An energy crisis and geopolitics are creating a new-look Gulf

Even as energy enriches the Gulf, the second force at work is a new alignment of power. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 27 Sep 2022

In eight weeks, roughly one million football fans will descend on Qatar for the World Cup, many of them travelling via neighbouring cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They will find a Gulf in the midst of a US$3.5 trillion (NZ$5.9t) energy bonanza, courtesy of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Western politicians facing a cost-of-living crisis are once again paying homage to the royalty of the fossil-fuel economy. Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, is due to visit this week. In July, president Joe Biden fist-bumped Mu...

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