Gulf & Energy Policy

Policy Analysis on Gulf & Energy Policy

Putting the UAE-Israel Agreement in Its Proper Perspective

Like all good policy decisions, the deal emerged from the enlightened self-interest of the key parties, but the stakes are not as high as with Israel’s previous two Arab peace treaties.

Aug 18, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Lessons of the UAE Breakthrough: How We Got Here, and Why the U.S. Role Remains Central

Statements and actions by Israel and the UAE show how much regional decisionmaking is still shaped by U.S. assurances that enable parties to calibrate their cost-benefit analyses—an approach that could serve as a template for potential future Israel-Gulf ties.

Aug 17, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

The Slow but Steady Progress to Israel’s Peace with the UAE

Years of burgeoning trade and quiet U.S. diplomacy helped lay the groundwork for a move that is only partly focused on improving the bilateral relationship.

Aug 14, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Israel-UAE Agreement Is a Key Step for Peace and Sends a Crucial Message to Palestinians

Emirati leaders apparently understood that this move would preserve the two-state option and preempt Iran from exploiting the annexation issue—while also opening access to previously off-limits U.S. weaponry.

Aug 13, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

Israel-UAE Deal Achieves a Middle East Rarity: It’s Win-Win-Win, Palestinians Included

Arab countries that have official relations with Israel are more effective at advancing Palestinian interests, and now Abu Dhabi has joined their ranks.

Aug 13, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari

Articles & Testimony

Turkey’s Search for Oil May Spill Over into Conflict with Greece

The current flare-up centers on differing interpretations of international law—a situation that should be employing lawyers but is instead deploying navies.

Aug 12, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iran Applies Maximum Power to Annual IRGC Naval Exercise

Coming soon after Western naval redeployments in the Gulf and explosions at sensitive Iranian sites, the recent drills illustrate the regime’s eagerness to reassert its deterrence by showing off new weapons and capabilities.

Aug 10, 2020

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Is China Helping Saudi Arabia to Build a Nuclear Bomb?

Riyadh has now ticked the first two boxes on the enrichment checklist and might already be working on the others.

Aug 5, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

How Might Iran Respond to Foreign Sabotage?

Given the dilemmas involved in retaliating for recent acts of sabotage and the death of Qasem Soleimani, Iran will likely defer any substantial military action against U.S. targets until shortly before or after the November election.

Aug 4, 2020

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Riyadh Agreement Redux: Political Gains Still Dogged by Implementation Concerns

Reactivating the 2019 accord is a promising step that could ease tensions in south Yemen and advance wider national negotiations, but only if coalition members are able to put its detailed requirements into effect.

Jul 30, 2020

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Elana DeLozier
Zied Bouchlaghem

Articles & Testimony

Shifting Sands in the House of Saud with a King’s Declining Health

King Salman may not be on his deathbed, but his son is renowned for not wanting to waste an opportunity.

Jul 21, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States Under Stress

As Riyadh aims to revamp the kingdom’s place in the international community, its near-term approach to Iran and Israel will have much to say about the Gulf neighborhood’s future trajectory.

Jul 15, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Qatar Without Tamim

Sudden Succession Essay Series

Qatar's break with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors remains unresolved, and rumors circulate of bids to replace Tamim bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar’s forty-year-old emir, with one of his historically marginalized rivals.

Jun 15, 2020

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Simon Henderson

◆ Sudden Succession Essay Series

Brief Analysis

Middle East Mega-Trends, COVID-19, and Beyond:

Views from France

A leading scholar of Islam explores the region’s crises and their effects on Western policy, assessing what has changed since the Arab Spring.

Jun 12, 2020

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Gilles Kepel

Articles & Testimony

You May Pay More at the Pump, as OPEC+ Cuts Oil Production

The cartel’s latest bid to increase profits will likely be counterbalanced by depressed summer demand and increased output by other producers.

Jun 8, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Khashoggi’s Family Forgives His Killers, But Will the World Forget the Saudi Scandal?

Whether continued campaigns to hold Riyadh accountable for the crime succeed or not, the crown prince’s economic ‘Vision’ is increasingly likely to slip by another decade or more.

May 23, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Rethinking U.S. Policy Toward the Fractured GCC

Genuinely resolving the various entrenched disputes between GCC states is unlikely, so Washington should focus instead on managing relations with them bilaterally while still maximizing regional security.

May 12, 2020

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Nabeel Nowairah

Articles & Testimony

Has Trump Finally Lost Patience with the Saudis?

Whatever combination of factors spurred the latest withdrawal of U.S. military equipment from the kingdom, the administration is tempting fate given Iran’s ongoing challenges and shifting tactics in the Gulf.

May 8, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Arab Health Officials Discuss Fighting COVID-19

Three senior officials from Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia share a behind-the-scenes look at each country’s efforts to contain the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2020

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Jaafar Allawi
Saad Jaber
Abdullah Algwizani

Brief Analysis

Saudi Leverage Not Enough to Achieve Peace in Yemen

Riyadh’s negotiation efforts in Yemen’s north and south have faltered, raising questions about its ability to single-handedly shepherd the country toward peace.

Apr 29, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

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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