more-inThe long-standing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in West Asia has been overshadowed by new flashpoints in the region, both internal and external, since the Arab Spring. It also asked the European Investment Bank to set up a special purpose vehicle to protect European companies’ investments in Iran. It empowered the EU to sequester assets of U.S. companies in Europe, equivalent to the penalties imposed on European companies. Post-Arab Spring, Barack Obama felt that the U.S.’s West Asia policy of dual containment served Israeli and Saudi interests but restricted American options in the region. However, the signs are not promising as large European companies cannot afford U.S. sanctions; Total and Airbus are already pulling out of their multibillion dollar deals.

Source: The Hindu May 25, 2018 18:22 UTC