We have been hearing this for decades: can the Middle East steal Europe’s model of economic integration to achieve peace? Join this MENA2050 crucial conversation on Friday! Register here and see you soon: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Iran is literally running out of water - a major emergency. My @ecfrmena.bsky.social paper says how European actors can actively and operationally support effective environmental cooperation between Iran and Gulf Arab states — linking climate adaptation with regional stability: tinyurl.com/3z7v5sey

📰 For Formiche, @cinziabianco.bsky.social comments that Italian PM Melon's invitation to the GCC Summit should be read a strategic gesture from the Gulf aimed at encouraging more Italian involvement in the region 👇 formiche.net/2025/12/il-g...

✍️ The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act could offer a useful framework for Europeans and Gulf partners to work together on AI development, write @cinziabianco.bsky.social & Herman Quarles for @ecfrpower.bsky.social buff.ly/fZmFYEq

✍️ The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act could offer a useful framework for Europeans and Gulf partners to work together, argue @cinziabianco.bsky.social & Herman Quarles for @ECFRPower ecfr.eu/article/trum...

The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act could offer a useful framework for Europeans and Gulf partners to work together, write @cinziabianco.bsky.social and Herman Quarles @ecfrmena.bsky.social @ecfrpower.bsky.social https://bit.ly/3MdxkEk

💻 Il regolamento UE sull’IA può diventare un ponte tra Europa e partner del Golfo, aprendo nuove opportunità di collaborazione ✍️ @cinziabianco.bsky.social e Herman Quarles x @ecfrmena.bsky.social @ecfrpower.bsky.social

[Commentary] #AI - #Trump’s AI thaw: How #Europe and the #Gulf can protect against #American and #Chinese tech pressure, by @cinziabianco.bsky.social & Herman Quarles van Ufford | @ecfr.eu www.pubaffairsbruxelles.eu/opinion-anal...

🌎 I recenti cambiamenti nella politica USA hanno riallineato Washington e gli Stati del Golfo sull’IA. Una finestra strategica si apre ora per l’Europa: saprà coglierla? ✍️ @cinziabianco.bsky.social e Herman Quarles X @ecfrmena.bsky.social @ecfrpower.bsky.social

I have joined forces with our AI expert to see how Europeans can play the AI game in the Gulf - seize opportunities and minimize risks. AI is at the top of everyone’s agenda (as transpired from MbS visit to DC) and it is a very geopolitical as well as technological play! ecfr.eu/article/trum...

The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act could offer a useful framework for Europeans and Gulf partners to work together, write @cinziabianco.bsky.social and Herman Quarles @ecfrmena.bsky.social @ecfrpower.bsky.social https://bit.ly/3MdxkEk

🇸🇦 “L’attacco israeliano a Doha ha scompigliato la situazione, accelerando le trattative tra USA e Arabia Saudita su nucleare e IA" Ne ha parlato @cinziabianco.bsky.social, Visiting Fellow di @ecfrmena.bsky.social, a @sole24ore.bsky.social 🎧 Se te lo sei perso:

Se l’UE vuole continuare a invocare il diritto internazionale in Ucraina, Gaza o altrove, non può chiudere gli occhi sulle atrocità in Sudan. ✍️ @willbrownecfr.bsky.social @cinziabianco.bsky.social x @ecfrafrica.bsky.social Leggi l'analisi completa ⬇️

📰 @cinziabianco.bsky.social speaks to La Repubblica about the role Saudi Arabia can play on the global stage in a post-oil era 👇 www.repubblica.it/esteri/2025/...

🧵 Ahead of MbS White House visit, @ecfr.eu's Ellie Geranmayeh, @camillelons.bsky.social & @cinziabianco.bsky.social unpack how 12-day war, backfiring of Iran's nuclear threshold status & Israel's Doha strikes impact Saudi nuclear calculus for @warontherocks.bsky.social

If Europe wants to maintain credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan, writes @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrafrica.bsky.social https://bit.ly/47DGv8r

If Europe wants to maintain credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan, write @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrafrica.bsky.social https://bit.ly/47DGv8r

‼️El-Fasher in North Darfur is now the epicentre of the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophe. #Europe’s options are limited, but there are still ways to hold the responsible accountable, argue @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social. 👇📑 @ecfrmena.bsky.social

Saudi Arabia watching elections in Iraq and eager to work with Iraqi and Kurdish political actors to strengthen ability to absorb external shocks from Iran, Israel, US. Read my short take for MEPSForum. Looking forward to continuing conversation in Iraq next week: www.mepsforum.org/post/riyadh-...

If Europe wants to maintain credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan, write @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social https://bit.ly/47DGv8r

If Europe wants to maintain credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan, write @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrafrica.bsky.social https://bit.ly/47DGv8r

Se l’UE vuole continuare a invocare il diritto internazionale in Ucraina, Gaza o altrove, non può chiudere gli occhi sulle atrocità in Sudan. ✍️ @willbrownecfr.bsky.social @cinziabianco.bsky.social x @ecfrafrica.bsky.social Leggi l'analisi completa ⬇️

✍️ If Europe wants credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan. Though the options are limited, there are ways to hold the responsible accountable @cinziabianco.bsky.social @willbrownecfr.bsky.social buff.ly/B7uIpW9

If Europe wants to maintain credibility when invoking international law in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere, it cannot ignore the atrocities happening in Sudan, write @willbrownecfr.bsky.social @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrafrica.bsky.social https://bit.ly/47DGv8r

Finally, and just published tonight: a European perspective on the humanitarian nightmare in Sudan. Europe can't do much. But @willbrownecfr.bsky.social and @cinziabianco.bsky.social make the case for it doing what it can: ecfr.eu/article/suda...

