In Geopolitics Today - Friday, January 14th
Egypt Keen to Resolve Sudan’s Crisis, Philippines to Purchase BrahMos Supersonic Missile System, and UAE Developing Dubai as a Central Trading Hub
Egypt Keen to Resolve Sudan’s Crisis
The United Nations recently said it will facilitate talks in Sudan aimed at restoring stability after the country entered a political deadlock following the prime minister’s resignation last week. Egypt has stood in support of the UN proposal, and called all parties in Sudan to take part in choosing a new prime minister in preparation for the formation of a new Cabinet.
With strong historical ties and closely aligned geopolitical interests, Cairo needs Khartoum if the country is to find a favourable solution to the Grand Ethiopian Damn Crisis which continues to threaten Cairo’s agricultural sector. But even though Sudan is important to Egyptian national security calculations, Cairo's ability to influence events in the Sudanese crisis is limited compared to other international actors. Nevertheless, Egypt has aligned its position with those taken by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both of which have signed onto a joint statement with the United States and the United Kingdom regarding the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
Read more about this story here.
Philippines to Purchase BrahMos Supersonic Missile System
The Philippines Defence Secretary has confirmed that Manila is going ahead with a purchase of the BrahMos Supersonic Missile System from India. The purchase of the BrahMos is a significant arms acquisition for the Philippines and will allow the country’s armed forces to better deter against incursions by China in territories within the South China Sea Manila claims as its own. The $374 million deal will see the delivery of three missile batteries, training, and Integrated Logistics Support.
The deal promises to benefit both sides. For New Delhi, the sale of the joint Indian-Russian built BrahMos system to the Philippines is a step forward for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has led his government in pushing for an increase in defence exports. At the same time, the purchase of the BrahMos is ground-breaking for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which have struggled to defend the country’s maritime borders against Chinese claims and incursions in regions of the South China Sea claimed by Manila. More specifically, it will offer credible deterrence against such moves by China or other actors, and allow Manila to better enforce their own interests across the country’s vast maritime zone from adversaries.
Read more about this story here.
UAE Developing Dubai as a Central Trading Hub
The United Arab Emirates continues to lay the groundwork to facilitate increased regional and international trade in Dubai. The leadership in the UAE has invested considerable resources to earn a reputation for a credible and transparent judiciary in order to attract more regional and global firms to do business in the Emirates. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is central to this goal, and functions as an economic zone specifically established to attract and conduct business in global financial markets.
The DIFC already hosts hundreds of international institutions, and the project is designed to leverage Dubai’s central position between the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa to its benefit. A major focus of the DIFC still involves establishing the economic zone as a trusted jurisdiction governed by acceptable laws conductive to international businesses. The institution operates under a separate legal system from other parts of the UAE, and has established regulations largely based on English common law. The Emirates has also supported the project politically by negotiating an agreed set for regulations for the conduct of trade within the DIFC with other governments in the region. Israel, for instance, has already been given incentives by the Emirates to invest in Dubai following the Abraham Accords.
Read more about this story here.