Editor’s note: This is the web version of our subscriber-only weekly newsletter, Middle East Memo, which takes a look at what’s happening, what’s being said and what’s on the horizon in the Middle East. Subscribe to receive it by email every Monday. If you’re already a subscriber, adjust your newsletter settings to receive it.
Talking is good, but how much should expectations and hopes be raised now that Middle East rivals are talking without necessarily putting a pause on their disputes?
Friday saw the unveiling of a new “public display of diplomacy” in the broader region when an aide to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tweeted a picture of three political heavyweights hanging out at the Red Sea in what appeared to be swimming trunks.