📰 The aftermath of Israel's attack on Doha could see a joint security alliance emerge in a "6+2 format", consisting of the six GCC states, Turkey, & Egypt, comments @cinziabianco.bsky.social for Deutsche Welle👇 buff.ly/Lchp3z2

'[...] it is highly unlikely that the #Gulf states will turn away from the #US, but their leaders will almost certainly resume the strategic hedging that characterised the end of Biden’s presidency.' @cinziabianco.bsky.social for @ecfr.eu ecfr.eu/article/out-...

#UNGA80 🧵 1/ Today, Mahmoud Abbas virtually joins #UNGA80. On Sunday, Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal recognized a Palestinian state. What can we expect from Germany? 🔗https://www.dw.com/en/germany-uk-france-say-gaza-humanitarian-crisis-must-end/live-73407430

✍️ Israel's strike on Doha is a sobering recalibration for Gulf rulers. If they once viewed US influence over Israel as stabilising, they now face the possibility that Netanyahu pursues a unilateral vision free from US constraints, writes @cinziabianco.bsky.social 👇 buff.ly/03Iba63

Israel’s initial response to Oct 7 helped Gulf states by weakening Iran but it is now entrenching conflict, fragmenting Arab states & pulling Gulf states towards escalation, all of which also threatens Euro interests. @cinziabianco.bsky.social on post-Doha dynamics ecfr.eu/article/out-...

The Israeli attacks on Doha, and America’s support of them, has caused Gulf leaders to majorly rethink their security, writes @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrmena.bsky.social https://bit.ly/4puZHx8

✍️ NEW @ecfr.eu commentary by @cinziabianco.bsky.social: The Israeli attacks on Doha, and America’s support of them, has caused #Gulf leaders to majorly rethink their security. This could lead to a new Gulf-led security format 👇 buff.ly/03Iba63

The Israeli strike in Doha has forced a rethink of Gulf security and pushed leaders to deploy a new vision in response. What is this vision? How should we look at the whole picture? My analysis for @ecfrmena.bsky.social ecfr.eu/article/out-...

Se prima i leader del Golfo consideravano l'influenza 🇺🇸 su Israele come un fattore di stabilità, ora devono affrontare la possibilità che Netanyahu persegua una visione unilaterale libera dai vincoli americani. ✍️ @cinziabianco.bsky.social x @ecfrmena.bsky.social

This is a sobering recalibration for Gulf rulers. If they once viewed US influence over Israel as stabilising, they now face the possibility that Netanyahu pursues a unilateral vision free from American constraints, writes @cinziabianco.bsky.social @ecfrmena.bsky.social https://bit.ly/4puZHx8

📰 @cinziabianco.bsky.social speaks to La Repubblica about Israel's strike on Qatar and its wider regional ramifications 👇 buff.ly/00rix70

UAE leadership in Doha. This was not arranged yesterday. Like I said when MbZ visited MbS goal is to coordinate an Arab front vs Iranian weakness and Israeli recklessness, and it looks like the Emiratis took the lead in shaping a tripartite leadership (Saudi, UAE, Qatar) for such front.

📰 “The GCC response may be a realisation that US security guarantees are no longer as valuable as they have been thought to be for so long.” comments @cinziabianco.bsky.social on yesterday's Israeli strikes on Qatar for @aljazeera.com 👇 buff.ly/A35REvw

We are no longer in a situation of red lines. Israel will keep on attacking whatever they deem appropriate, and it will be stopped, or not. The time frame within which this all plays out will be decades, I suspect.

“Hosting US bases and US military forces was an effective form of deterrence, [but that has] now evaporated, bothinf is off the table” I said to @AJEnglish: www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...

“Why didn’t Palestinians try peaceful solutions with Israel?”

For a while now GCC folks have been extremely worried that Israeli behaviour was unhinged - but nobody thought they could be targeted. Here a pic of the building in Qatar where an Israeli drone tried to take out a Hamas delegation discussing a potential deal.

📰 For Formiche, @cinziabianco.bsky.social comments on the meeting between Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed and the opportunity for regional/international leadership for the Gulf countries 👇 buff.ly/7M5R07P

This is major! After the bromance came to a halt and a LONG time not seeing each other, #UAE #MbZ visits #SaudiArabia with his brother and security czar Tahnoon bin Zayed. #MbS himself welcomes them. Key dossiers: - Sudan de-escalation - Syrian stability - Israeli vs Iran - Escalation in Yemen

Gearing up to come back to work on my fave region next month, with a new very special PA

Really bad news for the climate. Really bad news for you and your children. Only 24 out of the 99 largest banks worlwide count on a plan to phase out coal… by 2040!! Who takes the risk?? We all!! “Banks Plough Billions Into Coal ‘as if Glasgow Never Happened’“ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Our latest: Enough is enough: Europe needs to oppose Israel’s aggression, with @hlovatt.bsky.social & Ellie Geranmayeh At this pivotal moment European gov supporting Israeli strikes as “doing our dirty work” must come to their senses ecfr.eu/article/enou... @ecfr.eu

Calling for restraint and diplomacy, without condemning Israel or disavowing its strikes: France, the United Kingdom and Germany reacted in a somewhat acrobatic manner, to the vast offensive launched by Israel against Iran” www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...

Now we shall test the assumption that Iran would retaliate on the Gulf monarchies or on targets based on their territory. Which I think has been false for months.

🎧 "The talks seem to be going in the right direction, but it remains to be seen what the American ask is going to be", comments Dina Esfandiary on US-Iran nuclear talks in an @ECFR.eu podcast episode discussing Donald Trump's latest visit to the Middle East buff.ly/oHX35vC