Middle East and the Gulf

Evolving International Partnerships in the Middle East: Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al Busaidi

09 December 2017. 

The IISS Manama Dialogue 2017 Third Plenary Session 
Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oman

The IISS Manama Dialogue 2017

08 December 2017. 

8–10 December 2017
The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain

Manama Dialogue Live: Day One

08 December 2017.  Follow the first day of the IISS Manama Dialogue - the Middle East's premier security summit. Join us for video coverage of the opening speech, key points from the Sky News Arabia debate and analysis by IISS experts.

Trump’s Jerusalem announcement: shooting his Arab allies in the foot

07 December 2017.  The president has lit a fire and left his Arab allies to deal with the blaze.

President Trump, Jerusalem and the future of US diplomacy

06 December 2017.  Trump’s abandonment of yet another diplomatic convention may not break the bank but it begs the question as to how much global diplomatic credit the United States has left, writes Dana Allin.

After aborted summit, what now for the GCC?

06 December 2017.  As the Gulf’s pre-eminent political, military and economic powers, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have reached a strategic alignment that is transforming regional politics. Emile Hokayem examines what their ambitions could mean for the future of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Trust in the IAEA’s verification of Iran’s nuclear activities

05 December 2017.  Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal should learn to trust the world’s most robust verification system.

Iran, Russia and Turkey are winners in fractured Middle East

01 December 2017.  Iran dominates the regional security agenda – while Turkey has weathered an attempted coup and turmoil in neighbouring Syria. These countries join Russia as the rising powers in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia right about Iran challenge; but needs strategy

17 November 2017.  Rather than carefully pushing back Iran, Saudi Arabia's foreign and security policy has been haphazard and counterproductive, writes Emile Hokayem.

The repercussions of the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum

09 November 2017. 

Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani appears to have overreached in holding a referendum on independence, although almost 93% voted for it. Major powers support Iraq's territorial integrity. The Iraqi government has asserted military control over the region with Iran's help. Facing political and economic isolation, the Kurdistan Regional Government's authority and cohesion has been weakened. Barzani's futility has likely hardened the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK)'s position in Turkey and increased its regional freedom of action.