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Gulf States

Policy Analysis on Gulf States

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A worker monitors panels in a Saudi solar energy field - source: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Articles & Testimony
A New Energy Order in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
The two Gulf states are combining fossil fuel production with ambitions to become low-carbon leaders, and Washington risks getting left behind if it ignores the trend.
May 19, 2025
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  • Noam Raydan
Flight deck crew issues commands to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet prior to launch from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman - source: Department of Defense
Articles & Testimony
What the End of the Houthi Campaign Means for U.S. Power
Despite the embarrassing PR, “mowing the grass” by targeting Houthi capabilities and personnel has value if repeated periodically—perhaps by an Israeli-Arab “Red Sea security group” if Washington is no longer willing to take the lead.
May 19, 2025
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  • Michael Knights
President Trump arrives in Doha during his May 2025 Gulf trip - source: White House
Video
Articles & Testimony
President Trump's Gulf Trip: A Whirlwind Three Days in the Region
In this final of several daily videos from Washington Institute scholars, Robert Satloff summarizes the economic, diplomatic, and cultural implications of President Trump's May 2025 trip to the Gulf region.
May 16, 2025
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  • Robert Satloff
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip
Children wave US and UAE flags during President Trump's May 2025 visit to Abu Dhabi - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
President Trump's Gulf Trip: Investment, AI, and Semiconductors in the UAE on Day Three
In this fifth of several daily videos from Washington Institute scholars, Elizabeth Dent shares details of deals reached or announced in Abu Dhabi on the third day of President Trump's May 2025 trip to the Gulf region.
May 15, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip
Articles & Testimony
Trump in His Happy Place: Purple Carpets and Big Deals in Saudi Arabia
Maintaining the trip’s momentum and atmosphere could prove challenging as he travels to other stops and then returns to Washington.
May 14, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
President Trump meets with Qatari leader Tamim al-Thani in Qatar in May 2025 - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
President Trump's Gulf Trip: Economics and Diplomacy in Qatar on Day Two
In this fourth of several daily videos from Washington Institute scholars, Simon Henderson presents details of economic and diplomatic initiatives involving Qatar on the second day of President Trump's May 2025 trip to the Gulf region.
May 14, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip
President Trump meets with Gulf leaders at the GCC summit in Riyadh on May 14, 2026 - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
President Trump's Gulf Trip: Meeting the GCC on Day Two
In this third of several daily videos from Washington Institute scholars, David Schenker examines the implications of discussions at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on the second day of President Trump's May 2025 trip to the Gulf region.
May 14, 2025
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  • David Schenker
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip
Attendees at the Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh in May 2025 - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
President Trump's Gulf Trip: Economic Dealmaking on Day One
In this second of several daily videos from Washington Institute scholars, Ambassador Dennis Ross reviews activity on the first day of President Trump's May 2025 trip to the Gulf region.
May 13, 2025
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  • Dennis Ross
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip
Video
Brief Analysis
President Trump's Gulf Visit: Setting the Stage for Strategic Wins
Experts and former diplomats discuss what Gulf leaders are expecting from the trip, including which regional issues they are most keen on adding to the planned slate of business talks.
May 12, 2025
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  • Dennis Ross
  • Emile Hokayem
  • Joyce Karam
President Donald Trump meeting with King Salman in Saudi Arabia in 2017 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
President Trump’s High-Stakes Gulf Trip Requires More Than Good Business
The president is expected to focus on big investment deals and arms sales during his Gulf tour, but he also needs to address some urgent security issues if he wants to come home with a win.
May 8, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Simon Henderson
Flight deck crew issues commands to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet prior to launch from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman - source: Department of Defense
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Is the Houthi Threat a Checkmate for U.S. Military Logistics?
The Iran-backed militia’s disruption of Red Sea shipping is threatening America’s ability to rapidly deploy and supply its forces in the Middle East and beyond, but a combination of logistical workarounds, military measures, and diplomatic efforts may be the answer.
Apr 21, 2025
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  • James E. Shepard
Brief Analysis
What a U.S.-Saudi Nuclear “Pathway” Might Mean for the Iran Talks
Rather than clearing a route to normalization with Israel, a Saudi nuclear agreement with Washington may be key to addressing Iran’s military nuclear potential and wider proliferation concerns in the region.
Apr 16, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
Photo of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.
Brief Analysis
Setting Up the Next Phase of U.S.-UAE Nuclear Cooperation
With the U.S. point man on energy development touring the Gulf and Chinese and Russian nuclear initiatives on the rise, the Trump administration should consider how best to replicate the responsible Emirati model elsewhere in the region.
Apr 11, 2025
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  • Noam Raydan
Articles & Testimony
Trump’s Gulf Trip Will Test Regional Nerves and Alliances
With oil prices sliding and Iran talks ahead, the Gulf states are bracing for a high-stakes presidential visit.
Apr 9, 2025
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Photo of an F-18 fighter jet launching from a U.S. aircraft carrier.
Video
Brief Analysis
Assessing the U.S. Military Campaign Against the Houthis
Experts discuss how the new campaign differs from previous U.S. strikes in Yemen, what targets are being hit, and whether it can resolve the threat without broader American policy efforts.
Mar 28, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Michael Knights
  • Noam Raydan
The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower on joint operations in the CENTCOM region - source: Department of Defense
Brief Analysis
Two Carriers in the Middle East: Implications for the Houthis, Iran, and U.S. Force Readiness
The decision to order an additional carrier strike group to the region comes amid the Trump administration’s new campaign against the Houthis and public warnings to Iran, though it could affect U.S. force readiness worldwide.
Mar 27, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
The Mari-B and Tamar gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel - source: The Washington Institute
Brief Analysis
New Gas Licenses Go Ahead on the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border
Hezbollah’s recent military defeat and the 2022 Israel-Lebanon maritime agreement mediated by Washington have enabled exploration in a distant corner of Israel’s exclusive economic zone.
Mar 24, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salma meet in Jeddah in March 2025 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Saudi Arabia’s Emergence as a Diplomatic Broker
Riyadh has demonstrated the desire and ability to play a bigger diplomatic role in the Middle East and beyond, so Washington should support these aspirations—while taking care to balance relations with other Gulf states and ensure that Riyadh contributes constructively.
Mar 12, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
Brief Analysis
Two Arab Summits Hold the Key to a Viable Gaza Plan
Under heavy pressure from the Trump administration, the Arab states with the most to gain—and lose—in Gaza should be spending the next two weeks doing everything they can to reach consensus on bold, concrete counter-proposals.
Feb 19, 2025
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  • David Schenker
  • Ghaith al-Omari
Brief Analysis
How Trump, Arab Leaders, and Israel Can Close the Gaps on Gaza
Despite its risks for regional stability and U.S. policy, the president’s Gaza proposal has put this issue at the top of the priority list.
Feb 7, 2025
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  • Dennis Ross
  • Dana Stroul

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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

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Simon Henderson
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.
Michael Knights
Michael Knights
Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and cofounder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
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