Khartoum, one of Iran’s strategic military partners since 2014, is now a faithful ally of Saudi Arabia which is helping to prop up its economy. On 2 January, in a Saudi Prison, the Shia Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr was executed alongside 46 other men accused of terrorism. This proved to be the last straw as the execution triggered protests from the Shia community across the Middle East and inspired an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. In response, Riyadh broke off diplomatic relations with Iran and expelled Iranian diplomats from Saudi Arabia.
The public row between Iran and Saudi Arabia marked a new phase in the Middle East’s own cold war, a conflict that is spreading beyond regional boundaries and extending its sinister shadow across Africa. Countries such as Eritrea, Senegal, Djibouti and Somalia, but in particular Sudan, Tehran’s strategic partner until 2014, have been lining up in a united Sunni front and declaring their support for the Saudi monarchy.
The destructive effects of the clash between the region’s two superpowers are already evident in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Saudi Arabia sows investment in order to reap support: a consolidation strategy that is also bearing fruit in the African continent, where traditional alliances have been sacrificed in the name of economic needs and mutated political calculations.
If you want to read it all, purchase the entire issue in pdf for just three euro
The public row between Iran and Saudi Arabia marked a new phase in the Middle East’s own cold war, a conflict that is spreading beyond regional boundaries and extending its sinister shadow across Africa. Countries such as Eritrea, Senegal, Djibouti and Somalia, but in particular Sudan, Tehran’s strategic partner until 2014, have been lining up in a united Sunni front and declaring their support for the Saudi monarchy.
The destructive effects of the clash between the region’s two superpowers are already evident in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Saudi Arabia sows investment in order to reap support: a consolidation strategy that is also bearing fruit in the African continent, where traditional alliances have been sacrificed in the name of economic needs and mutated political calculations.
This content if for our subscribers
Subscribe for 1 year and gain unlimited access to all content on
eastwest.eu plus both the digital and the hard copy of the geopolitical magazine
Subscribe now €45
Gain 1 year of unlimited access to only the website and digital magazine
Subscribe now €20
