All Policy Analysis by Simon Henderson

Riyadh's latest appointment suggests that traditionally secretive royal rivalries may be moving into the public eye as the succession process comes to a head.

The replacement of a long-serving provincial governor is likely related to security concerns regarding the area's Shiite majority.

The Obama administration should intervene in Riyadh's succession crisis if it wants a reliable partner on Iran.

U.S.-brokered efforts to untangle the maritime knot between the three countries could boost natural gas exploration.

In January, the Atlantic published a series of policy proposals for the Obama administration's second term by Washington Institute scholars. The full series is collected here.

Next week's meeting will indicate the regional bloc's competence to handle internal political pressures while maintaining a common front against Iran.

The condition of President Jalal Talabani of Iraq has reportedly improved since he suffered a stroke yesterday, but fears for the health of the country's titular leader remain acute. Foreign medical specialists have been flown in, and he will likely be transferred by air to Germany within a day. Whatever

Despite Bahrain's latest negative rhetoric, Washington must step up its efforts to mend the bilateral relationship.

The United States has a crucial role to play in defusing Baghdad's tension with the Iraqi Kurds and developing the country's longer-term oil policy -- two intertwined issues that are central to keeping Iraq united.

The choice of an Australian company to take a stake in Israel's giant offshore gas field indicates strategically significant commercial and political decisions.

Gulf states seem to view Iran as a more important challenge than domestic unrest, but Kuwait's recent troubles indicate they are no longer immune to the pressures sweeping the Arab world.

Assumptions about who will be the future ruler of Saudi Arabia -- the world's largest oil exporter and self-declared leader of the Islamic world -- need to be revised after the sudden resignation of one of the royal family's senior-most members. Today's surprise announcement that Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin

The emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, recently became the first head of state to visit Gaza since it came under the control of Hamas in 2007. In an email interview, Simon Henderson, director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute, discussed the Qatari leader's visit.

Although both Washington and Tehran deny reports that they have agreed to bilateral nuclear negotiations, the rumors will prompt fresh debate about what concessions the United States can or should make.

The Qatari ruler's trip further demonstrates his country's growing diplomatic profile.

Concerns have risen in Bahrain following a lethal clash between police and Shiite demonstrators.

A top-level Israeli government committee has produced a blueprint for exploitation of substantial natural gas reserves, but solutions must still be devised for a range of technical, commercial, and political problems.

The regime's most secure uranium-enrichment site has doubled capacity since May, and its suspected top bomb-maker is back on the case.