Arabian World Construction Summit on 24 May. -
Deloitte forecasts huge opportunities in Abu Dhabi
24 May 2011, 11:03 GMT
New projects are planned for transport, healthcare and education -
Multiple solutions to Gulf feedstock challenge
19 May 2011, 12:28 GMT
The region’s petrochemicals feedstock shortage can be addressed by a variety of methods, says Germany’s Linde -
Saudi Arabian plastic industries have a bright future
18 May 2011, 12:34 GMT
Domestic demand is growing rapidly -
HSBC says world petrochemicals market to recover in 2011-14
18 May 2011, 12:31 GMT
Demand-supply balance to steadily shift in favour of producers -
PetroRabigh says third-party logistics programme is working
17 May 2011, 13:02 GMT
Scheme now handles 3,000 inbound shipments a month -
Total says global petrochemicals demand has recovered from 2008 setback
17 May 2011, 12:29 GMT
Profits will lift in 2014-15 as a result of rising demand -
GCC looks for opportunities in downstream petrochemicals
17 May 2011, 9:58 GMT
Region’s petrochemicals production to hit more than 116 million tonnes by 2015 -
GCC petrochemical producers face anti-dumping actions
Issue 20 20-26 May 2011
Claims of protectionism are expected to rise -
Rabigh polyol project feed to be awarded by mid-July
Issue 20 20-26 May 2011
Plans require $123m of investment -
Total warns of new cost inflation for petrochemicals projects
Issue 20 20-26 May 2011
Construction costs are linked to oil prices -
Maaden to build 450-kilometre gold mine water pipeline
11 May 2011, 12:57 GMT
Water will be piped from Taif to mines in north west Saudi Arabia -
Wishful thinking will not help the Arab uprisings
27 April 2011, 7:56 GMT
The death toll is mounting as the reaction to Arab uprisings unfolds. Champions of change are learning that lasting reforms will not come quickly -
New democracy test for the Middle East
13 April 2011, 12:22 GMT
Elections are coming in Egypt and Tunisia. They will determine democracy’s prospects in the Middle East for years -
Counting the cost of the Arab uprising
6 April 2011, 6:47 GMT
The Middle East has lost more than it has gained during three turbulent months. There must be a better way -
A Libyan adventure that may end in tears
30 March 2011, 9:45 GMT
The West’s Libyan initiative is an ill-considered reaction. The consequences could be dire -
Bahrain’s journey from kingdom to province
17 March 2011, 12:42 GMT
Saudi troops on the streets of Manama suggest that Bahrain’s independence is at an end -
US policy on the move as Arab spring draws to a close
10 March 2011, 7:41 GMT
American Middle East policy since 1945 has been driven by practical factors more than principle. Events in 2011 suggest Washington’s approach to the region is shifting -
Middle East governments will have to give up power to stay popular
24 February 2011, 9:27 GMT
Muammar Qaddafi’s televised national address on 22 February showed the old power formula no longer works -
Abu Dhabi introduces waste disposal fees for businesses
21 February 2011, 10:20 GMT
Scheme aims to cut landfill waste in the emirate by 80 per cent by 2019 -
The uncertain consequences of the long Middle East war between freedom and stability
13 February 2011, 5:24 GMT
Hosni Mubarak’s resignation as Egyptian head of state is not the end, or even the beginning of the end. It’s the start of the long war between freedom and stability in the Arab world -
The Facebook challenge that Middle East business should welcome
30 January 2011, 4:26 GMT
Innovation was on the agenda at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia) Global Competitiveness Forum in January. Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t there, but his challenge to corporate convention should inspire Middle East business -
Prices and the Gulf gas challenge
23 January 2011, 5:55 GMT
Gas shortages are hindering Gulf development. Prices are the problem -
Power supply fails to satisfy demand in Iraq
Issue 3 21-27 January 2011
A long-term plan for Iraq’s electricity industry has been completed, but attracting foreign investment will be essential to ensure it can be executed -
Oman looks to the future with confidence
13 January 2011, 12:36 GMT
The sultanate of Oman has approved a five-year plan that will lay the foundations for long-term non-oil growth. Infrastructure is a priority -
Power and peace in Iraq
6 January 2011, 7:41 GMT
Peace and electricity are mutually reinforcing in Iraq. Its new government needs to deliver both -
A modern Mesopotamian miracle to give power to every Iraqi
16 December 2010, 9:46 GMT
A long-term plan for Iraq’s electricity industry has been completed. Making it happen is essential for the peace and prosperity of the entire region -
Qatar World Cup projects need programme manager
9 December 2010, 12:18 GMT
Doha must be aware of material prices and inflation to manage the rush of new projects -
The Kuwait project challenge
5 December 2010, 6:57 GMT
Kuwait’s announced plans for almost $200bn in projects in the next five years. The question is no longer solely about its commitment; it is also about its capacity to deliver -
Gulf stock markets in search of a role
1 November 2010, 10:50 GMT
The year to come should be good for investors in GCC securities. But the markets of the region continue to disappoint -
Breakthrough moment approaches for the women of Arabia
25 October 2010, 9:39 GMT
The Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University for Girls (PNU) is due to open in January 2011. It is a unique project for more than one reason -
Saudi Arabia needs a comprehensive energy-saving effort
20 October 2010, 13:19 GMT
Electricity demand in the kingdom is set to almost double over the next 20 years. -
New vision needed for GCC steel
13 October 2010, 14:48 GMT
The GCC imports more steel than it produces, but there is more to building a steel industry than increasing production -
Dubai World’s long road back to creditworthiness
23 September 2010, 6:50 GMT
Dubai World’s debt restructuring deal has made the bankers happier. The challenge for Dubai now is on the ground -
Public equity drought is also a challenge for private equity
15 September 2010, 14:47 GMT
Gulf stock markets are still underperforming, which is bad news for private equity firms -
Only NOCs can fill the energy gap the Gulf of Mexico disaster will create
9 September 2010, 11:55 GMT
The oil’s stopped leaking in the Gulf of Mexico. But the ramifications of the Deepwater Horizon disaster will affect the oil industry for decades. -
Gulf businesses must plan for growth and volatility
29 August 2010, 11:21 GMT
Oil prices are forecast to rise by almost 100 per cent in the next 25 years in real terms. Volatility will be the biggest challenge facing companies serving the boom markets of the Middle East -
Kuwait, Iraq and 20 wasted years
26 July 2010, 7:23 GMT
It’s 20 years since Iraq invaded Kuwait and America declared the start of a New World Order. Have the results justified the price paid since? -
The GCC is in trouble and needs a relaunch
21 July 2010, 7:09 GMT
As the GCC approaches its 30th anniversary, action is needed to get the organisation back on course -
UK prepares a new approach to the Gulf
14 July 2010, 10:43 GMT
Queen Elizabeth II heads a host of top UK figures coming to the Gulf this autumn. It’s the start of a new era in Britain’s relations with the region -
World Cup factor weighs on Qatar transport plans
4 July 2010, 11:38 GMT
Hopes are rising in Doha that it will be shortlisted to host the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2022. It’s an exciting prospect, but one that is making life more complex for Qatar’s transport planners -
Saudi Arabia presses ahead with a wastewater revolution
26 June 2010, 15:16 GMT
Modernising and expanding the sewage system has become one of the top priorities of the Saudi Arabian government. The pace of investment in the sector is accelerating -
Global economy struggles with the difference between the real and the imaginary
3 June 2010, 12:27 GMT
The most radical reforms in banking history are about to reshape global finance. They will reduce growth, but not volatility -
Watershed moment for Gulf construction as hope and experience collide
27 May 2010, 9:30 GMT
Optimists were in the majority at MEED’s Arabian World Construction Summit (AWCS). But experience suggests that things can still go badly wrong -
The Gulf construction challenge
19 May 2010, 12:52 GMT
As the GCC projects market enters a new cycle of growth after the global crisis, the need for sustainable construction and consistent high quality in execution is pressing -
Government’s work gets tougher as power moves to the periphery
17 May 2010, 8:10 GMT
Big organisations are under pressure as technology challenges the global balance of power -
New laws only part of the solution to the GCC insolvency problem
3 May 2010, 12:07 GMT
Calls are growing for new legislation to make liquidating GCC companies easier. The big question is why a growing number of firms are going bust -
How to spot a great project
22 April 2010, 14:42 GMT
The GCC construction market showing signs of reviving. Thoughts are once more turning to the project delivery challenge -
Arabia prepares for a solar future
11 April 2010, 8:45 GMT
With an average of about nine hours sunshine and more than 5 kilowatt hours of solar energy falling on every square metre it covers each day, Arabia is probably the most irradiated part of the earth’s surface -
Bahrain plans hybrid solar and wind power plant
29 March 2010, 15:00 GMT
Electricity and water authority plans to appoint a consultant on the project in the third quarter -
Environmena to install 10MW of solar power units in 2010
29 March 2010, 14:57 GMT
Cost of 10MW solar power plant has fallen from $50m to $30m -
Quality in construction is the new challenge for Gulf projects
28 March 2010, 8:47 GMT
With oil prices averaging about $75 a barrel in the first three months of 2010, GCC governments have the money to keep the region’s construction industry busy with lots of new projects. The challenge is delivering quality as well as quantity -
GCC ponders aluminium future
21 March 2010, 12:44 GMT
Three new smelters have opened in the GCC since the summer of 2008. The region is now the hottest aluminium hub outside China -
Gulf states revise sustainable building principles
4 March 2010, 11:03 GMT
Pressure is easing for radical action to cut carbon emissions and regional states are beginning to realign their environmental priorities -
Iraq's journey from democratic dream to sectarian headcount
25 February 2010, 15:35 GMT
An ancient divide is becoming the dominant factor in Iraq’s new politics. Voting is no answer -
Fujairah offers a contingency plan to combat Iranian oil threat
11 February 2010, 11:23 GMT
Tehran is driving the West to distraction with its nuclear plans. The Gulf, meanwhile, will complete a project in April that should help make Gulf oil supplies more secure -
Qatar takes the long view as its economy booms
1 February 2010, 9:48 GMT
Most of Qatar’s present energy industry investment programme will be completed this year. The next challenge is defining a long-term strategy for Qatar’s economy as a whole -
Gulf business schools need to reshape Western corporate model
19 January 2010, 14:06 GMT
The world’s top providers of management education are coming to the Gulf. They need to learn as much as they teach -
Balance of power shifts in Gulf finance sector
19 January 2010, 12:01 GMT
Regional institutions stopped the global credit crunch contaminating GCC finance markets. Their status has been enhanced and change is in the air -
Saudi Arabia takes centre stage
22 December 2009, 11:18 GMT
A roller-coaster year including a recession and lower oil prices shook confidence in the Gulf but Riyadh has emerged virtually unscathed -
Dubai World crisis taints emirate's image
7 December 2009, 11:59 GMT
The Gulf’s reputation has been damaged by the Dubai World debt crisis. It could have been avoided -
Debt storm threatens Dubai’s ambitions
30 November 2009, 12:42 GMT
Dubai World’s call for a debt standstill has been likened to the Lehman Brothers collapse of September 2008. Dubai’s global ambitions are in question -
Regulation shapes revolution in Gulf sustainable buildings
23 November 2009, 15:07 GMT
Abu Dhabi will make sustainability compulsory from 1 January. The argument that the Gulf doesn’t care about the environment is false -
Gulf healthcare at a crossroad
9 November 2009, 12:15 GMT
Spending on health is starting to rocket in the Gulf. New strategies are needed, but insurance is not the answer -
Al-Gharbia: The final piece of Abu Dhabi's tourism puzzle
6 November 2009, 17:02 GMT
Abu Dhabi is set to unveil the last element in its strategy to increase the contribution of tourism to the economy with its Al-Gharbia 2030 masterplan for the development of the Western Region. -
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company - The driver for change
6 November 2009, 16:58 GMT
The TDIC is overseeing $40bn worth of developments that will help Abu Dhabi achieve its aim of becoming a global tourism destination. -
A tale of two Gulf cities
3 November 2009, 15:05 GMT
Abu Dhabi is on the rise and leading the region with a range of startling projects. But the development of Dubai is far from over -
Dubai meets the green challenge
Supplement: Sustainable Development in the Gulf
The emirate is setting the pace for sustainable building as the only place in the world where all new developments are required to adopt green-building practices -
Dubai kickstarts bond plan
28 October 2009, 14:30 GMT
Dubai is starting to deal with the challenge of repaying the debt it owes banks. It is going to ask them to lend the emirate more. One of the world’s oldest jokes is that the best way to avoid having to repay banks is to owe so much that they cannot afford to let you go bust. -
Rail plan will advance the GCC vision
21 October 2009, 11:57 GMT
The GCC railway line is targeted to open in 2017. It will do more for regional convergence than monetary union. -
Abu Dhabi prepares to take on the global steel titans
13 October 2009, 13:16 GMT
The international steel market is in the doldrums, but Abu Dhabi is bucking the trend with a massive investment plan for this sector -
Call for foreign banks to resume loans to Saudi firms
9 October 2009, 11:56 GMT
Institutions unwilling to provide credit after family businesses default on debt -
World Bank forecasts Middle East recovery in 2010
4 October 2009, 13:39 GMT
The World Bank is forecasting a recovery in the Middle East economy in 2010 after suffering a growth setback in 2009. -
The $25bn light rail boom
29 September 2009, 14:19 GMT
The opening of the Dubai Metro on 9 September heralds the start of a new era for urban mass transit in the Arabian Peninsula. -
GCC railway: Dispelling doubts down the line
25 September 2009, 11:51 GMT
The GCC railway is the most ambitious joint project the region has ever attempted. It will take more than money to make it happen. -
Obama prepares to launch history’s most feeble Middle East peace plan
8 September 2009, 15:52 GMT
It’s almost 100 days since US President Barack Obama promised a change in approach to the Middle East. We will soon seen how little progress he has made. -
Dubai needs a long-term plan to tackle the debt mountain
3 September 2009, 20:16 GMT
Dubai’s debts may be much more than people think and is set to enter a new phase. It now needs a long-term debt management strategy -
Equity investors face a volatile future
14 July 2009, 12:29 GMT
Investors in the Gulf, like everyone else, are waiting for the new equity boom to start. When it does, the risks are likely to be far higher than in the past. -
Environmental issues move up the Gulf's agenda
1 July 2009, 14:09 GMT
The UAE will host the new International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). It is a clear sign that the GCC is starting to get serious about the environment. -
Gulf prepares to lead global economic recovery
24 June 2009, 15:54 GMT
There are signs that the economic shock in the Gulf is coming to an end and the region will start leading the international recovery. -
Litigations rise as construction deals unravel
17 June 2009, 16:31 GMT
Litigation should be the last resort, not the first option when a construction contract goes wrong. But patience is wearing thin in the GCC projects market. -
Abu Dhabi creates a blueprint for Gulf infrastructure
20 May 2009, 13:06 GMT
Privately-financed roads are the final frontier for Middle East infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is preparing to break the mould and blaze a trail for others to follow. -
Al-Ain to spend $1.6bn on infrastructure
20 May 2009, 11:02 GMT
Al-Ain Municipality plans to invest AED6bn ($1.6bn) in capital projects over the next two years, said Abdulla al-Ameri, director of the municipality's internal roads and infrastructure department. -
Emirates invites bids for transport regulation system
20 May 2009, 10:52 GMT
The UAE's National Transport Authority (NTA) has invited bids for a contract to devise a national system of regulation for the country's transport network. -
Obama set to square up to Netanyahu
11 May 2009, 21:14 GMT
President Barack Obama is preparing to put the question to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader will need to think before he speaks. -
Dubai Airports forecasts growth in 2009
11 May 2009, 12:25 GMT
The number of passengers passing through Dubai International Airport could grow in 2009 despite the world recession and declining global aviation activity, according to Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports. -
Dubai looks beyond the debt mountain
5 May 2009, 14:30 GMT
The Burj Dubai is the definitive expression of Dubai's long-term vision and an inspiration during the tough times caused by the economic downturn. -
US slow to shape Middle East policy
30 April 2009, 13:11 GMT
It has been 100 days and we are still waiting for US President Barack Obama's Middle East plan. Without action soon, others will fill the policy void. -
Abu Dhabi takes the lead in Gulf projects market
22 April 2009, 11:56 GMT
Abu Dhabi is pushing ahead with an ambitious $200bn capital spending programme. It has now become the leader of the projects market in the Middle East. -
Emirates to revive ambitious regional plans
15 April 2009, 18:55 GMT
The United Arab Emirates, the region's only federal state, plans to play a pivotal role in the Gulf and the wider Middle East but its leaders need to co-operate more closely to achieve this. -
Gulf must unite to combat pollution
14 April 2009, 10:50 GMT
Red algae have invaded the coastline of the United Arab Emirates. It is time for the Gulf to co-ordinate environmental policies to protect the long-term health of the marine ecosystem. -
Gulf at crossroads over nuclear power
1 April 2009, 12:53 GMT
Nuclear power is regarded as part of the long-term solution to the Gulf energy challenge. But there may be a better way. -
Gulf focuses on sustainable buildings
24 March 2009, 16:18 GMT
Green building rules will become compulsory in the UAE in 2009. It's a breakthrough for the Gulf, but only the start. -
Dohaland chief calls for GCC green building standards
22 March 2009, 6:53 GMT
The GCC should act to establish common green building standards to save energy and reduce waste in the region, Dohaland’s chief executive Issa al-Mohannadi told MEED’s Qatar Green Buildings 2009 Conference in Doha on 18 March. -
GCC slow to adopt unified economic plan
16 March 2009, 15:11 GMT
Forecasters say the downturn will end later rather than sooner. The GCC needs a co-operative economic approach. -
Gulf needs fresh business plans
9 March 2009, 16:22 GMT
The GCC must examine alternative business strategies to help it survive the economic downturn. -
Saudi banking may offer a blueprint for the future
2 March 2009, 11:57 GMT
After halting the disintegration of the banking industry, Western governments are turning their attention to the future. Could Saudi Arabia's highly regulated banking sector offer a new model? -
