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  • Gulf Countries on the Front Line of Energy Security

    The conflict in Ukraine has brought about a change in the psychology and geography of the oil and gas markets, and the ramifications will be felt across the energy complex for years.

  • Playing a Strong Hand in an Energy Crisis: The Role of the Gulf States in Boosting European Energy Security

    In May 2022, the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) unveiled a strategic partnership as part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. While the EU and the GCC have long-standing ties, the new strategic partnership reflects a desire to address emerging challenges, especially the European energy crisis triggered by Russia-Ukraine conflict. The energy crisis has deepened in recent months, as Russia cut flows in June through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 40 percent of capacity and shut the pipeline altogether for ten days of annual maintenance in July.

  • Saudi Arabia: Increased security likely ahead of US President’s visit to Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Jeddah, July 15-16

    Saudi authorities will likely significantly increase security measures throughout Jeddah ahead of US President Joe Biden's attendance at the July 15-16 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC+3) summit. Biden will meet GCC leaders from Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE, and the head of states from non-GCC members Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.

  • Commentary: Could Ukraine Offer a Template for Better US-Gulf Security Relations?

    Washington has been able to support and sustain Ukraine’s military effort so quickly and effectively because of a little-known presidential authority called the Drawdown Authorities, as provided by Section 506 of the Foreign Assistance Act. It means that the president can execute rapid assistance in a crisis for requirements the United States cannot otherwise meet under Arms Export Control Act programs like Foreign Military Sales, or FMS.

  • U.S. Strategy: Rebalancing Global Energy between Europe, Russia, and Asia and U.S. Security Policy in the Middle East and the Gulf

    If the U.S. and its European strategic partners decide to establish a stable level of deterrence and defense against Russia, this will require them to establish lasting alternatives to oil and gas imports from Russia, particularly as the latest international analyses by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) indicate the demand will increase through 2050 in spite of major increases in renewables and alternative fuels.

  • Commentary: Security, Energy, and Identity Dominate Gulf Positions on Ukraine

    The GCC states are not as dependent on Russian or Ukrainian grain exports as allies such as Morocco and Egypt, but any major interruption could translate into higher food prices and further socioeconomic instability. For Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait, which have worked hard to bolster these Middle Eastern economies, it would be an unwelcome development.

  • China meets Gulf oil bloc with sights set on free-trade agreement and energy security

    China replaced the European Union as the bloc’s largest trading partner in 2020, when bilateral trade was valued at US$161.4 billion, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. China’s imports from the bloc dropped 18.7 per cent to US$90.6 billion in 2020 as the price of crude plunged, but its exports to the bloc rose 5 per cent to US$70.8 billion that year.

  • Opinion: Gulf security – It’s not all bad news

    Going forward question marks about the reliability of the United States may be unsettling but the emerging contours of what a future US approach could look like they are not all bad news from the perspective of the region’s autocratic regimes.

  • Perspective: Collective Security in the Persian Gulf – Preparing for an Opening

    Two policy areas, in particular, offer themselves for step-by-step cooperation: maritime security and nuclear safety.

  • Israeli defence chief sees ‘special security arrangement’ with Gulf states

    As part of their U.S.-backed rapprochement, Israel and the UAE have proposed defence and military cooperation. The UAE’s first ambassador to Israel met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, a day after taking up his post. On a visit to an Israel-Gaza border crossing, Defence Minister Benny Gantz played down a report by public radio Kan that Israel was considering a defence agreement with Gulf Arab countries, but said security ties would be pursued.