The UAE’s early lead in resuscitating Syria’s gas sector was the first signal of this shift; Riyadh’s move into that sector – and its vital oil space too -- is the second, and it aligns neatly with Washington’s broader effort to re-anchor regional influence and revive the architecture of Arab?Israeli normalisation that defined Donald Trump’s first term. The Kremlin’s naval facility at Tartus and the airbase at Hmeimim gave Moscow permanent, hard?power reach into the Levant, the eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa -- a capability it had lacked since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The UAE had been the first major signatory to such a deal, on 13 August 2020, and has long figured in Washington’s plans as a strategic partner to counter the influence of Iran, Russia, and China, a theme also explored in my latest book on the new global oil market order.
Author: Simon Watkins
Published at: 2025-12-29 23:00:00
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