Gulf & Energy Policy

Policy Analysis on Gulf & Energy Policy

Saudi-Israeli Diplomacy Progresses Amid Looming Middle East Challenges

The reported meeting between the crown prince and Netanyahu will likely shift normalization into the fast lane, but much can happen to slow, stop, or even reverse it.

Nov 24, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia Faces Summit Scrutiny

The virtual G20 meeting in Riyadh will be watched closely for insights on the kingdom’s royal politics at home and its standing abroad.

Nov 20, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

As Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates Normalize Ties, China Looks on Warily

The growing Arab-Israeli rapprochement may be good for the Middle East, but it poses problems for Beijing’s strategy in the region.

Oct 13, 2020

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Michael Singh

Video

Brief Analysis

Arabs Taking Risks for Peace: Stories from the Frontlines of People-to-People Contact with Israelis

Courageous Arab civic actors discuss the enormous hurdles they have faced in engaging with Israelis and supporting broader social and legislative normalization.

Oct 8, 2020

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Ismail Sayyid Ahmad
Sukina Meshekhis
Ahdeya Ahmed Al-Sayed
Mohamed Al-Hammadi
Joseph Braude

Video

Brief Analysis

An October Surprise with Iran? Calculations and Policy Implications

Three experts on Iranian politics and strategy assess the possibilities of last-minute dramatic developments between the two adversaries before the U.S. election.

Oct 8, 2020

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Mehdi Khalaji
Ariane Tabatabai
Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Caucasus Clash Could Endanger Israeli Oil Imports

Israel’s normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates may enable Gulf oil to make up for any break in Azerbaijani supplies, though this option could harm its ties with Baku and Turkey.

Oct 6, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Kuwait’s Precarious Mediation Role May Be Imperiled by the Emir’s Passing

The country’s six decades as regional intermediary have been undercut in recent years by younger Gulf leaders less inclined to traditional methods of conflict resolution, and Sheikh Sabah’s death may put this role at further risk.

Oct 5, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Emir’s Death Leaves Kuwait Vulnerable to Gulf Rivals

From family competition and parliamentary rumblings to potential friction with various neighbors, the oil-rich U.S. ally may face a challenging transition.

Sep 29, 2020

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Simon Henderson
Elana DeLozier

Articles & Testimony

UAE-Israel Peace Is Revealing the Middle East’s Faultlines

Much of the commentary surrounding the deal has focused on what it portends for the Palestinian issue and other Israeli relationships, but it may say just as much about the four rival factions that have crystallized in the region since 2011.

Sep 26, 2020

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Sarah Feuer

Brief Analysis

U.S. Officials to Mediate Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Talks

Negotiating a dividing line would enable Beirut to fully exploit potential offshore oil and gas reserves.

Sep 25, 2020

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Ehud Yaari
Simon Henderson
Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

How to Balance Competing Priorities with an F-35 Sale to the UAE

The sale offers strategic opportunities at a time of pivoting U.S. policy, and the concerns raised in Washington and abroad can be addressed through deliberate technical limitations, financing restrictions, offsetting benefits for Israel, and other measures.

Sep 23, 2020

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Christine McVann

Articles & Testimony

Diplomacy Built Israeli-Arab Peace. The Private Sector Will Sustain It.

Bahrain, Israel, and the UAE must now focus on the practical steps required to scale up their relations, including efforts related to civil aviation, banking, tourist sites, and more.

Sep 23, 2020

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Dana Stroul

Brief Analysis

Britain in Oman: Washington’s Strategic Partner

London is investing heavily in supporting its relationship with Muscat, not least because Omani mediation can often be more effective than its own in fostering regional stability and security.

Sep 18, 2020

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Jonathan Campbell-James

Brief Analysis

How the Abraham Accords Look Forward, Not Back

Close reading of Israel’s agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain shows how their strictly bilateral focus could affect the chances for people-to-people engagement and regional security cooperation, depending on each government's political will.

Sep 16, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

Why Moscow Is Quiet on the Israel-UAE Peace Deal

The fact that American rather than Russian mediation helped broker a major Middle East peace agreement is a blow to Putin’s ongoing quest for restored great-power status.

Sep 15, 2020

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

'Farewell, Fossil Fuels'? What Oil's Demise Will Do to the World's Leading Economies

The combination of new demand projections, green consumer trends, pandemic-related shifts, and other factors may not spell the end of Middle Eastern oil economies quite yet, but it is the first draft of their obituary.

Sep 15, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The F-35 Triangle: America, Israel, the United Arab Emirates

Selling the advanced U.S. jet to a foreign government ought to signal the highest confidence in that country’s warfighting capabilities, decisionmaking on the use of force, and commitment to protecting sensitive technology, but the UAE’s record on each of these issues is mixed.

Sep 15, 2020

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Barbara A. Leaf
Dana Stroul

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East Is Changing. Will Palestinians Be Left Behind?

The Palestinian issue has become far less of a priority for most Arab states, who now tend to see Israel as a bulwark against regional threats and a partner on urgent health, water, and food-security needs.

Sep 13, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Qatar Strategic Dialogue Offers Opening to End Gulf Rift

The Washington meeting between the United States and Qatar, overlapping with the Israel-UAE signing ceremony on normalization, creates a unique opportunity to resolve the dispute between U.S. allies.

Sep 11, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

The Road Beyond UAE-Israel Normalization

Netanyahu’s strategy of bypassing the intractable Palestinian issue has paid substantial dividends worldwide, but a peace treaty ‘domino effect’ is unlikely in the near term given various calculations in Riyadh and other Arab capitals.

Sep 10, 2020

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Ehud Yaari

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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