Secret talks between longtime foes. Letters exchanged between leaders who have been adversaries for years. Television networks typically critical of opposing regimes now moderating their language.
All have fed into a mood of de-escalation taking hold in the capitals of some of the Middle East’s perennially competing powers — one that would have been unimaginable 18 months ago in a region blighted by rivalries and sectarian divisions.
Arab officials put the tentative trend down to the confluence of the coronavirus pandemic, its devastating economic impact and the election of Joe Biden as US president. Together, these have combined to push regional leaders to recalibrate their foreign policies.
“Everybody is fed up with how complicated things have been. And don’t underestimate the economic effect of Covid and saying ‘look, we will not be able to go forward unless we stabilise things politically’,” said a senior Arab official. “We need jobs, we need a strong economy — we can’t do that if we are not talking to each other.”
Diplomats and analysts caution that it is a cold peace; a pragmatic shift after the tumultuous period of Donald Trump’s presidency, when his hostility towards Iran exacerbated regional tensions. They add that it could easily be derailed.
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