Energy & Economics

Policy Analysis on Energy & Economics

Using American Soft Power to Counter Russian Influence in Iraq

Moscow is beating Washington at the reputational game in Iraq, raising the need for greater U.S. engagement on education and media outreach rather than just security issues.

Nov 6, 2019

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Understanding the Saudi Aramco IPO

The long-anticipated stock selloff has finally been green-lit, but doubts remain about just how much it will help to economically transform the kingdom.

Nov 4, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Why Turkey Is Raising the Stakes in the East Mediterranean

Ankara is willing to take provocative and risky steps around Cyprus because it views the island’s gas resources and strategic location as crucial to countering rivals and securing interests in the neighborhood.

Nov 4, 2019

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

New Gaza Crossing Raises Questions About Blockade Policies

The items being moved from Egypt through Salah al-Din Gate underline the contradictions and long-term unsustainability of the current stalemate regarding Gaza assistance.

Oct 23, 2019

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Neri Zilber

Isaeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with Jordanian King Hussein in front of U.S. President Bill Clinton at the White House in 1994.

Brief Analysis

The Forgotten Peace at Twenty-Five: How to Protect and Strengthen Israel-Jordan Ties

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the peace treaty, both parties and the United States have strategic interests in upholding and reinforcing the relationship.

Oct 23, 2019

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Ghaith al-Omari
Ben Fishman

A Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Bahrain Hosts Regional Maritime Security Meeting

The first such gathering since the recent spate of Iranian attacks, the multinational meeting could help Washington build a coalition capable of preventing future flare-ups.

Oct 21, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Geopolitical Stakes in Iraq

Russia has steadily inserted itself into Iraq's military, energy, and educational sectors, and these relationships could turn Baghdad further away from the United States now that the Trump administration has ceded Syria to Moscow.

Oct 17, 2019

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

Attack on Iranian Tanker Could Be Tensions Flowing to Red Sea

The Persian Gulf is more crucial in oil terms, but if hostilities expand to the Red Sea, Iran could gain extra leverage against its adversaries on energy and trade matters.

Oct 15, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

What Is Iran Up To in Deir al-Zour?

Tehran and its proxies have been exerting hard and soft power in northeast Syria, combining military consolidation with economic, social, and religious outreach in order to cement their long-term influence.

Oct 10, 2019

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Oula A. Alrifai

Brief Analysis

As Protests Explode, Iraq Must Get Serious About Reform

The public’s demands are just and their patience is all but gone, so Baghdad needs to get on with the hard work of opening up the economy and providing critical services before the violence spirals out of control.

Oct 4, 2019

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Bilal Wahab

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Kuwait: A Changing System Under Stress

Sudden Succession Essay Series

In a Gulf region experiencing sharp tensions, how might a leadership transition in Kuwait affect a much-needed node of stability?

Oct 4, 2019

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Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Simon Henderson

◆ Sudden Succession Essay Series

Video

Brief Analysis

Responding to the Saudi Oil Attack: A Challenge for U.S. Policy

Three experts discuss Washington’s potential reaction, which will have powerful implications not only in the Gulf states, but everywhere that America and its allies face off against Iran and its proxies, from Iraq to Lebanon to Gaza.

Oct 1, 2019

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Suzanne Maloney
Norman Roule
Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

The Economics of Calm

The stabilization efforts brokered by Israel’s defense establishment have kept a lid on things so far, but the hazards of this approach may be unsustainable at a time of donor drought and Palestinian institutional erosion.

Sep 26, 2019

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Katherine Bauer

Articles & Testimony

Iran Is Surviving, in Spite of Trump's 'Maximum Pressure'

Regardless of the Hormuz initiative's supposedly peaceful intent, foreign officials should be careful not to give Tehran any rights in the strategic waterway that don’t have to be given.

Sep 25, 2019

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Simon Henderson

In-Depth Reports

Syria Study Group 2019:

Final Report and Recommendations

A comprehensive, bipartisan look at how the U.S. government can still achieve important objectives on various fronts, from countering terrorist groups and Iran to addressing refugee and humanitarian issues.

Sep 24, 2019

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Michael Singh
Dana Stroul

Brief Analysis

Turkey’s Reconfigured Ties with the ‘Strategic West’

Despite diluting certain commonalities with Europe and Washington over the past decade, Ankara still relies on the West in the trade, investment, and security realms.

Sep 24, 2019

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Bringing Diplomacy Back to the Pressure Campaign Against Iran

U.S. leadership must be buttressed not by unrealistic threats, but by deterrent actions and collective diplomacy that constrain Tehran’s room for attacks while defining the path to negotiations.

Sep 23, 2019

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Barbara A. Leaf

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Push for ‘Regime Change’ in Saudi Arabia and Washington

Emboldened by their success in attacking Gulf and U.S. interests with relative impunity, Iranian leaders are now aiming to disgrace the Saudi royal family and foster Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.

Sep 20, 2019

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Moving the Goal Posts: Iran’s Uranium Enrichment Program

Although technical obstacles may prevent Tehran from fully deploying its advanced centrifuges, it could still augment its enrichment program in ways that should concern the international community.

Sep 19, 2019

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Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Operating in the ‘Gray Zone’ to Counter Iran

The best way to counter Iran’s asymmetric strategy in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere is a U.S. gray zone strategy, which can help manage escalation and buy time for the administration’s pressure policy to work.

Sep 18, 2019

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Michael Eisenstadt

Supported by the

Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy

The Washington Institute's Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy embodies the Institute's long-term research focus on the conservative Arab Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman -- and the key role these countries play collectively as a primary source of the world's oil and natural gas.

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Featured experts

Patrick Clawson

Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and Research Counselor at The Washington Institute.

Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is the Baker Senior Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute, specializing in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf.