Regions

Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
The Trump Administration and the Fracturing Saudi-UAE Alliance
Jan 21, 2026Giorgio Cafiero
The historically close alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is under strain because of diverging strategic priorities and competiti…
Viewpoint
YemenRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Saudi–Emirati Drama in Yemen
Jan 13, 2026Nabeel A. Khoury
Of the three interrelated levels of conflict at play in Yemen—local, regional, and international—it was the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the Unite…
From our Affiliates
YemenSecurity and Defense
Saudi Emirati Tensions and the Struggle for Influence in Southern Yemen
Jan 6, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
The Saudi airstrike targeting an Emirati weapons shipment in the port of Mukalla on 29 December 2025, marked a dramatic escalation in the simmering tension bet…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics
OPEC Is Pushing Down Oil Prices Despite a Cash Crunch in Saudi Arabia. Here Is Why
Aug 21, 2025Jim Krane
Something odd is happening in oil markets. Demand is weaker than it has been in many years, yet OPEC+ is unwinding cuts and increasing production at a brisk pa…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
President Trump’s Gulf Trip: Post-Visit Observations
May 20, 2025Charles W. Dunne Dana El Kurd Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Assal Rad Annelle Sheline
Last week President Donald Trump ended a three-country trip to the Arabian Gulf—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—where he signed lucrative arm…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
US Policy and Gulf Arab Interests: More Clash, Less Harmony
May 6, 2025Jim Krane
Gulf sovereign wealth funds are grappling with zig-zagging share valuations, while the falling oil price—compounded by a falling dollar—is throttling capital f…
Policy Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A Decade after the Saudi Military Intervention in Yemen: An Assessment
Mar 25, 2025Afrah Nasser
Exactly a decade ago, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a military intervention in Yemen, promising to lead a coalition of more than 10 nations—although som…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics
Trump Is Back: What Does It Mean for Oil and US-Gulf Relations?
Nov 27, 2024Jim Krane
President-elect Donald Trump has made clear his fondness for fossil fuels, a fondness that was reciprocated by many in the industry. Expectations are high. But…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics
GCC States Seek Diplomacy During US Absence
Nov 12, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
The expansion and partial regionalization of what is already the longest and deadliest conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian arena since 1948 presents the Gulf A…
Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
A Second Trump Administration: Potential Policy Toward the Middle East
Nov 5, 2024Charles W. Dunne
The November 5 presidential election is likely to have major implications for US foreign policy, as it pits a centrist and robust internationalist candidate (V…
Policy Analysis
UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics
UAE Restricts US Military Strikes from Its Territory
May 22, 2024Gregory Aftandilian
Fearing an attack by Iran or its allied militias in the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted US military aircraft from targeting these proxy g…
Policy Analysis
UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics
The UAE and the Red Sea Security Crisis
Feb 27, 2024Giorgio Cafiero
Despite the Israeli war on Gaza killing nearly 30,000 Palestinians, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has clung to the Abraham Accords, which it signed with Israe…