Saudi artist Raghad Al-Ahmad discusses her Adidas collaboration 

Saudi artist Raghad Al-Ahmad discusses her Adidas collaboration 
Al-Ahmad has collaborated with Adidas on their first capsule collection tailored for the Saudi market, in celebration of the Kingdom’s upcoming National Day on Sept. 23. (Supplied)
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Updated 12 September 2024
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Saudi artist Raghad Al-Ahmad discusses her Adidas collaboration 

Saudi artist Raghad Al-Ahmad discusses her Adidas collaboration 
  • Al-Ahmad worked on the brand’s first capsule collection tailored for the Saudi market 

DUBAI: For Saudi artist Raghad Al-Ahmad, the chance to incorporate her roots and identity into the fabric of the famed apparel company Adidas was a dream come true. 

Al-Ahmad has collaborated with Adidas on their first capsule collection tailored for the Saudi market, in celebration of the Kingdom’s upcoming National Day on Sept. 23. 

The collection — called “Bloom Sky” — features the usual crop of functional unisex pieces including pants, shorts, sweaters, jackets, hoodies and t-shirts. 




The collection — called “Bloom Sky” — features the usual crop of functional unisex pieces including pants, shorts, sweaters, jackets, hoodies and t-shirts. (Supplied)

In addition, it has women’s modest-wear pieces including abayas and hijabs, all with a distinct Al-Ahmad touch. 

“I believe we need to respect and integrate cultural elements into our collection. By including modest wear, we can connect with individuals who value this aspect of their culture, creating a complete experience,” Al-Ahmad tells Arab News. 

“As a designer who wears abayas daily and strives to be modest through layering and matching, I understand the importance of these elements. Adding them to our collection will have a significant impact, allowing us to craft something that truly resonates with the culture we are embracing.” 




A piece from the 'Bloom Sky' collection. (Supplied)

The name of the collection is inspired by a poem by Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. The first sentence of the Arabic poem translates to: “The sky is pink and my desert is blooming.” 

“As an Arab, I’ve grown up in a culture where poetry is a significant form of expression. I remember my grandmother always reading poems she had written, and my mother, who loved collecting poetry books,” Al-Ahmad says. “I am particularly inspired by Prince Khaled’s poetry and his vivid descriptions of the natural world around him.” 

The collection, which depicts iconography symbolizing flowers and stars, is an ode to all things Saudi and Al-Ahmad took inspiration from her everyday surroundings. 




Al-Ahmad (R) working on her designs with a member of the Adidas team. (Supplied)

“My dad, an adventurer, retired from flight maintenance and began exploring Saudi Arabia in his motorhome. He opened a gateway to the country’s wonderful nature, camping amid the desert’s beauty,” the Jeddah-born artist explains. 

“He introduced me to the captivating Saudi lavender flowers, showing his happiness surrounded by them in the desert. We found inspiration in the contrast between the sand’s color and the vibrant lavender.” 

Al-Ahmad is a multi-disciplinary experimental artist who likes to work in mediums including collage, installation, sculpture and digital films 

This isn’t Al-Ahmad’s first partnership with an international brand. For example, in 2021 she collaborated with French luxury label Jean Paul Gaultier to create playing cards that represent and celebrate the Kingdom’s culture on the occasion of Saudi National Day. 

The “Bloom Sky” collection is part of Adidas’ efforts to collaborate with and promote artists from the region. 

In recent years, the company has forged strategic partnerships across the region with governing bodies, sporting organizations, teams, and clubs, with a focus on promoting women's participation in sports and improving access to athletic opportunities. 

“I was amazed by the Adidas team’s curiosity and their ability to adopt my culture in many ways, translating it into a product that everyone appreciates,” Al-Ahmad says. “The team paid attention to every detail, and for that, I am deeply grateful. Special thanks to each member … for bringing an innovative approach to my culture.” 


