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2020 Year in Review
  • Commentary
  • 2020 Year in Review

    A look back at the year’s most important developments with analysis from Paul Salem, Alex Vatanka, Randa Slim, Gerald Feierstein, Gonul Tol, Jonathan M. Winer, Khaled Elgindy, Marvin G. Weinbaum, Mirette F. Mabrouk, Grace Wermenbol, Syed Mohammad Ali, Robert S. Ford, and Khaldoun Khelil.

    What could environmental cooperation between Iran and the GCC look like?
  • Analysis
  • What could environmental cooperation between Iran and the GCC look like?

    The Persian Gulf states are among the most vulnerable on earth to the effects of climate change, which makes environmental cooperation necessary for their survival. Located in one of the hottest and driest parts of the planet, the region is vulnerable to extreme heat waves, dust storms, and water scarcity. All of these will increase in frequency and severity with further climate change. Protecting the natural environment of the region is not just an ecological concern, but a security one as well. Unmitagated climate change could spur conflict over limited resources and produce waves of migrants. While the future may seem bleak, environmental cooperation also presents a unique opportunity for improving the relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iran. Successes from cooperation on essential environmental issues could be the start of a more general rapprochement.

    December 10, 2020

    US-Gulf relations and the Biden administration
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • US-Gulf relations and the Biden administration

    Elana DeLozier and Jerry Feierstein join host Alistair Taylor to discuss prospects for US-Gulf relations and regional policy under the Biden presidency.

    November 25, 2020

    A virtual G20 summit underscores this importance of this year's agenda
  • Commentary
  • A virtual G20 summit underscores this importance of this year's agenda

    This year, the G20 summit will be held virtually. As a result, the world will be deprived of the customary images that surround these events… the group photos, the glittering halls wither flag-festooned conference tables, the luxurious surroundings where the world’s most powerful political leaders gather to bread bread and discuss the critical issues of the day over lavish banquets.

    November 23, 2020

    The 2020 American election: A view from the Gulf
    President Donald Trump answers a question as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the last debate between the two candidates before the election on November 3.
  • Analysis
  • The 2020 American election: A view from the Gulf

    The upcoming American presidential election is top of mind for the Arab Gulf states. This is no surprise as there is so much at stake for them. As the race enters its final critical week, all eyes are on who will occupy the White House for the next four years — and the Arab Gulf states have their preferences. America is still indispensable to Gulf security, but the Gulf is also becoming an indispensable regional partner for whoever wants to lead the world in the 21st century. Today both sides need each other more than ever before.

    October 23, 2020

    The coming F-35 fiasco
    Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • The coming F-35 fiasco

    It was only a matter of time before another Arab partner joined the UAE in asking to buy F-35 fighter jets. On Wednesday, Reuters reports, Qatar formally submitted its own request.

    October 8, 2020

    The politics of Saudi normalization with Israel
    Photo by AFP via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • The politics of Saudi normalization with Israel

    As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain move forward with their separate processes to normalize relations with Israel, the question that seems to be on the mind of many, both in Washington and in the region, is whether or when the Saudis will follow.

    October 1, 2020

    Iran, the GCC, and the failure of HOPE
    Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Iran, the GCC, and the failure of HOPE

    Last September, at the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed the optimistically named “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” (HOPE). Over the past year, however, Iran’s plan has failed to gain any traction with the GCC states, even as the region’s security environment has fundamentally changed in ways that are detrimental to the Islamic Republic.

    September 24, 2020

    The GCC, US-China tech war, and the next 5G storm
  • Analysis
  • The GCC, US-China tech war, and the next 5G storm

    The U.S.-China rivalry is in uncharted territory. There is no clearer example of this than the U.S.’s intensifying and increasingly global fight with Chinese company Huawei over the security of 5G.