Gulf & Energy Policy

Royal succession in Saudi Arabia, from Policy Focus #96, "After King Abdullah," by Simon Henderson. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Washington Institute deputy director for research Patrick Clawson testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on July 22, 2009. The following are his prepared remarks. For several years, Iran's economy was cushioned from foreign pressure by the high price of oil. That has changed as oil prices have declined

Two recent pieces of news from overseas deserve Americans' careful consideration: -- Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey signed an agreement last Monday in the Turkish capital Ankara that cleared a key hurdle blocking the construction of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, designed to stretch 2,000 miles from the Caspian

On July 13, 2009, Ambassador Robert Jordan and Simon Henderson addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Henderson is the Baker fellow and director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at the Institute. His most recent Policy Focus, After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia, will be

Most commentary on the regional reaction to Iran's postelection strife divides Arabs into pro-Iranian and pro-American camps, a simplistic division that misses a key distinction. At the official or semiofficial level, Arab reaction to Iran's current travail is divided into three, not two, main parts: the usual handful of pro-Iranian-government

On June 18, 2009, David Crist and Steven Ward addressed a special Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss the lessons that Iran and the United States drew from their military encounters in the 1980s. David Crist is senior historian for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

On March 24, 2009, the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, the U.S. Department of State's International Information Programs in Washington D.C., and the Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy in Israel jointly held an international videoconference seminar focusing on reform and democracy in the Gulf States, featuring

Israel's fears about a nuclear Iran are well known. But Arabs have their own fears, too. After centuries of religious and political rivalry, Arab relations with Iran are marked by deep mutual mistrust. Since the end of the Cold War, Iran's sense of security has itself been in constant flux

On March 27, the official Saudi Press Agency issued a brief, surprise statement announcing that Interior Minister Prince Nayef had been appointed second deputy prime minister. This intriguing development has prompted widespread speculation that the conservative Prince Nayef will become crown prince when the incumbent -- the ailing Prince Sultan