Moderation in Iran and the Hamasisation of the Arab world
22 February 2009, 9:36 GMT
Iran may be preparing to turn moderate as the Arab world loses faith with the West. It could lead to the Islamic republic becoming a force for stability, not change. -
Globalisation goes into reverse
9 February 2009, 6:39 GMT
Protectionism is rife and the best that can be hoped is for efforts to focus on the regional, not national. -
Gulf projects shock: Spending may actually rise in 2009
1 February 2009, 12:11 GMT
Government spending is set to continue on priority projects: ones that increase gas availability and power and water production. -
Finance Minister says Bahrain has avoided credit crunch pitfalls
27 January 2009, 11:41 GMT
Bahrain’s finance sector has avoided the credit-crunch problems that are affecting some other Middle East countries, according to Finance Minister Sheikh Ahmed bin Ahmed al-Khalifa. -
Mubadala to develop GCC project bond market
27 January 2009, 11:37 GMT
Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi investment firm, is hoping to develop a project bond market to offset the decline in the availability of project finance from banks, according to project and corporate finance director Derek Rozycki. -
Manama says GCC governments may support project finance
27 January 2009, 11:34 GMT
State support may be needed for GCC project finance transactions which have been jeopardised by the drought in bank lending, Bahrain’s Minister of Finance Sheikh Ahmed bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told MEED’s Middle East Project Finance 2009 conference in Bahrain on 26 January. -
UAE nuclear test for Obama's America
25 January 2009, 12:20 GMT
The UAE aims to be one of the US' most reliable strategic partners but there are challenges ahead as Obama's administration reviews the UAE-US nuclear agreement. -
Obama steers the same course for America
19 January 2009, 6:04 GMT
Barack Obama will continue most of his predecessor's policies. But he may help get things done quicker. -
New eyes needed in Gaza
11 January 2009, 12:38 GMT
Israel has little more than a week to prove its assault on Gaza was worth the cost. But it looks like it is a war everyone will lose. -
Gaza pays the price for Israeli fears
31 December 2008, 11:03 GMT
Israel claims Palestinian militants are to blame for its attacks on Gaza. Divisions at home are the real cause. -
Be happy! It is 2007, really
29 December 2008, 13:09 GMT
The oil price crash and lower demand will hammer Gulf economies in the new year. But we shall only be going back to 2007. -
The GCC in 2009: Facing up to the downturn
29 December 2008, 11:30 GMT
GCC economies will face sharp contractions in 2009, but a recovery is possible in 2010. -
The GCC in 2009: Facing up to the downturn
29 December 2008, 9:03 GMT
GCC economies will face sharp contractions in 2009, but a recovery is possible in 2010. -
New Gulf deal needed for Obama era
14 December 2008, 5:54 GMT
Economics, oil and Iran are where the GCC and the US can quickly co-operate in 2009. It will be a year of hard labour. -
UAE capital will reshape the world
10 December 2008, 11:16 GMT
The capital of the UAE is emerging as the Gulf’s new boom city. It will change the face of the world. -
Abu Dhabi Conference 2008: The Abu Dhabi vision
9 December 2008, 13:08 GMT
More than 350 people from the UAE and beyond gathered at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on 9-10 November to hear about the changes sweeping the city and emirate of Abu Dhabi. -
Action needed to stop the seventh tsunami
8 December 2008, 13:27 GMT
Oil prices are crumbling fast. Governments in the Gulf will soon have to take decisive action to avoid long-term damage to private sector confidence and development ambitions. -
Joining up the dots in Gulf water
1 December 2008, 12:44 GMT
The Gulf is one of the world’s driest places. So why is water being wasted and what are the sustainable alternatives? A regional approach to water management may offer answers. -
Dubai islands offer a blueprint for the construction industry
21 November 2008, 17:02 GMT
Pop singer Kylie Minogue has rocked Dubai in a glittering ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Atlantis Hotel. The real stars were Palm Jumeirah and the emirate’s amazing offshore islands. -
Experts call for greater Gulf waterway co-operation
17 November 2008, 13:04 GMT
Gulf countries should co-operate more closely in planning for the large number of coastal projects being developed in the region, speakers told MEED’s Coastal Projects 2008 conference in Dubai on 17 November. -
Seven tsunamis and the future of the Gulf
13 November 2008, 14:14 GMT
A series of financial shocks are testing the Gulf economy and educating the region that it cannot defy global forces. The GCC will end up looking very different when they pass. -
Abu Dhabi on the rise
11 November 2008, 14:09 GMT
The UAE federal government and capital are booming, and the future is rich with possibilities for the people of the federation and its friends. -
Gulf health spending to rise 300 per cent by 2025
4 November 2008, 11:54 GMT
Direct health spending in the GCC will rise by 300 per cent to $60bn in 2025 compared with $15bn in 2008, according to Viktor Hediger, Middle East healthcare leader at US management consultants McKinsey & Company. -
Obama: Will he repeat predecessors' Middle East mistakes?
3 November 2008, 5:31 GMT
A warning from history for the victor in this week's poll. If American presidents do not have a Middle East strategy, events will force one upon them. -
UAE cement demand forecast to reach 44 million tonnes
30 October 2008, 11:14 GMT
Demand for cement in the UAE will more than double over the next five years, from 20.5 million tonnes this year to 43.9 million tonnes by 2013, according to Mustafa Gorgunel, general manager of Ras al-Khaimah-based Union Cement Norcem Company. -
UAE cement price controls are successful
29 October 2008, 12:36 GMT
Price and production agreements with local cement suppliers helped maintain supplies and cap prices in the UAE construction market since the summer of 2008, under-secretary at the UAE Economy Ministry Mohammed al-Shihhi told MEED’s Cement & Concrete 2008 conference in Dubai on 29 October. -
Iran reveals cement export plans
29 October 2008, 12:17 GMT
Iran is planning to begin large-scale exports of cement for the first time, Iran’s deputy industry minister Mohammed Basiri told MEED’s Cement & Concrete 2008 Conference in Dubai on 29 October. -
Egyptian cement producers need new markets, says Hegazy director
29 October 2008, 12:04 GMT
Huge capacity increases in the next three years coupled with lower demand in Europe means the Egyptian cement industry will have to find new export markets, the director of Egypt’s Hegazy & Company Khaled Hegazy told MEED’s Middle East Cement & Concrete 2008 Conference in Dubai on 29 October. -
Reality check for Gulf capital markets
27 October 2008, 7:00 GMT
Fund managers believed GCC stock exchanges were not correlated with Western bourses. The drop in the indices of Gulf markets, as the financial crisis in the US and Europe spread, shows just how wrong they were. -
Arabian railway network goes underground
19 October 2008, 11:12 GMT
More than $100bn worth of railway projects are under way in the GCC. The opportunities and challenges are growing. -
Foulath invests $3.4bn in regional steel projects
14 October 2008, 12:13 GMT
Foulath, the Bahrain-based steel company, is pressing ahead with three new iron pelletising plants and a fully-integrated steel plant in a $3.4bn investment programme, MEED’s Middle East Steel Conference 2008 in Dubai was told on 13 October. -
Vale finalises Oman iron pelletising plant contracts
14 October 2008, 11:52 GMT
Brazil’s Vale is finalising the construction contracts for its $1.4bn iron pelletising plant and iron and steel port facility in Sohar Industrial Port, according to Sergio Luiz Espeschit Gomes, the company's Middle East iron ore manager. -
Murray & Roberts to open steel plant in Dubai
14 October 2008, 10:57 GMT
South Africa's Murray & Roberts Steel plans to open a rebar plant in Dubai Industrial city in May, the company’s chief executive officer Rob Noonan told MEED’s Middle East Steel 2008 conference in Dubai on 13 October. -
Egypt forecast to escape lightly from credit crunch
14 October 2008, 10:53 GMT
The Egyptian economy will be only lightly affected by the global credit crunch and domestic demand for steel will fall only slightly in 2009, according to the country’s largest steel producer. -
UAE steel buyers face $1bn loss
14 October 2008, 10:47 GMT
UAE steel buyers could face up to $1bn in losses as a result of the 50 per cent fall in steel prices since July, according to John Short, executive director at the Dubai Gold & Commodity Exchange (DGCX). -
Emirates Steel Industries temporarily suspends steel production
14 October 2008, 10:43 GMT
Emirates Steel Industries (ESI), the Abu Dhabi state-owned steel rebar and coil producer, has temporarily suspended production due to the size of steel stocks in the UAE, ESI deputy chief executive officer Sridhar Krishnamoorthy told MEED’s Middle East Steel 2008 conference in Dubai on 13 October. -
Confused by the world financial crisis? You should be
12 October 2008, 7:04 GMT
IMF and World Bank meetings this week are the season's greatest gathering of the clueless and the culpable. The big decisions about the global financial storm are being made elsewhere. -
Precious metal a haven as the value of money declines
6 October 2008, 12:01 GMT
Approval of US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s financial bail-out plan, which was first unveiled in late September, will trigger matching action across the world. Money will soon not be worth what it was. -
The downside of Dubai's property boom
29 September 2008, 13:26 GMT
