Columnist

Zaid M. Belbagi

Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Twitter: @Moulay_Zaid

Latest published



What Raisi presidency will mean for Iran’s regional rivals

Iran’s Guardian Council disqualified all but seven of last month’s 592 presidential hopefuls — including the country’s longest-serving parliamentary speaker, a vice president and a former president — in the most extreme interference by a supreme leader in the electoral process.

July 05, 2021

Cometh the hour, cometh Muqtada Al-Sadr

 

Mass public gatherings have been rare in Iraq since security forces and militia groups stifled anti-government protests last year and amid regular government curfews to combat the spread of COVID-19.

May 22, 2021

Saudi plans to grow forests in the desert could change the world

For any country that relies upon hydrocarbons to provide 99 percent of its energy, you might imagine that announcing an ambitiously huge entry into the renewables space would be daunting.

April 02, 2021

Suez Canal blockage highlights importance of the Red Sea

The grounding of the cargo ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal last week serves as a good opportunity to focus our minds on the future of the waterway and the wider Red Sea region.

March 31, 2021