The resumption of fighting, paired with the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, complicates regional strategy and energy policy for the Gulf powerhouse.
- Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University
The ongoing war in Iran has created an expanding zone of risk for shipping, including for Saudi Arabia’s strategy of redirecting oil exports away from Hormuz.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have long been at odds over oil policy. The latest move is also likely to further their broader regional rivalry.
The US, Israel and Iran war will shift alliances and create insecurity for years to come.
Iran has responded in kind to attacks on its energy infrastructure. With the energy assets of Gulf states now in play for Tehran, regional chaos grows by the hour.
Qatar, the UAE and other Gulf nations have spent years cultivating an image of being an oasis of stability in the Mideast. The current war risks undoing all that work.
Initially, the two gulf states were in alignment over Yemen’s civil war. But the Arab coalition’s unity has long since gone.
Gulf nations were already becoming anxious about Israel’s apparently unconstrained regional activities. Now, a one-time thaw in relations may revert to a deep freeze.
Perception as a neutral country has helped Gulf state position itself as a crucial diplomatic player in Ukraine-Russia war. It also serve’s kingdom’s self-interest.
Successor to slain Palestinian negotiator is a hardliner who resides in Gaza’s tunnels and has no realistic chance of being in Doha for talks.
The small Gulf state has hosted high-level Western and Iranian delegations, passing messages between them.
A decade of de-escalation among Gulf states could be at risk if Israel-Hamas violence spills across region. And that could threaten Saudi plans to transform the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s choice of China to broker its deal with Iran surprised many, but is consistent with its foreign policy agenda.
Blatter’s decision to step down shocked the world. We asked a few academics to weigh in on what it means.
The highly visible role played by Qatar in spearheading the Arab Spring uprisings in north Africa and Syria in 2011 focused world attention on this tiny Gulf emirate. It capped a remarkable year that began…
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