It is often said that you should sell when your taxi-driver or hairdresser tells you to buy. In stocks and shares, there is no clearer sign that the market is about to bust than non-professional investors flooding into equities. -
US offers a lifeline to global financial markets
22 September 2008, 9:39 GMT
The unprecedented bail out of the US banking system has prevented a depression at a massive cost to the nation’s taxpayers, and has also had a positive effect on GCC equity markets. -
The Gulf learns from Lehman mistakes
16 September 2008, 8:34 GMT
In the wake of the Lehman Brothers' collapse - and the personal loss of $600m to leader Dick Fuld - world finance is likely to look for more and more help from the Gulf. They may be disappointed. -
US introspection is Gulf's new opportunity
9 September 2008, 10:01 GMT
The election in the US will allow more power to be placed in the hands of Middle East leaders in the future, no matter which presidential candidate eventually wins. -
UAE central bank issues sovereign wealth fund warning
1 September 2008, 16:41 GMT
Sovereign wealth funds will avoid markets where new regulations are applied on their activities, said Sultan al-Suwaidi, Central Bank of the UAE governor, at the Japan Centre for Co-operation in the Middle East (JCCME) conference in Dubai on 28 August. -
Middle East waits to see impact of Russia's revival
31 August 2008, 11:51 GMT
Middle East events were behind the radical reversal in Russia's fortunes, and a strong, pragmatic Russia could create constructive co-operation with the region now. -
White House needs new approach to nuclear Middle East
25 August 2008, 6:26 GMT
As America's longest presidential race enters its final lap, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama appear ready to admit that US policy towards Iran has delivered the worst of all worlds. -
Tipping point nears for Gulf inflation
18 August 2008, 6:37 GMT
Trends this summer suggest that relief may be forthcoming by the winter for businesses and employees struggling with GCC inflation. -
Barack Obama and the death of manifest destiny
30 July 2008, 9:59 GMT
As the era of certainty passes in US foreign policy - particularly in the Middle East - so rises the unlikely presidential contender, Senator Obama. -
A challenging tide of faith
22 July 2008, 11:08 GMT
Islam is the most dynamic religious movement of our times, but there is more to its ascent than oil and economics. -
Fujairah rises as Iran war fears grow
14 July 2008, 7:31 GMT
The bulldozers are busy in Fujairah port as the world worries about the security of the sea route to the source of Gulf oil. -
How Gulf businesses can tackle inflation
6 July 2008, 12:18 GMT
Double your productivity, even if it means paying people twice as much, says Edmund O'Sullivan. -
A GCC labour and passport solution
30 June 2008, 6:42 GMT
Bahrain is the only GCC state where nationality is readily given to Arabs with the right qualifications. But it may be time for the rest to follow suit. -
Jeddah talks too little, too late
24 June 2008, 6:57 GMT
Energy price rises have exposed the myth of Western prosperity. -
IOC needs to think again about Gulf Olympic bids
8 June 2008, 15:25 GMT
Qatar is rightly confused by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) startling decision to exclude it from the 2016 summer Olympics shortlist. -
Standard Chartered Bank economist criticises Gulf policies
5 June 2008, 16:38 GMT
Standard Chartered Bank’s chief economist Gerard Lyons said at a briefing in Dubai on 5 December that the economic policies of Gulf governments were off course. -
Doha Bank has $800m for acquisitions
2 June 2008, 17:07 GMT
Doha Bank, the Qatar-based commercial bank, has $800m for acquisitions to expand its international network, according to chief executive officer Seetharaman. -
Can district cooling cure Gulf's energy headache?
1 June 2008, 9:27 GMT
A $100bn investment could make district cooling one of the region's most buoyant industries. -
Abu Dhabi to go green with sustainable building rules
28 May 2008, 15:01 GMT
Sweeping sustainable design and building regulations will come into force in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2009 after an initial testing period which starts immediately, the Urban Planning Council (UPC) has announced. -
Al Mal Capital seeks up to $100m for fund
28 May 2008, 14:34 GMT
Al Mal Capital, the UAE investment company, is seeking up to $100m for a new Middle East & North Africa (MENA) equity fund, according to executives at the firm. -
Qatar Cool Pearl Island project to start in third quarter
27 May 2008, 17:26 GMT
The first phase of Qatar Cool’s district cooling plant on Pearl Island is to start operating in the third quarter of 2008, providing 30,000 tonnes of cooling. -
Investment in UAE district cooling to hit $36bn
27 May 2008, 17:15 GMT
Planned investment in district cooling projects in the UAE is currently about $36bn, double the estimate made at the end of 2007, according to Adib Moubadder, director of facilities at Union Properties. -
Dubai develops district cooling standards
27 May 2008, 16:57 GMT
Work has started on defining standards for the district cooling industry in Dubai, according to Ahmad bin Shafar, chief executive officer of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower). -
Qatar's golden moment beckons
25 May 2008, 14:38 GMT
There is more to Doha than just cash. Now Qatar hopes to get on the Olympics 2016 shortlist. -
Finding the right HR strategy for the GCC
19 May 2008, 13:29 GMT
Edmund O'Sullivan suggests a three-step plan to reduce staff turnover in a Gulf business. -
$100 start to Gulf oil's second century
11 May 2008, 10:40 GMT
Producers, not buyers, control the oil industry 100 years on, and the NOCs are the masters now. -
Mozambique's Gulf dream
7 May 2008, 8:03 GMT
The region's hoteliers mull over the idea of a sub-Saharan hospitality training institute. -
A new world energy order
29 April 2008, 13:46 GMT
Eighty years after the Red Line, a fresh race begins for the glittering Gulf oil prize. -
Jimmy Carter’s Damascus dream
21 April 2008, 11:54 GMT
Former US president Jimmy Carter on a mission to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. -
National moment for newspaper launch
17 April 2008, 7:11 GMT
The UAE has a sixth daily - but will it ever be ready for a Western-style media industry? -
British Islamic Insurance to launch operations within weeks
14 April 2008, 17:03 GMT
British Islamic Insurance Holdings (BIIH), a UK-based Islamic insurance firm owned by Gulf investors, is expected to start operations in weeks once it gains approval from UK regulators. -
Europe and US to take lead in Islamic insurance
14 April 2008, 16:58 GMT
Europe and the US are expected to be the fastest-growing markets for sharia-compliant insurance over the next decade, according to a leading industry figure. -
Islamic insurance market predicted to reach $15bn in 10 years
14 April 2008, 16:42 GMT
Growth in the global Islamic insurance industry is growing by 20 per cent a year and could more than double in a decade, according to a new report. -
A year of uncertainty
13 April 2008, 6:59 GMT
Economists say 2008 could be the toughest year since the 1930s. But they might be wrong. -
Palm Utilities targets Asian markets
8 April 2008, 11:16 GMT
Palm Utilities, the Dubai water and district cooling company, launched on 7 April with an aggressive expansion plan to develop businesses in the region and major Asian markets. -
DP World chairman says he opposes dirham revaluation
7 April 2008, 14:58 GMT
Chairman of DP World, Sultan bin Sulayem, a member of the Dubai Executive Council and a key adviser to UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, says he opposes any change to the value of the UAE dirham against the US dollar. -
Gulf boom is unique economic challenge
3 April 2008, 15:19 GMT
Nothing in history can act as a guide to GCC economic policy-making in 2008. -
IMF predicts strong economic growth and high inflation for GCC
1 April 2008, 16:21 GMT
Strong growth, coupled with an inflation rate above 7 per cent on average, is expected across the GCC in 2008, according to Mohsin Khan, director of the IMF’s Middle East & Central Asia department. -
Abu Dhabi plans private highway
31 March 2008, 18:36 GMT
Abu Dhabi is considering plans to use a private-public-partnership for the modernisation of the 327-kilometre highway linking Mafraq to Ghweifat in the west of the emirate as part of a surface transport masterplan. -
China calls for new approach from UAE clients
31 March 2008, 18:33 GMT
The state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), which has been working in the UAE since 2004, has called for price indexing for local infrastructure contracts and restrictions on importing road building equipment to be relaxed. -
Bahrain government approves King Faisal underpass
31 March 2008, 18:24 GMT
The government of Bahrain has approved a $500m plan to build a 2.5-kilometre underpass for the King Faisal Highway from the Bahrain Financial Harbour to the Sheikh Isa bridge to relieve congestion, according to the project director at Bahrain Northshore, Brett Doughty. -
GCC grid deal to be signed by June
17 March 2008, 17:41 GMT
Gulf governments are expected to sign up to the GCC electricity grid this summer, with the inter-country agreement to start operations of the 850-kilometre network to be submitted to them by June. -
Riyadh studies plans to break up Saudi Electricity Company
17 March 2008, 17:38 GMT
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Economic Council is studying a three-phase restructuring plan for the kingdom’s electricity system that could lead to the division of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) into four or more power generation companies by 2010. -
Saudi Arabia power demand to rise by more than 250 per cent by 2032
17 March 2008, 17:33 GMT
Saudi Arabian electricity consumption could rise to the equivalent of 140,000MW in 2032 compared with 35,000 MW in 2007, according to the Ministry of Water & Electricity. -
Saudi water privatisation ahead of schedule
