The seasoned British diplomat and barrister who, until recently, was the United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, speaks to Al Majalla about the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump agreed a ceasefire in early May on the condition that the Houthis do not attack American ships. Good to their word, they are still attacking others, with no comeuppance.

The state is well-positioned to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons and alter its tax system to ensure a fairer contribution from the population, but a change of culture may be needed first.

The Kingdom wants to become a global logistics hub bridging three continents, so it is upgrading and expanding its ports on both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

Iran's defeat at the hands of Israel has presented an opportunity for the likes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to make sure it never rebuilds to the same threat level. That requires two things.

From dhows carrying spices to tankers carrying oil, trade between South Asia and Arabia has been healthy for hundreds of years, with room to grow further.

Rather than exporting additional crude, it is now refining it at home, highlighting a policy shift to value-added products over raw commodity exports

It is no longer the Gulf's quiet outlier but a country quietly setting a new standard for sustainable economic development in the region

Mothers in literature have typically been saintly figures, yet the truth can be quite different. Finally, literature is catching up with reality in its portrayal of mothers, as seen in these books.

The region's youth see themselves as active participants in developing their own countries. They want their voices heard and their talents recognised globally.