The Gulf

Regional instability and souring US-Saudi relations

  • Alexander Kouttab
  • Commentary

The continued souring of relations between the US and Saudi Arabia has the potential to radically reshape local geopolitical dynamics. But not one regional actor or outside power appears strong enough to dictate the pace or direction of change.

Serious straits: why trouble looms in the Gulf

  • Fatima Ayub
  • Commentary

An understanding of the importance of the Gulf States is vital for explaining how the wider Middle East functions, thanks to their wealth, their energy resources, their geostrategic position, and their straddling of many of the MENA region's major faultlines.