17 March 2008, 17:29 GMT
The privatisation of Saudi Arabia’s water re-use industry is ahead of schedule and the management of the sewerage systems of six more of the kingdom’s conurbations is to be put out to tender soon, according to the government. -
Gulf projects boom: A $2 trillion trade triangle
16 March 2008, 10:44 GMT
How to humanely manage the annual arrival and departure of 4 million construction workers? -
Gulf war on inflation can’t wait for revaluation
13 March 2008, 13:21 GMT
UAE's plans to freeze food prices in 2008 confirms that the war against inflation is the year’s top economic issue. -
Hope, Obama and a Baghdad kiss
12 March 2008, 19:23 GMT
Senator Hillary Clinton stayed in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination with wins in the first week of March in primaries in Ohio, Rhode Island and, crucially, in Texas where she seemed likely to lose. It could prove to be the decisive 2008 moment in US politics. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, President Ahmadinejad kissed his counterpart at the start of the first visit by an Iranian head of state. This too could be a turning point. -
Hope, Obama and a Baghdad kiss
9 March 2008, 15:59 GMT
A Texas primary and a Baghdad kiss sent mixed signals in the first week of March about the direction of the Middle East after US presidential elections this November. -
Hope, Obama and a Baghdad kiss
9 March 2008, 15:59 GMT
A Texas primary and a Baghdad kiss sent mixed signals in the first week of March about the direction of the Middle East after US presidential elections this November. -
Declining dirham deters Indian workers taking jobs in Dubai
5 March 2008, 15:51 GMT
The fall in the value of the UAE dirham, which is pegged to the dollar, is the main factor deterring Indian construction workers from taking jobs in Dubai, according to a senior recruitment consultant. -
Nakheel expansion plans rely on Dubai utilities authority
5 March 2008, 15:50 GMT
The expansion plans of local property company Nakheel rely on the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) providing enough power and water for its projects, according to the company's legal counsel Steve Hunt. -
Dubai's Mudon Cities will cost $15bn
4 March 2008, 14:12 GMT
Dubai Properties' Mudon Cities project - to be launched to retail buyers later this year - will cost about AED55bn ($14.9bn), the company's head of projects and business development told MEED’s Dubai Megaprojects 2008 conference on 3 March. -
Dubai Waterfront completes 40 per cent of Madinat Arab infrastructure
4 March 2008, 14:10 GMT
Infrastructure work is 40 per cent complete on Madinat Arab, the first phase of the 1,400 hectare Dubai Waterfront project, according to Matthew Joyce, managing director of the project. -
Dubai could face retail space overcapacity
4 March 2008, 14:07 GMT
Dubai shopping malls could face serious economic problems unless there is a substantial increase in the number of visitors to the city, says a senior industry source. -
Dubai office space to triple by 2012
4 March 2008, 14:03 GMT
The amount of office space in Dubai will almost triple to 110 million square metres in the next four years, while about 170,000 homes will come to the market in the emirate in 2008 alone. -
Gulf project finance: On top of the world
2 March 2008, 6:14 GMT
The market for project finance in the GCC is set to be the world’s biggest in 2008. -
Take-off time for Gulf aluminium
21 February 2008, 19:20 GMT
Arabia’s first greenfield aluminium smelter for decades could put the GCC at the top of world aluminium by 2050. -
Gulf Aluminium Association holds first meeting
19 February 2008, 15:04 GMT
An industry body representing the GCC's smelters - the Gulf Aluminium Association - held its first full meeting in Dubai on 19 February. -
UAE gas shortages to triple by 2025
19 February 2008, 14:38 GMT
Gas shortages in the UAE could more than triple from 6 billion cubic feet a day (cfd) currently to 20 billion cfd by 2025 driven by soaring demand, a leading industry figure claims. -
Emal weighs carbon capture at Taweelah
19 February 2008, 14:32 GMT
Emirates Aluminium (Emal), which is due to complete the first phase of its 700,000 tonne-a-year smelter in Taweelah in 2010, is considering adding a carbon capture programme to the project. -
Wanted: New kind of construction company
14 February 2008, 17:27 GMT
The construction industry is fragmented, one chief executive laments. Is it time to change? -
Weight of money will drive Kuwait forward
7 February 2008, 12:31 GMT
The most common complaint heard in Kuwait is that the country has lost ground to other GCC states and that it will continue to do so. It is a lament for lost opportunities. -
City of Silk to create 300,000 jobs in Kuwait
5 February 2008, 17:37 GMT
The KD 21bn ($58bn) City of Silk development on the Subiya peninsula north of Kuwait Bay will create about 300,000 jobs, according to the project’s designer. -
Kuwait Investment Opportunities Fund aims to raise $93m
4 February 2008, 6:06 GMT
The Kuwait Investment Opportunities Fund (KIOF) is aiming to raise KD 35m ($93m), according to the fund’s director, Faisal al-Hamad. -
The gas bottleneck that could halt Gulf growth
31 January 2008, 18:37 GMT
Ras al-Khaimah, the most northerly of the seven emirates of the UAE, has embarked on a development and modernisation programme that might be the Gulf’s most intense. -
Inflation will do more damage than Iran's nuclear plans
28 January 2008, 10:51 GMT
With the possibility of a US attack against Iran having been dismissed by the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report last November, the GCC can focus on issues that are less dramatic but increasingly pressing.Top of the agenda is accelerating inflation. Left unchecked, spiralling prices will inflict more damage on the GCC than a confrontation with Iran could ever do. -
Bush spoke, but it was Condie’s Middle East moment
15 January 2008, 19:02 GMT
The speech mattered more than the speaker at Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Hotel on 13 January as President Bush delivered, for the first time in the GCC, a complete statement of America’s goals for the region. -
Gulf banks outshine bungling global behemoths
10 January 2008, 16:39 GMT
With oil in the second week of January still above $90 a barrel and expected to average this year more than it did in 2007, you don’t have to be a Nobel Prize-winning economist to forecast another good year for the Middle East. -
2008 agenda: A turning point for the Middle East
4 January 2008, 16:50 GMT
The year to come could have an impact as significant as the events of 1979, which started with the Iranian revolution and ended in an intensification of the Cold War as Soviet troops flooded into Afghanistan. In between, the oil price nearly tripled to a level that is higher in inflation-adjusted terms than it is today. -
No war, but no peace in sight between Iran and the US
2 January 2008, 13:16 GMT
Writing in the Washington Post at the end of December, influential American neo-conservative writer Charles Krauthammer conceded that President Bush's Iran strategy expired the moment the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was published. -
Emirates NBD to merge asset management teams
18 December 2007, 13:20 GMT
The asset management operations of National Bank of Dubai (NBD) are to be integrated with Emirates Bank’s Emirates Investment Services, as part of the merger of the two banks, according to Jamal bin Ghalaita, head of consumer banking and wealth management at Emirates NBD. -
The UAE needs an economic policy more than a new governor
12 December 2007, 19:19 GMT
Central bank governors are rarely popular. They get blamed when money is tight and carry the can when inflation rises. No wonder they sometimes have a world-weary look. -
Gulf healthcare revolution needs proper leadership
11 December 2007, 19:14 GMT
Despite delivering, with few exceptions, the highest life expectancy outside the OECD, the GCC healthcare industry is still in its infancy. -
Degremont and Besix win Jumeirah Golf Estates water contract
11 December 2007, 10:56 GMT
A joint venture between Degremont of France and Besix of Belgium has won the 10-year design, build and operate contract for a 220,000 cubic-metre-a-day sewage system being built for Dubai’s Palm Water under its utilities concession for Jumeirah Golf Estates, a division of Nakheel, also of Dubai. -
Doha North may include incineration unit
11 December 2007, 10:48 GMT
The Doha North sewage treatment plant, which is due to open in 2011, may include the GCC’s first sludge incineration unit, according to Jalal Salhi, manager of drainage projects at the Public Works Authority of Qatar. -
Abu Dhabi sewage plants under heavy pressure
11 December 2007, 10:39 GMT
Abu Dhabi’s main sewage plants are under heavy pressure because of the growing effluent flows produced by the emirate’s population, says Alan Thomson, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Sewage Services Company (ADSSC). -
Abu Dhabi to let sewage tunnels and plants contracts
11 December 2007, 10:22 GMT
Abu Dhabi Sewage Services Company (ADSSC) will tender contracts to build two major new sewage plants and the GCC’s first deep tunnel sewer by early 2008, according to ADSSC managing director Alan Thomson. -
Abu Dhabi sewage company to start charges in 2008
11 December 2007, 10:18 GMT
The government-owned Abu Dhabi Sewage Services Company (ADSSC) plans to introduce sewage service charges in the next 12 months, the firm’s managing director Alan Thomson told MEED’s Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference. -
Abu Dhabi plans to recycle all treated effluent
11 December 2007, 10:04 GMT
Abu Dhabi plans to recycle all its treated sewage by the start of 2010, according to Alan Thomson, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Sewage Services Company. -
Water reuse will cut GCC carbon dioxide and costs
11 December 2007, 9:48 GMT
