Middle East: Febrile and fragmented

New York (AFP) - He is unlikely to be named a Middle East peace negotiator, but DJ superstar Paul van Dyk says that his music in a way has succeeded where politics has failed.

Beirut (AFP) - Across the Middle East, fierce rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran is heightening sectarian tensions, even in conflicts that analysts say are primarily political.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister harshly condemned the international community’s nuclear deal with Iran on Sunday while Western allies in the Persian Gulf were conspicuously quiet, reflecting the jitters felt throughout the Middle East over Iran’s acceptance on the global stage. Elsewhere, many welcomed the agreement as an important first step toward curbing Iran’s suspect nuclear program.

America may wish to pivot towards Asia and Europe may be turned inward, but the Middle East offers no respite, writes David Gardner

America may wish to pivot towards Asia and Europe may be turned inward, but the Middle East offers no respite, writes David Gardner

Middle East In a region that gave birth to all three Abrahamic faiths, fears for the future are growing among Christians as regimes that gave them protection yield to something less certain, writes David Gardner

ETF Database submits: As the turmoil in the Middle East spreads, many investors have fled a number of market sectors for the safe havens of gold and silver in order to wait out the storm. Arguably, no one sector has been more impacted than the emerging markets which have seen tremendous outflows thanks to a broad flight to quality by numerous investors around the globe.

Submitted by Charles Gave via Gavekal Dragonomics,