Speaking with Middle East Eye, AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Kristin Smith Diwan discussed the rise of populism in the Gulf Arab states after the 2011 uprisings: “The governments got control of (dissent) through suppression but also by creating a stronger national project that would provide some space for the participation that younger people were advocating, but still under the leadership of the ruling families.” Diwan continued by noting the United States’ stance on human rights issues in the region: “I don’t think they have been willing, in most cases, to make that a huge public issue that would affect major interests, whether it’s economic interests or security interests with these states. And there’s an underlying belief too that a US intervention wouldn’t be effective.”