The GCC will emit 20 to 40 per cent less carbon dioxide because it recycles effluent rather than relying on an equivalent amount of water from conventional seawater desalination, according to Martin Currie, water utilities development consultant with WS Atkins of the UK. -
Saudi water reuse regulation under review
10 December 2007, 12:54 GMT
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Dubai sewage production rising 25 per cent annually
10 December 2007, 12:50 GMT
Dubai’s sewage production is increasing by about 25 per cent a year and averages 480,000 cubic metres a day, said Aisha al-Abdooli, head of sewage treatment plants at Dubai Municipality. -
Saudi water company to be worth $6bn
10 December 2007, 10:16 GMT
The National Water Company (NWC), a new entity of the Saudi Arabian government, will have an initial paid-in capital of $6bn, Deputy Water & Electricity Minister Loay al-Musallam said. -
Saudi minister forecasts $54bn water spending
10 December 2007, 10:07 GMT
Saudi Arabia aims to spend a total of $54bn on expanding and operating the kingdom’s water network between 2008 and 2020, according to Deputy Water & Electricity Minister Loay al-Musallam. -
Saudi Arabia to pursue gradual water privatisation
10 December 2007, 9:57 GMT
Saudi Arabia will proceed gradually with its long-term plan to privatise the kingdom’s water production and sewage treatment system, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Water & Electricity Minister Loay al-Musallam told MEED’s Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference. -
The five factors that will shape the Middle East in 2008
5 December 2007, 19:31 GMT
With oil around $100 a barrel, this doesn’t look like the moment for government and business in the GCC to prepare for the worst. -
Emaar Healthcare seeks strategic partners
4 December 2007, 14:51 GMT
The healthcare division of the UAE's Emaar Properties is seeking to establish strategic partnerships to deliver 100 new hospitals, 500 health clinics and $5,000 million in turnover over the next 10 years. -
Echoes of 1967 as the Gulf prepares to dump the dollar
4 November 2007, 17:14 GMT
In a sequence of disasters, Britain's Middle East empire disintegrated in the quarter century following the end of the Second World War. London reneged on its promises by withdrawing precipitately from Palestine in May 1948 and allowing almost 60 per cent of its non-Jewish population to be driven out in 12 months. In October 1956, it ganged up with France and Israel against Egypt and failed. -
Industrial city shapes template for infrastructure finance
2 November 2007, 13:30 GMT
With the sun setting swiftly over the Gulf, the 10 million-square-metre second phase of the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi in Mussafah south-west of Abu Dhabi City was declared open on 29 October in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the emirate's Crown Prince Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed. -
Facebook and the Rock signal new era for equities
1 November 2007, 0:00 GMT
Recent developments in the capital market have shattered old certainties and Middle East equity investors should take careful note of the consequences.The chief executive of a UK service company listed on the London Stock Exchange was talking at the end of October about the new world emerging for those leading quoted firms and all who invest in them. -
GCC states flex their muscles in Annapolis
1 November 2007, 0:00 GMT
In one of the most remarkable weeks in modern Middle East history, the countries of the GCC have emerged as key figures that will shape world prospects in 2008 and beyond. -
New approach needed as the Gulf labour issue begins to boil
1 November 2007, 0:00 GMT
With full order books and glittering prospects, most GCC companies have never had it so good. But strikes in Dubai this autumn suggest there is a downside to the Gulf boom. -
Pakistan's troubles could be India's Gulf opportunity
1 November 2007, 0:00 GMT
India and Pakistan are on divergent economic and political trajectories. The Gulf will be drawn towards the one on the right track. -
Hilary or Rudy will weaken the US in the Middle East
26 October 2007, 16:30 GMT
Sixty years ago this month, US President Truman lamented the impact of what is now called America's Israel lobby as he grappled with the fate of Palestine. -
Welcome voices of reason in a sea of ignorance and spite
19 October 2007, 12:00 GMT
Those seeking sense in the world have been encouraged by 'A common word between us and you', an open letter signed by 138 Islamic scholars that was sent to Christian leaders on the final day of Ramadan on 11 October. -
Echoes of 1967 as the Gulf prepares to dump the dollar
12 October 2007, 14:00 GMT
In a sequence of disasters, Britain's Middle East empire disintegrated in the quarter century following the end of the Second World War. London reneged on its promises by withdrawing precipitately from Palestine in May 1948 and allowing almost 60 per cent of its non-Jewish population to be driven out in 12 months. In October 1956, it ganged up with France and Israel against Egypt and failed. -
Brain workers shrug off the crunch and head for the Gulf
5 October 2007, 15:00 GMT
Paul Laudicina, chairman of the board and managing officer of management consultants AT Kearney, has seen a lot worse than the credit crunch that has made a thousand newspaper headlines in the past two months. 'I do not think it will have a serious impact on the world economy,' he said in Dubai during his first tour of the region since taking over the leadership of the US management consultancy last year. -
Brain workers shrug off the crunch and head for the Gulf
5 October 2007, 15:00 GMT
Paul Laudicina, chairman of the board and managing officer of management consultants AT Kearney, has seen a lot worse than the credit crunch that has made a thousand newspaper headlines in the past two months. 'I do not think it will have a serious impact on the world economy,' he said in Dubai during his first tour of the region since taking over the leadership of the US management consultancy last year. -
Lessons for the Middle East from the Northern Rock affair
28 September 2007, 17:00 GMT
As a student of monetarism at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the mid-1970s, I was obliged to listen to stimulating but unpalatable lectures from Brian Griffiths, now a UK peer and adviser to Margaret Thatcher when she was prime minister. Most went in one ear and out the other. But three arguments stuck. -
Saudi Arabia learns the lessons of democratic fission in Iraq
21 September 2007, 16:00 GMT
Saudi Arabia's Majlis al-Shoura has emerged as Arabia's most effective legislative body. -
The Middle East begins its long Silk Road march to China
14 September 2007, 17:00 GMT
Visitors to Nakheel's Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai can retrace one of the journeys made by the celebrated 14th century Arab explorer after whom the shopping centre is named. Entering the world's largest single-floor mall, they start in a section themed after Tunisia where Ibn Battuta was born, pass through Andalusia, Egypt, Persia and India and finally finish in China, a retail zone complete with a life-size model junk. -
Opec's oil price party ends as the world economy trembles
7 September 2007, 14:00 GMT
Mohammad Alipour-Jeddi, head of Opec's market analysis department, was ruminating at the annual meeting of the Japan Co-operation Centre for the Middle East in Vienna on why economists have been so wrong about oil price trends since 2003. -
Saudi Arabia the target as Japan refines its Middle East strategy
31 August 2007, 15:00 GMT
Fifty years ago, in December 1957, Japanese business decisively entered the markets of the Middle East for the first time. Since then, Japan has been the Gulf's largest customer for crude oil and the Middle East has bought more Japanese than any other region. In 2006, the value of GCC-Japan trade was almost $100 billion, making Tokyo the GCC's leading trading partner. -
Paradise lost as minorities in Iraq pay the price for chaos
28 August 2007, 9:30 GMT
Iraq's leaders have agreed to hold a summit in what looks like a final attempt to create an effective unity government to fill the security void that will be created as US and other coalition troops withdraw to base or go home. -
Do not look now, Islamic banks are conquering project finance
29 June 2007, 16:30 GMT
In 2005 and 2006, almost $50,000 million worth of project finance deals were reported in the Middle East. The figure reflects the region's construction boom and more long-term lending by big international banks. -
A tragedy of errors drives US policy in the Middle East
22 June 2007, 18:30 GMT
It has been a terrible summer so far for US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. The first public, high-level meeting between US and Iranian officials in Baghdad last month was overshadowed by Vice-President Cheney's belligerent earlier statements delivered from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf and a new anti-Israel outburst by President Ahmadinejad. -
Yamamah revelations can usher in a new era for the Middle East
15 June 2007, 20:00 GMT
After years of allegations, missing facts about the UK's Yamamah deal with Saudi Arabia, originally signed in 1985, seem at last to be in the public domain. -
A handful of sand in Taweelah and a giant leap for the Gulf
8 June 2007, 16:00 GMT
On the last day of May, spades silvered for the occasion were simultaneously thrust into the sand at Taweelah, at roughly the halfway point on the road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, at the groundbreaking for one of the region's great industrial initiatives. It is in an area of featureless sand, close to the location of two of Abu Dhabi's privatised power and water plants. In 30 months, the area will be transformed into the world's largest single-site aluminium smelter and the centrepiece ... -
Back to the drawing board for the currency union visionaries
1 June 2007, 16:30 GMT
