Ruling Tunisia by remote control

Tunisia has a new caliph: the emir of Qatar. Although a year has passed since the inspiring Jasmine Revolution, and dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is no longer in power - Tunisia's democracy is still in danger. Now the problem seems to be the emir, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who many perceive as a threat to Tunisia's sovereignty.

Ruling Tunisia by remote control

Iraq makes sanctions against Iran ineffective

The US and EU have announced new sanctions in the hope of persuading Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons programme, though how effective these will be is questionable. China, India, Russia, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea have already refused to go along with the new measures. Iran also has the means to evade the sanctions – through its proximity to Iraq. Iran has often been singled out as the main beneficiary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, as well as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability in the post-Saddam era. Iran's uninterrupted support for Shia militia groups in southern Iraq, particularly the Mahdi army, is seen as one indication of its involvement in Iraqi politics and its ability to cause problems for adversaries. And yet Iran's key interest in Iraq is less about realpolitik than about trade. Iran is one of Iraq's most important regional economic partners, with an annual trade volume between the two sides standing at $8bn to $10bn (£5bn to £6.4bn). However, it is Iraq's 910-mile border with Iran, and therefore its geographical suitability as a smuggling hub for sanctioned goods, which is of paramount importance to Iran at present.

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Syria: Watch the weather forecast

Ankhar Kochneva, writer and sole foreign journalist permanently living in Syria, tells RT what is really up in the country, who funds the opposition, how international media fake images of unrest and why it is so important to watch weather forecasts.

Syria: Watch the weather forecast

Let's talk about Qatar

The rise of Qatar has been one of the most remarkable developments in the recent history of the Middle East. How this small, oil-rich Gulf state built Al Jazeera and parleyed the TV station's influence into a diplomatic role across the region is an insufficiently explored issue. The list of the monarchy's achievements is impressive, even putting aside how they secured the football World Cup for 2022. Qatari diplomats have mediated in Lebanon, helped rejuvenate the Arab League, led condemnation of Bashir al-Assad and joined the fight against Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. In a way, Qatar has become one of the region's lynchpins, second only to Saudi Arabia as the West's go-to country. The Prime Minister is said to speak regularly to his Qatari counterpart as part of a relationship that may now have surpassed the considerable UK-Omani link.

Let's talk about Qatar

Is Libya Sliding Toward Civil War?

Correspondents report that Tripoli today is a patchwork of fiefdoms held by rival militias that arrived in the capital months ago to chase out Qaddafi and have since refused to leave. Each of the militias appears to believe that its power to influence the future course of Libyan politics depends on maintaining an armed presence in Tripoli. Two of the militias are homegrown groups from Tripoli itself. One is led by Abdel Hakim Belhadj, an Islamist who spent time in Taliban camps and is the NTC-backed military council commander in the capital. The other is led by Abdullah Naker, a former electronics engineer who is openly critical of Belhadj. But there also militias from outside. There is one from Misurata, east of Tripoli; another from Zintan, southwest of the capital; another from the east of Libya; and another representing the country's Berber minority. All maintain territories and checkpoints, with their presence increasing after nightfall. Correspondents say the fighting usually breaks out when members of one militia try to cross through territory of another while refusing to disarm. It is just that kind of dispute that is believed to have led to this week's fighting, when fighters from Belhadj's military council detained a member of the Misurata militia.

Is Libya Sliding Toward Civil War?

Secretary Clinton on Qatar-US collaboration

SECRETARY CLINTON: Qatar is and remains a very valuable American partner. As we look back on the year just finished, I’m not sure there was any one like it. It was an extraordinary time, and during it, our partnership evolved to address new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities, including the unprecedented joint operations with NATO over the skies of Libya.

Secretary of State Clinton Remarks With Qatari Prime Minister After Their Meeting

Exxon's Partner In Giant Qatar Project To Help Exporting U.S. Shale Gas

Golden Pass (which is owned 70% by Qatar, 17.6% by Exxon and 12.4% by ConocoPhillips) would be just one of a handful of LNG export terminals on the gulf coast. Cheniere Energy, which was among the earliest to build an LNG import terminal at Sabine Pass, has already had its plans approved by the feds, and expects to begin exporting U.S. gas in 2015. In addition to the gulf coast export plans, ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips have been working on plans to export gas stranded in Alaska to the Asian market. This is all a huge change from just a few years ago, when the big players assumed the U.S. would need gas from the rest of the world. “People used to say that shale gas couldn’t compete with natural gas,” al Attiyah reportedly said. “In my 40 years in the industry, I have learned one thing: don’t believe in forecasts.”

Exxon's Partner In Giant Qatar Project Says It Wants To Reverse LNG Terminal To Export U.S. Shale Gas