Dr Cinzia Bianco

Is the Middle East about to get an 'Islamic NATO'? – DW – 09/25/2025 Israel's first-ever attack on a Gulf state is causing changes in Arab defense policies, with more calls for regional cooperation and common defense pacts. Some politicians have even called for an…

📰 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

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

'[...] 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

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

✍️ 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

US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt propose roadmap for Sudan peace The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt called on Friday for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan followed by a permanent ceasefire, the countries said in a joint statement.

There we go. IMHO this Sudan roadmap is the first concrete sign that MbZ’s visit to MbS in Riyadh was about a strategic reseat and renewed coordination: www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

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-...

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

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

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

✍️ 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

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

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-...

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

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

Out of the rubble: The new Gulf response to Israeli aggression 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…

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

Israele colpisce vertice di Hamas in Qatar, l’esperta: “È la fine di ogni negoziato sulla Striscia” L’intervista a Cinzia Bianco, dell’European Council of foreign relations: “Pensavano di essere protetti dagli Usa, ma hanno capito che…

📰 @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.

Analysis: Israel leaps over red lines in attack on Qatari capital Doha Attack on Hamas leaders in Qatari capital Doha shows Israel will keep escalating if global powers don’t stop it.

📰 “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.

Analysis: Israel leaps over red lines in attack on Qatari capital Doha Attack on Hamas leaders in Qatari capital Doha shows Israel will keep escalating if global powers don’t stop it.

“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...

If the Hamas delegation has indeed survived, it remains to be seen where they will go now. Unlikely to stay in Qatar. Dangerous to move them to Turkiye, because Turkiye would respond to a similar Israeli attack.

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

Qatar has now been bombed by both Iran and Israel, while hosting a major US base. This has serious implications on the meaning - or lack thereof - of hosting US military as well as just how inconvenient it is to be a mediator in this day and age.

It seems the US was also notified ahead of the attack. Which demonstrates perfectly how unreliable the US is right now, and regional actors know this well!

I don’t know how much clearer it can be that Israel does not want ANY deal. Now Qatar will seriously think about the cost benefit of continuing their role, which has already been questioned. Plus, the pathway to normalization between GCC capitals and Israel is now closed.

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.

Perché l’incontro MbS-MbZ è importante per il Golfo. Risponde Bianco - Formiche.net c’è oggi un’opportunità di leadership regionale/internazionale per i Paesi del Golfo. Ma se ognuno tira dalla propria parte, questa opportunità non si concretizza. Meglio allora mettersi insieme per…

📰 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

Banks Plough Billions Into Coal ‘as if Glasgow Never Happened’ Global banks channeled more than $385 billion to the coal power industry over the past three years, with annual flows increasing last year from 2023, according to analysis by a group of nonprofits.

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...

Enough is enough: Europe needs to oppose Israel’s aggression Israel has become the Middle East’s leading destabiliser, threatening key European interests. Europe must avoid the mistakes that led to the 2003 Iraq invasion, prioritise diplomacy and urge the US…

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

Europe's paradoxical support for Israel's attack against Iran France, the United Kingdom and Germany expressed their support on Friday for Israel's 'right to defend itself' against the nuclear threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite deteriorating r...

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.

Regional response: How Gulf monarchies leveraged Trump’s visit Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Dina Esfandiary, Yasmine Farouk and Dania Thafer to unpack how Arab Gulf monarchies used Donald Trump’s recent visit to showcase their geopolitical strength…

🎧 "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