Six GCC central bank governors sat together on the stage at the eighth GCC Banking Conference organised by the National Bank of Kuwait and the Central Bank of Kuwait on 23 May. Only two were comfortable as they were quizzed about the single GCC currency, scheduled to go into effect in 2010. -
The sheikh, the federation and life on the frontline of conflict
27 April 2007, 12:30 GMT
It was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of the UAE. Before more than 1,000 people - including four other rulers of the federation and the representatives of two too sick to attend - UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed unveiled his government's strategy in a speech in Abu Dhabi broadcast live on national television. It combined jokes with unprecedented admissions of public service failings. -
Gulf banks are starting to emerge from the shadows
13 April 2007, 16:30 GMT
World oil has peaked and Brent blend crude will average around $60 a barrel in 2007, compared with almost $65 a barrel last year. Iran and other potential flashpoints could produce spikes, but the consensus is prices will fall to about $53 a barrel in 2010. -
Leadership needed as the world heads towards economic storms
5 April 2007, 13:00 GMT
Financial Times chief economics commentator Martin Wolf said at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona at the end of March that he expected a period of economic turbulence. The US is slowing and inflation is bound to hinder growth in China, poised to overtake Germany by the end of the decade to become the world's third largest economy. -
The strange case of the missing Gulf energy strategy
30 March 2007, 15:30 GMT
The MEED Power & Water conference in Abu Dhabi in early March was told that electricity demand in Qatar increased by 18.5 per cent in 2006 to more than 3,000 MW. The latest consumption estimate suggests it will grow by at least 200 per cent more by 2015. -
Palestine is still the big issue as the Iran storm approaches
23 March 2007, 12:30 GMT
Before the Iraq invasion, advocates of war failed to demonstrate the existence of Iraqi chemical and nuclear weapons, Baghdad links with Al-Qaeda and coherent post-conflict reconstruction plans. -
A new era for the global construction industry
16 March 2007, 13:30 GMT
Some Americans may moan, but Halliburton's decision to move to the UAE makes sense and should be good for US business. At least $200,000 million worth of projects are under way or planned in the Gulf oil and gas sector. The Houston-based company's migration should help it get its share. -
A powerful case for Jordan's membership of the GCC
2 March 2007, 13:30 GMT
Amman is becoming one of the Middle East's most interesting cities. Its population has doubled in less than a decade to 2.6 million people. This figure will rise to 4 million in the summer when expatriates return from holiday. The prospects are both exciting and challenging. Amman's mayor Omar Maani told MEED's Jordan conference on 20 February that he believes the trend will continue for the foreseeable future. This could lift Amman's population to 5 million by 2020. Maani is working ... -
The non-delivery spectre that stalks GCC real estate
23 February 2007, 12:30 GMT
The GCC has been in uncharted territory since Iraq's quick defeat in March 2003 primed the pump that doubled the region's economy in the intervening four years. Practically every expectation about investment, spending and trade has been exceeded. Even the crash by more than 60 per cent in the Saudi share index that began on 25 February last year has been absorbed with little obvious macro-economic ill-effect. From an economic perspective, doing business in the GCC has been like walking ... -
The ultimate tall challenge: build a Gulf mountain
9 February 2007, 12:30 GMT
The Burj Dubai, soaring heavenwards to more than 1,000 feet, is at its most impressive close up. In January, construction reached the 100th floor. Another level is being added every three-four days. Some time in mid-May, the Burj will become the world's highest tower. Its target height is more than 2,000 feet. -
A Truman Doctrine that could divide, not heal, the region
2 February 2007, 13:30 GMT
On 12 March 1947, US President Truman announced what became known as the Truman Doctrine to contain Soviet communism. The trigger was events in Greece, where the government was losing against pro-Soviet partisans. The results were momentous. They included the Marshall plan for rebuilding Western Europe and Nato. -
Hardline approach from the US puts Tehran on the spot
26 January 2007, 12:00 GMT
No country has enjoyed a bigger improvement in its strategic position since the 9/11 attacks than Iran. At practically no expense to itself, the Afghan Taliban government and Iraq's hated Baath Party regime have been deposed. Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Iran's greatest foe, has been tried, sentenced and hanged. Oil prices have doubled. And Tehran has advanced its atomic programme, a national goal since the time of the Shah. -
Saving lives is more important than winning the war in Iraq
19 January 2007, 16:00 GMT
It has been reported that President Bush started meetings about his Iraq strategy review by asking anyone whose goal was anything other than winning to leave the room. It seems that no-one did. That perhaps explains why the White House's new look Iraq policy is less of a fudge than expected. Instead of appeasing domestic sceptics, Bush has stuck to his principles by sending more troops to pacify Baghdad. -
The GCC prepares for another boom year with price controls
12 January 2007, 13:30 GMT
To the dismay of free market thinkers, Dubai has announced that annual rent increases for most properties will be limited to 7 per cent in 2007. This compares with the 15 per cent cap last year and is in line with Abu Dhabi's rent limit last year. -
Filling Washington's Middle East policy gap with fudge
5 January 2007, 12:00 GMT
The only good thing about what looked like the lynching of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is that it happened on 30 December. This meant it was a bad end to 2006 rather than a depressing start to 2007. -
Ruwais takes the high road to GCC economic convergence
22 December 2006, 12:30 GMT
The traffic quickens west of Abu Dhabi where the highway to Ruwais narrows to two lanes and speed cameras aren't yet found. Loaded trucks thunder towards the booming markets of Saudi Arabia. The main feature in a flat desert landscape is a limestone cliff that traces the coastline before the sea retreated during the last Ice Age. At night, it's pitch black. -
Prizes and pitfalls in the privatisation revolution
15 December 2006, 15:00 GMT
A consortium led by Saudi Binladin Group is favoured to win the build-operate-transfer concession for the expansion of the Hajj terminal in Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport. It confirms that privatisation is spreading in the Middle East. It also highlights how much more must be done before it is an embedded part of the region's policy portfolio. -
An American policy vacuum becomes a black hole
8 December 2006, 15:00 GMT
Not since South Vietnam and Cambodia fell to communism in 1975 has the world witnessed a more comprehensive US foreign policy failure than the disaster enveloping its demoralised troops in Iraq. -
The GCC party is over but the good times will roll on
1 December 2006, 14:30 GMT
There is a moment in every party when it becomes clear the end is near. It's still fun, but the crowd has thinned. The time has come to go home. -
Gulf bourses at a turning point as the IPO tide ebbs
24 November 2006, 15:30 GMT
The masters of GCC share markets need a new strategy as investors and companies planning to go public seek alternatives to failing local stock exchanges. -
Single currency challenge is the GCC's toughest test
10 November 2006, 18:00 GMT
The GCC single currency is the world's most ambitious monetary union project since the launch of the euro in 2002. Whether it will be good for Gulf economies depends on how currency union is achieved and the exchange rate selected. -
US Elections: American mid-terms offer hope for a new Middle East
3 November 2006, 16:30 GMT
US elections are setting the scene for two challenging years as the region’s key players vie for influence in the White House. Observers should be prepared for something big... -
In search of a response to the new nuclear age
20 October 2006, 14:00 GMT
UN attempts to prevent nuclear proliferation began in January 1946, five months after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were incinerated. The flaw was that the atomic police were the principal proliferators. By the end of 1964, all five countries that are now members of the UN Security Council had the bomb. -
In search of a response to the new nuclear age
20 October 2006, 14:00 GMT
UN attempts to prevent nuclear proliferation began in January 1946, five months after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were incinerated. The flaw was that the atomic police were the principal proliferators. By the end of 1964, all five countries that are now members of the UN Security Council had the bomb. -
New economic thinking for a region in transition
13 October 2006, 12:30 GMT
IMF director Mohsin Khan said earlier in October that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will record growth of more than 12 per cent in 2007. Aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) next year will be more than double the figure recorded in 2002. -
Wanted: a new breed of business leader
9 October 2006, 12:00 GMT
A new report by Dubai's Institute for Corporate Governance (Hawkamah) and the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF) is a sobering read. According to its authors, GCC corporations on average attained no more than 50 per cent of the standard of corporate governance seen in advanced economies. The Gulf lags behind China and India. Only Oman and Abu Dhabi have so far introduced governance rules. The good news is that Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait have prepared ... -
