Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to begin the process of normalising their relations. Europeans should consider how to help entrench the stabilising gains of the agreement – even as they navigate difficulties with Iran
To compete with China’s influence in the Gulf, European governments should embrace multipolarity and offer concrete alternatives to Gulf monarchies
Saudi Arabia is resurgent as a leader in the Middle East and North Africa. The Saudi foreign minister’s visit to Brussels represents an opportunity for the EU to explore more active cooperation on projects in the region
Europeans should resist the temptation of short-term fixes and adopt a longer-term approach to supporting Yemen
Hosting the World Cup is the ultimate ‘soft power coup’. But Qatar could find the investment may not be worth the return
European policymakers should back climate diplomacy to help improve relations between Iran and Gulf monarchies
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
Military alignment between Israel and Gulf Arab states risks heightened conflict in the Middle East – without weakening Iran’s geopolitical position or nuclear programme
The EU should provide targeted support to local communities and organisations in Yemen. This would help sustain the ceasefire and restore Europeans’ credibility in the country.
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
Europeans should resist the temptation of short-term fixes and adopt a longer-term approach to supporting Yemen
European policymakers should back climate diplomacy to help improve relations between Iran and Gulf monarchies
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
If the EU is to achieve its climate and geopolitical goals, it will need to substantially increase its engagement with Gulf states on the European Green Deal
Instead of using the UAE to push back against Turkey or vice versa, Europe should develop its own strategy on their rivalry
The arrival of the Biden administration in Washington, and the perception of US disengagement from the region, offers an opportunity for Europeans to help de-escalate tensions between GCC states and Iran
European states should now increase conditional engagement with the Houthis, looking to widen political and humanitarian space on the ground
Europeans can shift the balance of power in the Gulf in their favour by approaching the Gulf through flexible new frameworks
The European Union should continue to support development and state-building in Yemen and develop platforms on which southerners can achieve self-determination
Saudi Arabia is embracing a new nationalism that is transforming domestic politics and the country’s foreign policy
Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to begin the process of normalising their relations. Europeans should consider how to help entrench the stabilising gains of the agreement – even as they navigate difficulties with Iran
To compete with China’s influence in the Gulf, European governments should embrace multipolarity and offer concrete alternatives to Gulf monarchies
Saudi Arabia is resurgent as a leader in the Middle East and North Africa. The Saudi foreign minister’s visit to Brussels represents an opportunity for the EU to explore more active cooperation on projects in the region
Hosting the World Cup is the ultimate ‘soft power coup’. But Qatar could find the investment may not be worth the return
Military alignment between Israel and Gulf Arab states risks heightened conflict in the Middle East – without weakening Iran’s geopolitical position or nuclear programme
The EU should provide targeted support to local communities and organisations in Yemen. This would help sustain the ceasefire and restore Europeans’ credibility in the country.
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
The current truce in Yemen could lead to negotiations on a long-term ceasefire. But this would require greater concessions by the Houthis and sustained diplomatic engagement from regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran.
Gulf monarchies’ refusal to side with the US and Europe against Russia is not about Russia. It is about a transactional approach to protecting national interests and avoiding the costs of strategic alignment.
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
An ECFR guide to the key disputes threatening to spark a wider Middle Eastern war
A multimedia exploration of Yemen's multi-faceted civil war
How can the EU prevent the Turkey-UAE rivalry from destabilising European security and foreign policy?
The ECFR Rome office organized a virtual gathering, moderated by the Head of ECFR Rome Arturo Varvelli, to present the ECFR publication “A Gulf…
Recording of the Lunch Discussion analysing Yemen's role in the current Gulf crisis and how recent regional developments will have an impact on the UN-coordinated…
Mark Leonard speaks with Ellie Geranmayeh and Dr Kayhan Barzegar about Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation and the current political situation in Iran. The podcast was…
Mark Leonard speaks with Asli Aydintasbas, Jeremy Shapiro and Julien Barnes-Dacy about what effect the incident might have on relations between Saudi Arabia, the US…
Podcast de notre conférence du 1 octobre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) : « Russia and the Middle East…
Mark Leonard speaks with Adam Baron, Ellie Geranmayeh and Julien Barnes-Dacey about Yemen caught in the midst of a regional conflict between Iran and Saudi…
Mark Leonard speaks with Iran expert Ellie Geranmayeh about what might happen after Donald Trump has decided to withdraw US support from the deal. The…
Is France alone in the desert? ECFR experts Julien Barnes-Dacey and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil discuss how France can lead Europe in the Middle East
Ruth Citrin speaks with Ellie Geranmayeh, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Hugh Lovatt, about the state of play in the MENA region and the considerations for Europeans…
This event will consider how women peace-builders in Yemen are providing essential gender-responsive humanitarian and peacemaking support
Il recente insediamento dell’amministrazione Biden a Washington e il percepito disimpegno degli Stati Uniti nella regione offrono agli europei l’opportunità di contribuire ad allentare le tensioni tra gli Stati del Consiglio di Cooperazione del Golfo (CCG) e l’Iran
Lunch discussion with ECFR and external experts on the Yemen conflict and what Europe can do.
Morning discussion with ECFR and external experts on European involvement in the Gulf and its engagement with other regional actors
Two policial scientists from the United Arab Emirates discuss the UAEs rise as a regional power in the MENA region. ECFRs own expert on the Gulf will add the European perspective to the perception of the UAE and the implications it has on Europe.
A Lunch Discussion on Yemen's role in the current Gulf crisis
How can the EU demonstrate resolve and respond to the interests of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi-Arabia?
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un événement en présence de Radhya Almutawakel, Adam Baron, Aymeric Elluin, Lucile Grosjean et Camille Lons, coordinatrice du programme MENA de l'ECFR. sur le thème suivant : « Yémen : sortir de l'impasse après 4 ans de guerre ».
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un séminaire, en présence de Christine Ockrent, Julien Barnes, et modéré par Camille Lons, sur le thème suivant : « Mohammed ben Salman : Réformiste visionnaire ou prince autoritaire ? »
This is one of the main dossiers of discussion between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it is one of the arenas that could benefit from an effective détente between the two countries
The Saudis have long insisted that any restoration of diplomatic relations with Iran include an active and constructive Iranian contribution to end the war in Yemen
Cinzia Bianco argues that the renewed Saudi-Iran relations have the potential to reshape the dynamics of the Middle East
The Saudis are dealing with everyone — Israel and Iran, China and the US, Russia and the Europeans—and being quite ambiguous about what they want to do and what’s their ultimate goal
Recent evolutions in the international framework have created a suitable opening for a renewed strategic partnership between the two countries
Lorena Stella Martini comments on the relevance of Italian PM Meloni’s recent visit to the UAE for the future of the strategic partnership between Rome and Abu Dhabi
Iran may have responded positively to Riyadh’s calls to actively push the Houthis to sign a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia that frees the Saudis from the Yemen war