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Gulf States

Policy Analysis on Gulf States

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U.S., Israeli, Bahraini, and Qatari flags on a mural celebrating the Abraham Accords
Brief Analysis
Israel Is Pushing Arab Peace Partners to Their Limits
Although regional peace agreements have survived the Gaza war and other recent crises, the increasingly explicit red lines being laid down by Arab capitals need to be taken seriously in Jerusalem and Washington.
Sep 25, 2025
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  • David Schenker
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embrace each other on the day they sign a defence agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2025 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Will Saudi Arabia’s New Defense Agreement with Pakistan Have Proliferation Consequences?
The deal seems mostly symbolic given that Riyadh is a major trading partner with India—Pakistan’s main adversary—but the implications may nevertheless be significant for regional proliferation concerns, nuclear energy ambitions, and related U.S. diplomacy.
Sep 19, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
Brief Analysis
Toward a More Comprehensive (and Effective) U.S. Policy on Yemen
The Houthis pose even more of a risk to U.S. and Gulf interests than they did before the Gaza war, so Washington and its regional partners need to develop an approach that is more fit for purpose.
Sep 18, 2025
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  • April Longley Alley
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
A panel of former ambassadors and decorated journalists discuss the impact of the landmark normalization agreement and what its future holds given ongoing hostilities in Gaza and growing Arab-Israeli diplomatic turmoil.
Sep 16, 2025
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  • David Makovsky
  • Yael Lempert
  • Amir Hayek
  • Victoria Coates
  • Ahdeya al-Sayed
Brief Analysis
After Snapback, Washington Needs to Prepare for Iranian Escalation in the Gulf
Given Tehran’s long record of using maritime provocations to counter increased international pressure, the United States and its partners must be ready to respond swiftly and forcefully against ship seizures, mine warfare, suicide drones, and more.
Sep 16, 2025
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  • Farzin Nadimi
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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Dennis Ross

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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.
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.
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