Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Gulf States

Policy Analysis on Gulf States

Filter by:

Leaders of the United States, Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE sign the Abraham Accords at the White House in 2020 - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
The Abraham Accords at Five Years: Resilience and Roadblocks
Watch an expert webcast on the impact and future of the Abraham Accords as the Arab-Israeli agreements approach their fifth anniversary.
Sep 11, 2025
◆
  • Victoria Coates
  • Amir Hayek
  • Yael Lempert
  • Ahdeya al-Sayed
Netanyahu, Trump, and Foreign Ministers Zayani (Bahrain) and Abdullah bin Zayed (UAE) at the Abraham Accords ceremony, Sep 15, 2020.
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Resilience and Roadblocks:
The Abraham Accords at Five Years
The architecture behind Arab-Israel normalization has survived the war years, but expansion to other countries will require a credible embrace of diplomacy, along with regional collaboration to shape Gaza’s future.
Sep 11, 2025
◆
  • David Makovsky
Photo of smoke rising over Doha following an Israeli strike in September 2025.
Brief Analysis
Israel Strikes Qatar: Implications for Gaza Diplomacy, Gulf Relations, and U.S. Policy
A compilation of Washington Institute views on the fallout of the targeted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, including what the United States and its partners can do to translate this latest Israeli military surprise into beneficial political achievements.
Sep 10, 2025
◆
  • Robert Satloff
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Makovsky
President Donald Trump meeting with King Salman in Saudi Arabia in 2017 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Trump’s Pivot to the Gulf
The Gulf might be “the New Middle East,” but Washington should not forget that problems in “the Old Middle East” still set much of the regional agenda, raising the need for more consistent American engagement.
Sep 9, 2025
◆
  • David Schenker
Brief Analysis
When the UAE Says “No” to Israeli Annexation, What Does It Mean?
Washington should urgently heed Abu Dhabi’s warning—not only because it comes from such a close U.S.-Israeli partner, but also because of the major regional fallout it heralds if unilateral annexations proceed in the West Bank.
Sep 9, 2025
◆
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Neomi Neumann
Photo of a Houthi funeral in Yemen following an Israeli strike that killed multiple government officials.
Brief Analysis
Israel and the Houthis Are Entering a Dangerous Escalation Cycle
Despite their confident saber rattling, both sides face real constraints that could impede their operational goals, and their actions increase the risks to maritime security, energy exports, and broader regional stability.
Sep 5, 2025
◆
  • April Longley Alley
Somali cadets march during a graduation ceremony following training in Turkey - source: Turkish government
Brief Analysis
To Halt the Jihadist Advance in Somalia, Work with Turkey and the UAE
Overhauled Turkish and Emirati training programs for the Somali army and renewed funding for the African Union mission could provide the boost that Mogadishu needs, and Washington should push for both.
Aug 20, 2025
◆
  • Ido Levy
Montage within Saudi Arabia map, including Muhammad bin Salman, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump, others.
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Saudi Public Opinion in a Changing Middle East:
Great Powers, the Gaza War, Pathways for the Kingdom
China and Russia get higher marks than the United States, and Israel normalization is on hold—but respondents view Hamas negatively, want Arab involvement in the peace process, and increasingly support moderate interpretations of Islam.
Aug 13, 2025
◆
  • Catherine Cleveland
Israeli and UAE flags flying together in Abu Dhabi - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Israel-UAE Defense Cooperation Grows Under the Abraham Accords
Negotiations between Elbit Systems and EDGE Group over the Hermes 900 UAV system exemplify how the accords are ushering in a new era of defense-industrial cooperation.
Aug 5, 2025
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
Syrian president Sharaa meets with a delegation of Saudi businessmen in Damascus - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Promises of Billions Confirm Saudi Political Support for Syria
The high-level Saudi delegation to a Damascus investment conference indicates Riyadh is betting on President Sharaa.
Aug 4, 2025
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Brief Analysis
Bahrain Doubles Down on U.S. Economic Ties
The kingdom’s recent announcement of billions in U.S. investments reflects both a strong commitment to C-SIPA and a wider Gulf alignment with the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities.
Jul 23, 2025
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
A Houthi helicopter approaches a civilian cargo ship in the Red Sea in 2023 - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Lethal Attacks Show Strengthened Houthi Control over Red Sea Transit
The latest attacks make clear that the international community must guarantee the freedom and safety of all ships transiting the Red Sea, combining a permanent military mission with assistance from regional countries and private security firms.
Jul 16, 2025
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Farzin Nadimi
◆ Maritime Spotlight
Children wave US and UAE flags during President Trump's May 2025 visit to Abu Dhabi - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Unpacking Trump’s 2025 Gulf Investment Tour
The president focused his first planned visit to the region on securing trillions of dollars in economic deals, but carrying these projects to completion while ensuring U.S. interests will require close, sustained oversight.
Jun 25, 2025
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
Brief Analysis
How the Iran-Israel Conflict Is Affecting Gulf Energy and Maritime Security
For regional countries seeking to transform their economies and partner with the United States in areas including AI, the current war poses risks that could reverberate in the global economy.
Jun 23, 2025
◆
  • Noam Raydan
Brief Analysis
Key Outside Actors in the Iran-Israel Showdown:
A Compilation of Washington Institute Assessments
Experts assess the roles that various actors may seek to play during and after conflict, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi militias, Palestinian factions, and international powers such as China, Russia, and the EU.
Jun 18, 2025
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Noam Raydan
  • Michael Knights
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Grant Rumley
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Souhire Medini
President Donald Trump meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Will Trump Dump Netanyahu? Here's When Israel Will Find Out
A ten-year memorandum of understanding lapses during the president’s term, and he will have to decide whether negotiating a new deal serves American interests.
May 26, 2025
◆
  • Dennis Ross
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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
◆ President Trump's 2025 Gulf Trip

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

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.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner 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.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions