The Gulf countries want to reshape the Middle East in their image
Stability and development is a tempting formula, but it has been tried before
UNTIL LAST month the BRICS, a diplomatic club which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, had members from every corner of the developing world except the Middle East. No longer: of the six countries invited to join the bloc at its annual summit on August 22nd, four—Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—are from the region. If they all accept, the Middle East will account for more than a third of the expanded bloc’s members.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Reorientation”
Briefing September 9th 2023
From the September 9th 2023 edition
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