Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Israel’s push to seize Gaza City, complete with a fresh reservist call?up and heavy strikes on the outskirts, plays into Gulf red?line management: Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have treated Israeli latitude as transactional, not open?ended. The political price inside the Gulf rises when the operation looks like an occupation or when casualty optics dominate regional media cycles; that’s when Riyadh slows the normalization narrative down and Abu Dhabi tightens the valves at the working level (permits,…

Sudan’s civil war is moving into a new phase, triggered by a reshuffle in Khartoum. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has moved loyalists into critical command slots and pulled an array of forces (regular army units, Darfur rebels aligned with the state, tribal auxiliaries, even Islamist brigades) into a unified chain of command. The step looks bureaucratic on the surface, but represents an attempt to close the gaps that allowed the RSF to grow into a rival military power. A tighter command structure means fewer competing fiefdoms, fewer opportunities…

Light crude oil futures rose for the week, closing Thursday at $63.52, up $1.54 or +2.48% from last Friday’s close, as geopolitical tensions, bullish inventory data, and renewed demand optimism drove a shift in market sentiment. The recovery followed two weeks of selling pressure and marked a return of bullish interest as supply-side risks reentered focus. Peace Talks Collapse, Rebuilds Geopolitical Risk Premium Crude began the week trading cautiously, weighed down by hopes that a diplomatic breakthrough in the Ukraine-Russia conflict could…