How Trump plans to crack down on immigration during his second term

How Trump plans to crack down on immigration during his second term
Updated 5 min 13 sec ago
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How Trump plans to crack down on immigration during his second term

How Trump plans to crack down on immigration during his second term
  • Trump has said he would restore his 2019 “remain in Mexico” program, which forced asylum-seekers of certain nationalities attempting to enter the US at the southern border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases
  • Trump told Time he did not rule out building new migrant detention camps but “there wouldn’t be that much of a need for them” because migrants would be rapidly removed

WASHINGTON: Republican Donald Trump is expected to crack down on illegal immigration and try to restrict legal immigration when he returns to the White House on Jan. 20, following up on campaign promises and unfinished efforts from his 2017-2021 presidency.
Here are some of the policies under consideration, according to Trump, his campaign and news reports:

BORDER ENFORCEMENT

Trump is expected to take a slew of executive actions on his first day as president to ramp up immigration enforcement, including deploying National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border and declaring a national emergency to unlock funds to resume construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border. Trump has said he would restore his 2019 “remain in Mexico” program, which forced asylum-seekers of certain nationalities attempting to enter the US at the southern border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases. The program was terminated by Biden, a Democrat who ended his faltering reelection campaign in July, making Vice President Kamala Harris the candidate. Biden defeated Trump in 2020, pledging more humane and orderly immigration policies, but struggled to deal with record levels of migrants caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. Immigration was a top voter issue heading into last week’s election, in which Trump defeated Harris in a stunning political comeback. Edison Research exit polls showed 39 percent of voters said most immigrants in the US illegally should be deported while 56 percent said they should be offered a chance to apply for legal status.
Trump also would reinstate the COVID-19-era Title 42 policy, which allowed US border authorities to quickly expel migrants back to Mexico without the chance to claim asylum, he told Time magazine in an interview.
He would use record border crossings and trafficking of fentanyl and children as reasons for the emergency moves, Time reported, citing comments from advisers.
Trump has said he will seek to detain all migrants caught crossing the border illegally or violating other immigration laws, ending what he calls “catch and release.” At an October campaign event, Trump said he would call on Congress to fund an additional 10,000 Border Patrol agents, a substantial increase over the existing force. Harris criticized Trump for helping kill a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year that could have added 1,300 more agents. Trump criticized a Biden asylum ban rolled out last June and pledged to reverse it during a campaign event in Arizona. He said the measure would not adequately secure the border, even though it mirrored Trump-era policies to deter would-be migrants and has contributed to a steep drop in migrants caught crossing illegally. Trump also said at the campaign event that he would consider using tariffs to pressure China and other nations to stop migrants from their countries from coming to the US-Mexico border.

MASS DEPORTATIONS

Trump has pledged to launch the largest deportation effort in American history, focusing on criminals but aiming to send millions back to their home countries, an effort that is expected to tap resources across the US government but also face obstacles. As part of his Day One executive actions, Trump is expected to scrap Biden’s immigration enforcement priorities, which focused on arresting serious criminals and limited enforcement against people with no criminal records.
During a rally in Wisconsin in September, Trump said deporting migrants would be “a bloody story,” rhetoric that sparked criticism from immigrant advocates.
Trump told Time he did not rule out building new migrant detention camps but “there wouldn’t be that much of a need for them” because migrants would be rapidly removed.
Trump would rely on the National Guard, if needed, to arrest and deport immigrants in the US illegally, he said. When questioned, he also said he would be willing to consider using federal troops if necessary, a step likely to be challenged in the courts. Trump has also vowed to take aggressive new steps to deport immigrants with criminal records and suspected gang members by using the Alien Enemies Act, a 226-year-old statute last utilized for interning people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War Two. Trump called for the death penalty for migrants who kill US citizens or law enforcement officers at an October rally in Aurora, Colorado. Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s first-term immigration agenda who reportedly will return in a top White House role, said in an interview last year with a right-wing podcast that National Guard troops from cooperative states could potentially be deployed to what he characterized as “unfriendly” states to assist with deportations, which could trigger legal battles.
Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a New York Times interview published in October that deporting 1 million immigrants per year would be “reasonable.” Biden in the 2023 federal fiscal year outpaced Trump deportation totals for any single year — with a total 468,000 migrants being deported to their home countries or returned to Mexico by US immigration authorities — and is on pace for even more this year, a tally that includes migrants returned to Mexico.

