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Gulf States

Policy Analysis on Gulf States

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Brief Analysis
Reframing Libya for a Reluctant Administration
By treating the conflict as a matter of Mediterranean security, President Biden’s team can better assist the new Libyan government and demonstrate its commitment to revitalizing alliances.
Feb 25, 2021
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia
Articles & Testimony
Balancing Act: Biden Must Redefine the US-Saudi Relationship
The administration’s instinct to cancel Riyadh’s blank check is right, but engaging a flawed partner is not the same as confronting a determined adversary.
Feb 25, 2021
◆
  • Dennis Ross
  • Robert Satloff
Egyptian and Israeli flags along the Sinai border
Brief Analysis
Israel Secures Egyptian Gas Export Route
A rare visit by an Egyptian cabinet official marks a significant upgrade in bilateral energy ties, though questions remain about Palestinian, Gulf, and environmental issues.
Feb 23, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson
MbS, King Salman, Saudi map, fighter jet
In-Depth Reports
Defining a Mature, Balanced Relationship with Saudi Arabia
An Urgent Task for the Biden Administration
A revamped approach to the alliance should stay focused on shared goals, from ensuring a stable oil market to promoting a more tolerant version of Islam at home and abroad.
Feb 22, 2021
◆
  • Dennis Ross
  • Robert Satloff
◆ Transition 2021
Articles & Testimony
Blinken Picks Up the Phone to Firm Up Alliances—Except with Most Gulf Countries
The change of administrations and the realities of COVID-era diplomacy may give Gulf leaders a sense that they are being kept at a distance on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Feb 5, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Israeli and Palestinian children join the mayor of Jerusalem to release doves.
Video
Brief Analysis
U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel: Ideas and Approaches for the Biden Administration
Officials, business leaders, and experts explore the economic, political, and human impact of regional normalization efforts, including their potential to reinvigorate peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Feb 3, 2021
◆
  • Yousef Al Otaiba
  • Samer Khoury
  • Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
  • David Makovsky
Articles & Testimony
The Arab Spring Then and Now, Through the Prism of Public Opinion
A “survey of surveys” shows that from an intelligence and policy point of view, Arab public opinion is measurable and meaningful—assuming regional governments and Washington are paying proper attention to it.
Winter 2021
◆
  • David Pollock
Iranian military leaders inspect drones.
Brief Analysis
Drones Over Riyadh: Unpacking the Iran Threat Network’s Tactics
Two enigmatic drone incidents in Saudi Arabia point to gaps in U.S. intelligence coverage and increasingly sophisticated deception tactics by Iran’s integrated militia networks in Iraq and Yemen.
Jan 29, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Oman’s Sultan Caps First Year by Appointing Heir and New Military Leadership
Sultan Haitham’s latest decrees elevated his son to heir, sacked commanders, and spotlighted his brother’s influence, but the government’s main focus is still squarely on economic reform.
Jan 28, 2021
◆
  • Elana DeLozier
Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia
Articles & Testimony
Will the Biden Team Tighten or Unravel US-Saudi Ties?
Explosions in Riyadh, uncertainty about the Iran nuclear deal, and a potentially damaging CIA report about Jamal Khashoggi’s murder are among the many factors that could alter the new administration’s calculus.
Jan 27, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Map of Israeli bilateral relationships with Arab states
In-Depth Reports
Building Bridges for Peace:
U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel
The Biden administration can succeed by strengthening and expanding Israeli normalization with Arab states and pursuing gradualism on the Palestinian issue.
Jan 26, 2021
◆
  • David Makovsky
◆ Transition 2021
Brief Analysis
Humanitarian Aid and the Biden Administration: Lessons from Yemen and Syria
Veteran NGO practitioners with deep experience in the aid sector discuss how Washington can help fix flawed approaches to assisting civilians in these two conflict zones.
Jan 25, 2021
◆
  • Jan Egeland
  • Alex Harper
  • Emma Beals
  • Jomana Qaddour
  • Elana DeLozier
Brief Analysis
What Did the Confirmation Hearings Reveal About Biden’s Middle East Policy?
Antony Blinken, Avril Haines, and Lloyd Austin responded at length to congressional questions about the Iran nuclear deal, the Yemen war, Arab-Israel normalization, and other pressing regional issues.
Jan 22, 2021
◆
  • Ilari Papa
Concept art of the Saudi NEOM project
Articles & Testimony
Is the Saudi “City of the Future” Overly Ambitious?
Major distractions from abroad have not changed the fact that NEOM remains central to the crown prince’s vision for transforming the kingdom, despite its steep political and financial challenges.
Jan 15, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Vice President Joseph R. Biden
Articles & Testimony
Biden Should Build on the Abraham Accords, Not Roll Them Back
Party leaders are providing constructive input, but the administration should stop short of any measures that risk sabotaging this moment of historic progress in Arab-Israel relations.
Jan 14, 2021
◆
  • Jay Solomon
Brief Analysis
Egypt Endorses Gulf Reconciliation But Remains Skeptical
Although officials are playing along in order to maintain good ties with Saudi Arabia, they seem convinced that Qatar will exploit the new agreement in ways that harm Cairo's political and security interests at home.
Jan 14, 2021
◆
  • Haisam Hassanein
Brief Analysis
UAVs and the Abraham Accords: New Horizons for Sinai Peacekeeping
Replacing manned monitoring missions with drone sorties and inviting Gulf countries to participate would help improve security, reduce America’s burden and risk, decrease costs, and bolster the regional peace architecture.
Jan 13, 2021
◆
  • Assaf Orion
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair
Video
Brief Analysis
America, the Middle East, and the World: A Conversation with Tony Blair
The former Prime Minister discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the Biden administration twenty years after 9/11 and a decade after the Arab Spring.
January 11, 2021
◆
  • Tony Blair
Brief Analysis
Enough Theory, European Strategic Autonomy Needs Practice in the Middle East
Libya, Iraq, and the Strait of Hormuz provide three test cases where greater assertiveness and transatlantic cooperation could go hand in hand, but only if European countries receive genuine U.S. support to step up their operational efforts and diplomatic engagement.
Jan 6, 2021
◆
  • Pierre Morcos
Articles & Testimony
The End of the Gulf Crisis Is Big News—But Middle East Sands Always Shift
The rift’s closure, while quite welcome, won’t produce instant Gulf unity or make the Iran nuclear issue any easier to solve.
Jan 5, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson

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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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