The UN still matters, but regional co-operation is better
28 September 2006, 22:30 GMT
The contest has started about who will succeed Kofi Annan to become the UN's eighth secretary-general. The favourite is South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Ban Ki-Moon. The sole Middle East nominee is Prince Zeid al-Hussain, Jordan's UN ambassador and King Abdullah's cousin. -
The ghosts of '56 haunting Downing Street
15 September 2006, 13:30 GMT
The events in Egypt in the summer and autumn of 1956 are modest compared with the Arab-Israel wars of 1967 and 1973, the Iran-Iraq conflict, three decades of division in Lebanon and turmoil in Iraq. But at the time, the Suez crisis was a global event. It divided allies, caused the first oil shock, inspired Arab nationalism and led to the replacement of Britain and France as the regions dominant foreign powers. Suez also ended the career of UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden.There ... -
Days of hope for the stateless Kurds of the Middle East
1 September 2006, 15:30 GMT
Bombings claimed by a Kurdish splinter group at Turkish resorts Marmaris and Antalya have highlighted the fact that the Middle East's oldest minority national movement remains a potent force. Since the start of 2006, there have been at least eight bombings and more than 250 attacks by Kurdish militants in Turkey. -
In search of a more sensible way to deal with Iran
25 August 2006, 13:30 GMT
It is said in the West that Iran's President Ahmadinejad is dangerously unbalanced and, potentially, a political leader in the mould of Adolf Hitler. His violent comments about Israel are cited to support efforts to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear technology. The issue rose to the top of the UN agenda at the end of August, the Security Council deadline for Iran to stop its enrichment programme. -
Twelve weeks to ponder Israel's Hezbollah war
11 August 2006, 14:30 GMT
In a televisual age, it seems the more you see, the less you know. The world is watching many of the same images of Israel's assault on Lebanon. It is drawing starkly different conclusions. -
Coping with the soaring cost of living
4 August 2006, 14:03 GMT
The Gulf boom's dark side hit home in July with news that rents in Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City and Knowledge Village will rise by 25 per cent in a single step. Hiking the operating expenses of much of Dubai's large and growing media industry ensures the news will spread that it is becoming increasingly expensive to live and work in the GCC. In Dubai, residential rents are rising by more than 10 per cent on average this year and further steep increases are expected in 2007. ... -
Lebanon's torture is the GCC's challenge and opportunity
28 July 2006, 12:30 GMT
Economists estimate Israel's war on Lebanon is costing its government more than $100 million a day and that Tel Aviv's total bill by the time you read this will be close to $2,000 million. The indirect costs are likely to be at least as much again. Hezbollah rocket attacks since 12 July had in the first 12 days killed 17 Israeli civilians and caused up to half the permanent population in affected areas to flee. -
Making this Israel's last war on Lebanon
21 July 2006, 16:00 GMT
On 6 June 1982, Israeli Likud Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered the invasion of Lebanon to destroy Palestinian bases and communities across Lebanon. Just over one week later, Israel's army was entrenched around Beirut. On 1 September, the last Palestinian fighters were evacuated from the Lebanese capital but fighting continued until Israeli forces withdrew to the south in 1983. By then, Israel had wrecked west Beirut and much of south Lebanon. The war caused more than 17,000 civilian ... -
Gulf banks must learn the lessons of the crash
14 July 2006, 12:00 GMT
Most big Gulf banks have released first-half financial figures. Despite making provisions 10 times more than in the same period of 2005, Saudi Arabia's The National Commercial Bank (NCB), the Arab world's largest financial institution, reported profits in the first half of 2006 almost 40 per cent above the figure reported in January-June last year. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the largest Kuwaiti bank, reported a profit rise of 32 per cent over the same period. Qatar National Bank ... -
Arabian gas quest gets serious, and expensive
7 July 2006, 14:00 GMT
News that Bahrain plans to spend $200 million on onshore gas exploration is the latest sign that finding gas is becoming energy priority number 1 for Gulf governments. -
A story of David, Frank and the power of the human spirit
30 June 2006, 12:30 GMT
The figures are so depressing that I can hardly bear repeating them. According to the US Department of Defense, more than 20,000 US troops have been killed or wounded since the start of the war for Iraq in March 2003. There are no authoritative figures for Iraqi civilian deaths in the same period, but they are credibly estimated at more than 35,000. -
City of London seeks partnership with the new finance centres of the Gulf
23 June 2006, 15:30 GMT
In September 1599, 24 merchants met at Leadenhall in the City of London to found the East India Company. The following year, it received a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I. The company was to change the face of the Middle East and the world. -
The Gulf quest for visionaries in the mould of Monnet
16 June 2006, 13:33 GMT
Brussels in high summer is a good place to ponder the achievements and failures of the experiment in European unification masterminded from the Belgian capital. -
New era begins for Gulf petrochemicals producers
12 June 2006, 11:30 GMT
The Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA), established in March this year, is starting to mobilise the region's industry, GPCA secretary Abdullah al-Hagbani told the MEED Gulf Petrochemicals conference in Manama on 5 June. -
Companies must adapt their thinking over the oil boom
12 May 2006, 13:30 GMT
At dinner at the British embassy in Riyadh on 7 May, HSBC Bank celebrated the opening of its Riyadh joint venture investment bank with Saudi British Bank. -
The $50-a-barrel question and the New Gulf civilisation
7 April 2006, 18:00 GMT
Something strange has happened in world oil markets and the global economy since the start of 2004. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude averaged $31 a barrel in 2003. On 28 March this year, it closed at $66.45. -
How the California effect will make the Gulf boom
17 March 2006, 13:00 GMT
In January 1848, a miner found a nugget in a river east of Sacramento that triggered the Californian gold rush. The region was then a distant and unknown land, separated from the territories of the US by mountains, desert and an international frontier. -
Infant Gulf petrochemicals body will shape the industry
10 March 2006, 18:30 GMT
ine months after it was announced at the MEED Gulf Petrochemicals conference, the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA) entered the world on 1 March. -
Standing up for the Gulf, without bashing America
10 March 2006, 18:08 GMT
t is unusual to praise President Bush and sympathise with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But that happened last month as DP World's takeover of Britain's P&O came under political fire from Washington. Bush rightly declared that Dubai is no threat to American national security and the deal should pass. And Rice, who met GCC foreign ministers in Abu Dhabi on 23 February to drum up support for US Middle East policy, could not have arrived in the UAE at a worse time. No country ... -
Building a Red Sea economy on trade and investment
24 February 2006, 17:00 GMT
For thousands of years, the Red Sea was the principal highway between the Mediterranean and the lands of Africa, Arabia and the Far East. Ancient Egyptians sailed its waters. Greek sailors learned how to navigate its reefs and use monsoon winds to sail to India and back. Marco Polo returned to Venice through the Red Sea. It was the first coffee route from south Arabia and the Horn of Africa to markets in the north. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was the start of a new era, but ... -
Memo to the West: be constructive or get out
17 February 2006, 17:00 GMT
The Middle East was once again at the heart of President Bush's State of the Union address. His optimism looks strained. -
New life comes to Oman's amazing Green Mountain
2 February 2006, 17:00 GMT
ven in January at more than 6,000 feet, it is warm enough to sunbathe on the plateau of Jebel Akhdar, Oman's magnificent whale-backed mountain range. From there, the hardy can park and complete the six-hour trek by foot to the top of Jebel Shams (mountain of the sun), Oman's highest peak at more than 10,000 feet. For the rest, the best option is peering queasily over the edge of a cliff that falls more than 3,000 feet to the wadi floor or sipping a drink at a new coffee shop. -
King Abdullah's city sets the scene for a new era of growth
13 January 2006, 15:31 GMT
Saudi Arabia has kicked off 2006 with great economic news and plans for an entirely new town to be built using private finance on the kingdom's Red Sea coast. Figures released by the Saudi government show that the economy expanded by 23 per cent to $307,000 million in 2005. The current account surplus doubled to almost $88,000 million, equivalent to 19 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). -
More winners than losers in a good year for the Middle East
6 January 2006, 17:01 GMT
In a year of two halves, record oil prices and strong oil demand were the consistent Middle East themes of 2005 and should continue to be so in 2006. What made the difference between the beginning and the end was mid-year political change in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the region's big two.