TRAVEL BANS

Trump has said he would implement travel bans on people from certain countries or with certain ideologies, expanding on a policy upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Trump previewed some parts of the world that could be subjected to a renewed travel ban in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.” During the speech, Trump focused on the conflict in Gaza, saying he would bar the entry of immigrants who support the Islamist militant group Hamas and send deportation officers to pro-Hamas protests.
Trump said last June he would seek to block communists, Marxists and socialists from entering the US

LEGAL IMMIGRATION

Trump plans to end Biden’s humanitarian “parole” programs, including one that allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants with US sponsors to enter the US and obtain work permits. He has called Biden’s programs an “outrageous abuse of parole authority.” Trump said last year that he would seek to end automatic citizenship for children born in the US to immigrants living in the country illegally, an idea he flirted with as president.
Such an action would run against the long-running interpretation of an amendment to the US Constitution and would likely trigger legal challenges. During his first term, Trump greatly reduced the number of refugees allowed into the US and has criticized Biden’s decision to increase admissions. He would again suspend the resettlement program if elected, the New York Times reported in November 2023.
Trump has said he would push for “a merit-based immigration system that protects American labor and promotes American values.” In his first term, he took steps to tighten access to some visa programs, including a suspension of many work visas during the COVID pandemic. The Trump campaign criticized a Biden program — currently blocked by a federal judge — that offered a path to citizenship to immigrants in the US illegally who are married to an American citizen and have lived in the US for at least a decade. Trump said on a podcast in June that he backed giving green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges or junior colleges, but Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later said the proposal “would only apply to the most thoroughly vetted college graduates who would never undercut American wages or workers.”
He would seek to roll back Temporary Protected Status designations, the New York Times reported, targeting a humanitarian program that offers deportation relief and work permits to hundreds of thousands. Trump tried to phase out most Temporary Protected Status enrollment during his first term, but was slowed by legal challenges. A federal appeals court in September 2020 allowed him to proceed with the wind-down, but Biden reversed that and expanded the program after taking office.

FAMILY SEPARATION
In a town hall with CNN last year, Trump declined to rule out resuming his contentious “zero tolerance” policy that led thousands of migrant children and parents to be separated at the US-Mexico border in 2018.
He defended the separations again in November 2023, telling Spanish-language news outlet Univision that “it stopped people from coming by the hundreds of thousands.” While Trump has refused to rule out reinstating a family separation policy, Trump’s incoming “border czar” Tom Homan told Reuters last year that the separations “caused an uproar” and that it would be better to detain families together. The Biden administration last year reached a settlement agreement with separated families that would offer them temporary legal status and other benefits while barring similar separations for at least eight years.

DACA
Trump tried to end a program that grants deportation relief and work permits to “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the US illegally as children, but the termination was rebuffed by the Supreme Court in June 2020. Following the Supreme Court ruling, the Trump administration said it would not accept any new applications to the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and would explore whether it could again attempt to end it.
Trump plans to try to end DACA if elected, the New York Times reported.

 


Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court

Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court
Updated 10 min 36 sec ago
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Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court

Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court
  • Bannon has called himself a “political prisoner” and resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast, known for its fierce criticism of Trump’s opponents

NEW YORK: Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, returned to court on Tuesday ahead of his trial on criminal fraud charges over a push to fund Trump’s signature border wall, weeks after he was released from prison on a separate conviction. Bannon, 70, is scheduled to stand trial starting on Dec. 9 in New York state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors say he deceived donors who contributed more than $15 million in 2019 to a private fundraising drive to build a barrier along the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.
At the hearing, Bannon’s defense lawyer John Carman urged Acting Justice April Newbauer to delay the trial until January due to additional evidence prosecutors were seeking to introduce.
Newbauer did not rule on that request, but said she would hold a hearing on Monday to determine whether the evidence could be presented at trial.
Construction of a border wall was a key element of Trump’s immigration policies during his presidency, supported by his fellow Republicans but opposed by Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups. Trump again made cracking down on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his successful 2024 campaign.
In the final hours of his first four-year term in January 2021, Trump pardoned Bannon on federal charges brought in 2020 over the same underlying conduct.
The following year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, secured a four-count indictment of Bannon on charges including money laundering, conspiracy and scheme to defraud.
Presidential pardons do not prohibit state prosecutions. If Bannon is convicted at trial, Trump would not be able to pardon him after returning to the White House on Jan. 20.
According to Bragg’s indictment, Bannon promised donors that all their money would go toward building Trump’s wall, but he concealed his role in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to the drive’s chief executive, Brian Kolfage, a decorated US Air Force veteran who had promised to take no salary.
Bannon’s lawyers have argued that Bannon transferred some funds to entities Kolfage controlled to reimburse him for reasonable expenses.
Kolfage pleaded guilty in April 2022 to federal fraud and tax charges, and is serving a 4-1/4-year prison sentence. Neither he nor two other men indicted alongside Bannon were pardoned by Trump.
Bannon was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, then served as his chief White House strategist in 2017 before a falling-out between them, which was later patched up. He also has played an instrumental role in right-wing media.
In a separate federal case, Bannon was convicted at trial in 2022 of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to turn over documents or testify to a Democratic-led House of Representatives committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.
He was released on Oct. 29 from a low-security facility in Danbury, Connecticut, after serving a four-month sentence. He has called himself a “political prisoner” and resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast, known for its fierce criticism of Trump’s opponents.


Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch drones and missiles at US warships near the Red Sea but do no damage

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch drones and missiles at US warships near the Red Sea but do no damage
Updated 2 min 52 sec ago
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Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch drones and missiles at US warships near the Red Sea but do no damage

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch drones and missiles at US warships near the Red Sea but do no damage
  • Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said the Iranian-backed Houthis launched at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles
  • No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added

DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi militants targeted two US Navy warships with multiple drones and missiles as they were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the attacks were not successful, the Defense Department said Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said the Iranian-backed Houthis launched at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles at the USS Stockdale and the USS Spruance, both Navy destroyers, on Monday. He said there was no damage and no one was injured.
The strait is a narrow waterway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year. The militants have been targeting shipping through the strait for months over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon.
The Houthis have insisted that the attacks will continue as long as the wars go on, and the assaults already have halved shipping through the region. Meanwhile, a UN panel of experts now allege that the Houthis may be shaking down some shippers for about $180 million a month for safe passage through the area.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree in a prerecorded statement earlier Tuesday had claimed the militants attacked two American destroyers in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones.
There were also reports of a commercial ship being attacked. A vessel in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida, reported the attack, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the UKMTO report was directly linked to the attacks on the US destroyers, but similar incidents of Houthi fire coming near other ships have happened before.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The militants maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
The last Houthi maritime attack came Oct. 28 and targeted the Liberian-flagged bulk tanker Motaro. Before that, an Oct. 10 attack targeted the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit.
It’s unclear why the Houthis’ attacks have dropped, though they have launched multiple missiles toward Israel as well. On Oct. 17, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the militants. US airstrikes also have been targeting Houthi positions in recent days as well.
Meanwhile, a report by UN experts from October says “the Houthis allegedly collected illegal fees from a few shipping agencies to allow their ships to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden without being attacked.” It put the money generated a month at around $180 million, though it stressed it hadn’t been able to corroborate the information provided by sources to the panel.
The Houthis haven’t directly responded to the allegation. However, the report did include two threatening emails the Houthis sent to shippers, with one of those vessels later coming under attack by the militants.


Jordan completes latest airdrop of aid to Gaza

Jordan completes latest airdrop of aid to Gaza
Updated 32 min 54 sec ago
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Jordan completes latest airdrop of aid to Gaza

Jordan completes latest airdrop of aid to Gaza
  • UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees warns that the amount of emergency humanitarian supplies entering the territory ‘is at its lowest level in months’
  • Jordanian Armed Forces have carried out 123 airdrops of emergency aid to Gaza since war began, and a further 266 in joint efforts with other countries

LONDON: Jordan’s air force carried out its latest delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

It came as the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees said the amount of emergency supplies entering the enclave is lower than it has been for months.

Royal Jordanian Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft dropped crates of food, drinking water and medical supplies, the Jordan News Agency reported. Since the war began in October last year, the Jordanian Armed Forces have completed 123 airdrops of emergency aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and a further 266 as part of joint efforts with countries including France and the UK.

Humanitarian officials consider land convoys to be the most effective way of delivering emergency supplies to help ease the humanitarian crisis, but Jordan has resorted to airdrops because of Israeli army restrictions on access to the Gaza Strip that have been in place since last year.

Also on Tuesday, Louise Wateridge, an emergencies officer with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, warned that “aid entering the Gaza Strip is at its lowest level in months.”

