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Gulf States

Policy Analysis on Gulf States

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Riyadh Skyline
Brief Analysis
Saudi Arabia Signals Oil Policy Shift
The kingdom anticipates and accepts lower oil prices, according to a news report, but the impact on other producers could be comparatively damaging.
Sep 27, 2024
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Houthi fighters rally in Sanaa, Yemen
Articles & Testimony
The Houthi Takeover of Yemen Is 10 Years Old. It Must Not Reach 20
The Gulf states were right about the Houthi threat and the West was wrong, so another large-scale confrontation is inevitable.
Sep 21, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed walks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in September 2024 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
UAE President’s White House Visit Is About Much More Than Mere Formalities
Besides strengthening both countries’ economies, the visit represents a new model of international partnership where traditional alliances intersect with cutting-edge innovation.
Sep 21, 2024
◆
  • Nickolay Mladenov
UAE President Muhammad bin Zayed - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
MbZ Visits Washington: Meeting Agendas and Regional Implications
The Emirati leader will likely focus on the future of bilateral economic and technological integration, but discussions will also cover sensitive matters such as great-power concerns over China and Russia, regional nuclear proliferation, and a potential role for his country in postwar Gaza.
Sep 20, 2024
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  • Simon Henderson
  • Elizabeth Dent
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa in Riffa, Bahrain - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
U.S.-Bahrain Ties One Year After the Strategic Partnership Agreement
Two veteran ambassadors discuss bilateral efforts in the security, economic, and technology sectors, noting the agreement’s potential as a template for other countries in the region.
Sep 11, 2024
◆
  • Steven C. Bondy
  • Sheikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa
President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022
Brief Analysis
U.S.-Saudi Defense Cooperation: Next Steps
Even if an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal proves unattainable for now, Washington and Riyadh should still seek ways to enhance military and defense cooperation in order to advance common interests and prepare for future security challenges.
Sep 10, 2024
◆
  • Andrew G. Clemmensen
  • Abdullah Hayek
Articles & Testimony
How the U.S. Used Arms Sales to Shift Saudi Behavior
Weapons bans have proven to be a fickle tool historically, so why did they work in Riyadh’s case?
Sep 4, 2024
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Grant Rumley
The crude oil tanker Sounion burns in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi forces in Yemen - source: EUNAVFOR
Brief Analysis
Five Lessons from the Sounion Salvage Crisis in the Red Sea
The United States and its partners should take several immediate steps to avoid an environmental disaster, counter the Houthi spin about the incident, and prevent the group from creating other hazmat emergencies in the Red Sea.
Aug 29, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
A Russia-linked ship on the Red Sea.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Even After Houthi Attacks, Russia-Linked Tankers Return to Red Sea
The operators are either accepting risk on a vital transport route or else no longer concerned about perceptions about their vessels’ past links to Britain.
Aug 22, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
◆ Maritime Spotlight
Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa - source: Department of State
Brief Analysis
One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential
The progress the two partners have made through C-SIPA offers a fresh model for future U.S. cooperation with other Middle East countries in the security, economic, and technology sectors.
Aug 21, 2024
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
Brief Analysis
Saudi Arabia Increases Its Cooperation with World’s Nuclear Watchdog
The small but significant step could facilitate U.S. technology transfers to the kingdom, said to be a key element in any potential Israeli-Saudi normalization deal—but proliferation concerns persist.
Aug 8, 2024
◆
  • Simon Henderson
President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022
Articles & Testimony
Biden’s Middle East Moonshot
Reaching a Gaza ceasefire and Israeli-Saudi normalization deal will require intense, well-coordinated diplomatic efforts in a condensed timeline, but the administration can do it with help from the “Arab Quint.”
Aug 7, 2024
◆
  • Dennis Ross
Houthi colonel Hussein Abdullah Mastour, killed by the US in Iraq on July 30, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Houthi Missile Forces Colonel Killed at Iraqi Government Base in Jurf al-Sakhar
A senior missile specialist from Yemen was killed alongside Iraqi members of Kataib Hezbollah, underlining the government's cooperation with domestic and foreign terrorist groups.
Aug 6, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Screenshot excerpt of a StoryMap covering maritime attacks in the Middle East.
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
Tracking Maritime Attacks in the Middle East Since 2019
An interactive map showing the extent to which Houthi forces, their Iranian military patrons, and other actors have been targeting vessels in regional waterways for years, including well before the Hamas-Israel war.
Aug 3, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Farzin Nadimi
◆ Maritime Spotlight
Russian president Vladimir Putin inspects a rifle while touring an arms factory in 2014 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Countering Russia’s Strategy of Arming Anti-American Proxies
From rumored Houthi missile upgrades to Libyan arms deliveries by the ton, Moscow is doing all it can to empower hostile forces and undermine stability in the Middle East.
Aug 2, 2024
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Houthi missile hits Chios Lion tanker, Red Sea, July 2024.
Maps & Graphics
Houthi Attacks on Russia-Linked Tankers
Available data suggests the Yemeni group has been going after vessels carrying Russian cargo, particularly if an operator's ships have visited Israeli ports.
Jul 26, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Farzin Nadimi
◆ Maritime Spotlight
The flag of Oman - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Responding to the Islamic State Attack in Oman
Although the mosque shooting was unprecedented in Oman, it fits with the terrorist group’s long practice of massacring Shia Muslims in the Gulf and beyond.
Jul 24, 2024
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Elizabeth Dent
A fuel depot burns near the Yemeni port of Hodeida following overnight Israeli airstrikes - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
To Stop Israeli Attacks on Yemen, Enforce Sanctions on the Iran-Houthi Link
The humanitarian consequences of Israel’s port attack are real but should not be overstated, particularly when the true culprits behind Yemen’s persistent fuel shortages and famine risks are Iran and the Houthis.
Jul 22, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
Then Vice President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in 2010 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Biden’s Legacy and Netanyahu’s Missed Moment?
The coming months still hold hope for the president’s dream of Israeli-Saudi normalization, but only if Netanyahu stands up to his far-right coalition partners.
Jul 22, 2024
◆
  • David Makovsky
A screenshot from MarineTraffic shows the past tracks of the livestock carrier Shorthorn Express (IMO 9167318), which as of July 2, 2024, was sailing toward the British Isles.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Are the Houthis Attacking Ships in the Mediterranean?
Direct strikes from the Yemeni group are unlikely at the moment, but a more aggressive Hezbollah could alter the threat picture.
Jul 3, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Farzin Nadimi
◆ Maritime Spotlight

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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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