The Strategic Calculus behind the Saudi-Iranian Agreement

Reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia creates opportunities for cooperation and poses security challenges stemming from opposing objectives, and foreign and domestic spoilers.

Iran-Saudi Arabia: A Regional Transformation?

The expected resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran has the potential to reshape the dynamics of the Middle East by bringing an end to proxy wars and creating opportunity for regional stability.

Red Lines in Global Media

By Khaled Ezzelarab / Summer 2022

Whether in liberal democracies or across the Arab World, journalists today are struggling to navigate a difficult route amid government restrictions, ambiguous red lines, and non-state actors affecting how the media is run

A Revolution and A War: How Iran Transformed Today’s Middle East

By Seyed Hossein Mousavian /

How the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the eight-year Iran–Iraq War greatly and irreversibly influenced the geopolitics and regional dynamics of the Middle East

Managing Crises, the Least-Bad Option

By Joost Hiltermann / Winter 2022

Conflict management in the MENA region has little chance of succeeding as conflicts increasingly intersect and tensions driven by larger, regional triggers become even more unpredictable

Competing Economic Visions in the Gulf

By Robert Mogielnicki / Winter 2022

Economic visions offer regional governments roadmaps for development, but they can also serve as a tool for measurement and—ultimately—accountability

The Rise of the United Arab Emirates

By Abdulkhaleq Abdulla / Spring 2021

By harnessing national confidence, proactively dealing with regional security concerns and exercising geopolitical cooperation, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional powerhouse.

Maintaining the U.S.-Saudi Relationship

By Hussein Ibish / Spring 2021

The once booming strategic alliance between Riyadh and Washington has weathered a number of regional storms but is beginning to show wear and tear.

The End of Corporate Janissaries in the Gulf

By Omar Al-Ubaydli / Spring 2021

Gulf family companies and businesses must learn to wean off the Kafala system that has created short-sighted dependency on elite migrant workers, much like the flawed Janissary model of governance.

The UAE Art Scene: Challenges and Opportunities

By Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi / Spring 2021

Sustainability and longevity of a thriving cultural sector in the Gulf must be treated as a priority, which is why long-term planning is essential in order to ensure the ability of the art field to meet with both current and future challenges.

Why the Phrase “Arab Spring” Should be Retired

By Sean David Hobbs / Winter 2021

It’s time to stop using a Western-based concept ten years on from the events that began the Arab Uprisings.

“Reconciliation” in the Communiqué of the Gulf Cooperation Council

By Ibrahim Awad / Winter 2021

A lengthy diplomatic process is still needed to pave the way toward a true Arab rapprochement.

A Timeline of Arab Rapprochement

By Ibrahim Elzayat /

A blockade of Qatar is lifted after Arabs mend fences and resume diplomatic ties.

Players on the Libyan Chessboard

By Sydney Wise / Summer 2020

Lisa Anderson explains how external response to the Libyan conflict largely synchronizes with existing alliances and strategic interests.

COVID-19 Heightens Stakes for Migrants in the Mediterranean

By Omar Auf /

COVID-19 has exacerbated anti-migration trends in the Mediterranean region, leaving migrants and refugees in increasingly vulnerable positions.

Forced Returns: COVID-19 Puts International Labor Migrants at Risk

By Julia Hause /

What happens to labor migrants, predominantly in the Gulf region, when they are forced to return home?

The Viral Quotient: How Arab Media Responded to COVID-19

By Lobna Khairy and Sarah El-Shaarawi /

From social media to government narratives, the audience was bombarded with a plethora of information, some of which was confusing and contradictory.

Gulf Arab States Review Tax Regimes Amid Economic Crisis

By Robert Mogielnicki /

Value-added and excise taxes offer Gulf Arab states narrow fiscal levers to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis and drop in oil prices.

Can Arab Cities Be Eco-Sustainable?

By David Sims / Spring 2020

Separating fiction from reality, and corporate interests from true innovation in the new “eco-cities” of the Middle East.

Seeds of Gulf-Africa Agribusiness

By Sarah Townsend / Winter 2020

When Gulf nations face food, security, and water scarcity issues, one response is to seek lucrative agricultural investments in fertile African lands. Yet, while such deals can bring benefits to the countries involved, there are also sizeable risks

Saudi Arabia and the UAE look to Africa

By Camille Lons / December 13, 2018

By mediating conflicts and combining their assets in the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are slowly cementing an arc of political influence across the region.

The Qatar Blockade’s Impact on Migrants

By Haniya Javed / November 6, 2018

The blockade against Qatar has had a disproportionate economic impact on foreign workers, though increased self-sustainability efforts may provide new employment opportunities.

Patrons of Peace and Conflict

By Nanjala Nyabola / Fall 2018

In Northeast Africa today, Middle Eastern states vie for influence, and African governments accede—with conditions

“We want to see real results”

By Leslie Cohen and Sean David Hobbs / Spring 2018

The Cairo Review speaks to Rothna Begum about the status of female migrant domestic workers in the Gulf.

Kuwait’s Foreign Labor Quandary

By Scott Weiner / April 13, 2018

Recent tensions with the Philippines regarding mistreatment of domestic workers highlight Kuwait’s dependence on foreign labor for lower-paying jobs.

Arabs Rising to the Occasion?

By Amre Moussa / March 10, 2018

Former secretary general of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, offers eight recommendations for establishing a new regional order that would see Arab countries end instability and regain control of their futures.

Arab Gulf’s Mislaid Hopes in Trump

By Sean Yom / April 23, 2017

The contradictions of U.S. foreign policy could lead to renewed tensions with Gulf leaders.

Qatar’s Struggle to Reform Labor Laws

By Sabrina Toppa / April 12, 2017

Though Qatar has been reforming its laws on migrant labor, little is being done to address the system’s underlying deficiencies.

The Gulf’s Global Moment

By Tarek Osman / August 4, 2016

A major business deal tests the aspirations of Gulf business leaders.

Security Still Trumps Democracy in U.S.-Arab Alliances

By Nabeel Khoury / May 26, 2016

Relations between the U.S. and its traditional Gulf allies remain firm, despite new tensions.

Gulf States Face Their Biggest Challenge

By Rami G. Khouri / December 30, 2015

The GCC states are now entering into the early stages of reconfigured citizen-state relations similar to what most other non-energy-rich Arab countries experienced from 1986 to 1995.