On Monday, during the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Jordan’s King Abdullah called for “a humanitarian bridge to break the siege imposed on the people in the Gaza Strip and deliver emergency aid to the sector that is suffering a humanitarian disaster.”

He said that finding “a real political horizon to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution” remains the “only way to achieve peace, stability and security in the region.”


Officials discuss Saudi-South Korean cooperation in nuclear power and defense

Officials discuss Saudi-South Korean cooperation in nuclear power and defense
Updated 23 min 35 sec ago
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Officials discuss Saudi-South Korean cooperation in nuclear power and defense

Officials discuss Saudi-South Korean cooperation in nuclear power and defense
  • First Korea-Gulf Cooperation Council cooperation seminar hosted around 80 participants to discuss trade relations, cooperation in the energy sector, and regional conflicts
  • Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk said that the seminar was an opportune space to discuss economic cooperation and to come to a shared understanding of regional conflicts

RIYADH: Officials and nuclear experts discussed cooperation in nuclear energy and defense between South Korea and Saudi Arabia during an event in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The first Korea-Gulf Cooperation Council cooperation seminar hosted around 80 participants to discuss trade relations, cooperation in the energy sector, and regional conflicts in the Middle East.

South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, said the seminar was an opportune space to discuss economic cooperation and to come to a shared understanding of regional conflicts in the GCC, specifically Gaza and the Red Sea, as well as a space to diversify energy cooperation in the nuclear and renewables sectors.

Kang Han-ok, vice president for SMART development at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, presented a joint research project currently underway between South Korea and Saudi Arabia on small modular reactors.

“SMRs are being highlighted as carbon-zero energy sources that complement the intermittent nature of renewable energy in the global power supply sector,” Kang said.

He noted how the SMART100 SMR, jointly designed by Saudi and South Korean entities, was approved by Seoul’s nuclear regulator in September.

The reactor was jointly developed by KAERI, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, and the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp.

Kang explained the reactor is now ready to be exported globally. “With its SDA acquaintance, SMART is now ready for global deployment in the demand of the power and thermal energy sectors,” he said.

Kang also spoke about ways to increase nuclear power plant cooperation between South Korea and GCC member states, citing the plan to establish a joint nuclear research and development center between the Saudi National Atomic Energy Project and KAERI.

The chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Abdulaziz Sager, emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s ability to rely on South Korea as a strong ally and defense supplier encouraged a relationship of trust and long-term partnership in the Kingdom’s security planning.

The seminar comes almost one year after the signing of a free trade agreement between South Korea and the GCC, signed on Dec. 28, 2023.

At the time, South Korea committed to eliminate 89.9 percent of tariffs on all products while the GCC committed to eliminate 76.4 percent, facilitating increased trade between the two parties.

The Korea-GCC FTA was 20 years in the making. Discussions for the agreement began in 2008, but it is yet to be verified or ratified. Lee Kwon-hyung, senior research fellow from the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, put forward recommendations on how to pave the way for the agreement and how to best utilize it once finalized, including establishing an artificial intelligence data center to transition towards a green energy economy relying on solar, wind, and nuclear power for electricity generation.

“The AI data center needs a lot of electricity, so an energy transition and a digital transition are very imperative, and with the AI Data Center we can make industrial restructuring in both countries,” Lee said.

Prof. In Nam-sik, director general for strategic region studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, evaluated the impact of geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East and East Asia on Korean-GCC relations, as well as the transformation of the US-led liberal international order.

On the war on Gaza, In said: “The situation threatens to shift the two-state solution toward an apartheid scenario, further destabilizing the region.”

On Iran, In continued: “Iran’s expanding influence through its regional proxy contributes to ongoing instability, with concerns that the current dynamics may accelerate Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The transition in Iran’s leadership raises uncertainties, with hopes for a gradual regime change that might reduce Iran’s revolutionary stance.”

Commenting on US influence, In said: “As the US pivots its strategic focus to Asia, Gulf nations are adopting flexible diplomacy, leveraging both US and Chinese influence.”

In stated that the Middle Eastern and European fronts are already linked, and North Korean military support to Russia signals an increasing risk of interconnected conflicts across regions.

To combat these regional and international threats, In urged South Korea and the GCC to work together on security cooperation across information sharing and technology, joint maritime security exercises, and shared support for multilateral forums, in addition to continued political dialogue in the above mentioned areas.