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POLITICS
China Brokers Deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia POLITICS George Gourlay reports on recent protests in Israel George Gourlay Politics Editor
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Katherine Seymour
Francesca Ionescu
Jade Heath
fter a seven year stalemate on relations, representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia have shaken hands on a new effort to establish “neighbourly” relations. Following a four day mediation in China, the two countries agreed to a truce that marks a hopeful, if indefinite, pause to a regional divide. The deal, confirmed by the Saudi Press Agency on the 10th March, denotes that the two countries will respect state sovereignty by not inter- The deal has been marked as a move back towards stability in the region fering in each other’s internal affairs. Source: Presidency Maldives (via Flickr) Trade and security relations are to be more regional steps.” yond the region with each providing re-established as well as the reopenRelations between the two nuclear military and support to their respecing of embassies in Riyadh and Tehpowers had been gridlocked since tive alliances. ran within 2 months. 2016, when Saudi officially ended The most notable battleground Both sides have embraced the ties after demonstrators stormed the has been in war-torn Yemen, where move toward stability. Iran’s Foreign Kingdom’s embassy in Tehran. The the Iranian-supported Houthi inMinister, Hossein Amir-Abdollaincident was in reaction to Riyadh’s surgents seized control of the capihian, notably stated: “The return of execution of a prominent Shia cleric. tal city, Sana’a, which forced out the normal relations between Iran and Since then, the two have openly Saudi-backed government in 2014. Saudi Arabia provides great capacipointed the geopolitical finger at one This led to a civil war that has caused ties to the two countries, the region another in numerous instances that the displacement of over 4 million and the Islamic world. The neighhave threatened to further destabilise people and a humanitarian crisis bourhood policy, as the key axis of the Gulf region. In 2019, Saudi and perpetuated by Saudi’s airstrikes the government’s foreign policy, is its most prominent ally, the United across the country. strongly moving in the right direcStates, accused Iran of involvement The involvement of China, a pretion, and the diplomatic apparatus in an attack by missiles and drones viously passive observer to the mais actively behind the preparation of on its oil facilities. jority of Middle Eastern politics, as Arab-Iranian tensions trace back “The return of normal it is believed that China’s relations between Iran and further through a number of proxy involvement has provided Saudi Arabia provides great conflicts that have found the two the final guarantee to the capacities to the two coun- on opposing sides of violence across Saudi government of a lasttries” the Middle East - in Syria, Lebanon, ing deal with Iran. ” Qatar and Bahrain - as well as be-
Labour Ditches Free Tuition Fees pledge
Angelie Marwaha Contributor
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Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party and official opposition has recently spoken out on radio 4, stating he will no longer be advocating for the removal of university tuition fees, and this will not be a labour campaign aim. However, this was a core part of his 2020 leadership campaign under his promise of “social justice” following the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn after the 2019 General Election. Starmer is expected to announce this policy change at a speech later this month, announcing the party is “likely to move on from that commitment’. Although he is no longer pushing for the complete removal of tuition fees, he did add that the current system was “unfair” and didn’t work for either students or lecturers, thus Labour is looking at alternative forms of funding, making it very clear that something needed to change under his leadership. This policy reversal, Starmer argues, is a necessary change due to the current economic situaSuch a policy reversal has drawn criticism because this is not the only policy he has been seen to have abandoned. ”
Student protests in Vienna, 209. Fees have been a key issue internationally. Source: Manfred Werne (via Wikimedia Commons) gether, or severely lowering them, for tion including the burden on the taxevery student. payer and current interest rates. Starmer is the first labour leader The current university tuition syssince Tony Blair not to pledge to tem works differently in the various lower or scrap university costs when nations of the UK. Scottish students running for prime minister. Ed Milistaying in Scotland are eligible for band suggested lowering costs to free tuition while home students in £6,000 a year while Jeremy Corbyn Northern Ireland will pay a maxifirmly pledged that he would advomum of £4,630 per year. In England cate for the removal of fees within and Wales, however, fees have been higher education. It’s therefore a capped at £9000 and £9250 respecchange within the party that Starmtively. These discrepancies between er is breaking from this, in a bid to different regions have led to calls for centralise himself, and present the the scrapping of tuition fees alto-
Relations between the two nuclear powers had been gridlocked since 2016, when Saudi officially ended ties ” principal peacemaker in the negotiations has come as a curveball to those with an eye on the situation. In 2021, it was the United States that initially encouraged dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the latter of which has played a key role in perpetuating America’s interests and business in the region. A prominent issue has been the containment of Iran, whose nuclear arsenal has posed as a matter of contention for many US administrations. Despite a handful of Washingtonsupervised talks between Tehran and Riyadh, it is believed that China’s involvement has provided the final guarantee to the Saudi government of a lasting deal with Iran. America’s Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, has said: “We support any effort to de-escalate tensions in the region. We think it’s in our interests.” However, the involvement of China has arguably hit a nerve, as Kirby hastily added: “This is not about China and I’m not going to characterise here whatever China’s role is.” The US has also implied doubt over its faith in Iran to meet the obligations of the deal.
Labour party as less left-wing and appeal to more voters. In 2019 the economic think tank; The Institute of Fiscal Studies, published a report, revealing it could cost the taxpayer £6 billion per university year group, if higher education was funded by public funds. The elected student committee of the Labour party voted just two months ago, to back free higher education for all students, saying the abandoning of this policy would be classed as a “massive betrayal”. Anger has also been expressed by the leftwing Corbyn supporting group Momentum, echoing similar sentiments of betrayal that will be faced by many young people. Such a policy reversal has drawn criticism because this is not the only policy he has been seen to have abandoned. For example, he previously stated he wanted to nationalise energy and water companies but is now firmly set against this, other than his pledge for Great British Energy at the last Labour Party conference. This is a move designed to gain more swing voters, however making himself unpopular in the process, with the suggestion being that many young people and labour supporters left feel upset, ignored, and betrayed.