Executive Vice President, AGSIW
Ambassador William “Bill” Roebuck is the executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He most recently served as the deputy special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Syria Engagement Ambassador James Jeffrey. Prior to his appointment, Roebuck served as a senior advisor to Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk from January to December 2018.
Roebuck served as ambassador to Bahrain from 2015-17. He was appointed deputy assistant secretary for Maghreb Affairs in January 2013 and assumed additional responsibility for Egypt Affairs in January 2014. He served as Chargé d’Affaires in Tripoli, Libya from January to June 2013, earning the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy. From September 2010 to December 2012, he served as director for the Office of Maghreb Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Roebuck served as deputy political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from July 2009 to August 2010, covering Iraq’s external relations and leading the embassy’s and the resident international community’s efforts to support the critical March 2010 national elections.
Roebuck served as the deputy office director for Arabian Peninsula Affairs from 2007-09. From 2004-07, he served as the political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. In his last year of that assignment, Roebuck served as the acting deputy chief of mission. Prior to his assignment in Syria, he covered political issues in Gaza, while assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv from 2000-03. He served in Washington as staff assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs from 1997-98.
Prior to joining the State Department, Roebuck worked as an English teacher and school administrator in Taif, Saudi Arabia from 1982-87. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Cote d’Ivoire from 1978-81.
Roebuck speaks French and Arabic. He hails from Rocky Mount, North Carolina and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Wake Forest University in 1978 and 1981, respectively, and his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1992.
An elusive Gaza cease-fire, a potential collapse in viability of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and ratcheting Israel-Hezbollah tensions are key obstacles to the resumption of normalization progress between Israel and Gulf states.
The commander of the U.S. partner force in Syria says the Gaza war is damaging internal security and regional support in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
While regional dynamics support de-escalation between Bahrain and Iran, a host of obstacles and a potent history of bilateral grievances are likely to ensure anemic relations.
UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s recent visit to the United States underscores nascent U.S. success in persuading the UAE of the benefits of partnership and access to advanced technology and the risks of sticking with legacy Chinese tech partnerships.
With aid, public criticism, and diplomatic maneuver, Gulf countries are confronting Israel’s military action in Gaza and weighing how bad the situation could get.
The underlying logic of normalizing ties with Israel remains intact for Gulf states. However, public anger, increased focus on the Palestinian issue, and the rising diplomatic price for Israel will impact the future of normalization.
AGSIW experts explain the regional trends they’ll be following most closely as the year unfolds.
On January 9, AGSIW hosted a virtual roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they looked ahead and assessed trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year.
With a mix of condemnation, maneuver, and strategic calculation, Gulf countries are navigating the current crisis.
A recently signed security- and economy-focused pact marks the latest development in the United States’ close, long-standing partnership with Bahrain.
On September 6, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the merits of Arab reengagement with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The risks of all-out civil war and state collapse are likely to sharpen the now swirling debates over risky external intervention, floundering democracy efforts, and confounding Russian influence.
Riyadh’s prominent role underscores its growing confidence on the world stage and its careful, pragmatic balancing of alliances and relations with key partners.
Recent turbocharged diplomatic activity underscores growing Gulf confidence as countries in the region maneuver for influence and advantage and focus on their domestic economies.
On May 4, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the normalization of ties between Syria and the Arab world.
Balancing family and state-federal dynamics while staying in line with regional tendencies on succession, Mohammed bin Zayed names his son Khaled crown prince.
Riyadh appears set to consolidate Arab consensus on Syria, raising further questions about U.S. regional influence.
On March 30, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
China may be able to build on its breakthrough with more ambitious Gulf diplomacy, but, in the meantime, it appears Saudi Arabia and Iran are forging ahead on their own.
An immensely wealthy, pivotal energy supplier seeks to consolidate its regional position and retool its leadership ambitions.
Policy differences with the United States over Ukraine and Syria will continue as Gulf states’ strategic diversification and growing confidence in regional preeminence create a new Gulf norm for significant policy divergence, balanced by calculated security convergence.
On February 14, AGSIW hosted a discussion on Iran's regional relationships amid ongoing protests.
Beyond the criticism of environmental activists and praise of supporters, the appointment points to Gulf efforts to address the regional dilemma posed by climate change, highlights UAE exercise of soft power, and underscores U.S.-UAE cooperation.
AGSIW experts explain the regional trends they’ll be following most closely as the year unfolds.
AGSIW hosted a virtual private roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they looked ahead and assessed trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year.
AGSIW convened the 2022 UAE Security Forum on November 17, where U.S., UAE, and regional partners gathered to find creative solutions to some of the region’s most pressing challenges.
On November 8, AGSIW hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with Steven C. Bondy, the U.S. ambassador to Bahrain.
Pope Francis’ visit to Bahrain showcases the kingdom’s decadeslong effort to champion religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue while also providing critics with a high-profile occasion to question the sincerity of these government efforts and raise human rights concerns.
The Arab Peace Initiative provides important clues to Saudi foreign policy calculations, even as controversy over OPEC+ oil production cuts diverts attention to Saudi oil policy.
On August 4, AGSIW, the University of Haifa, and the National Security Studies Center hosted a discussion examining Gulf-Russia relations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
U.N. diplomatic efforts on the ground keep a lid on the conflict, but the prospects for a roadmap to elections – and greater stability – remain dim.
Bahrainis, Omanis, and Kuwaitis use cabinet reshuffles for different ends: to signal efforts at regime consolidation, consolidation of a new leader’s control, or a royal maneuver to counter parliament.
Recent high-level U.S. diplomatic activity seems aimed at addressing a sense of grievance Gulf capitals harbor.
“International and Regional Involvement in the Middle East" is a bimonthly workshop series launched in September 2021, co-hosted by AGSIW and the University of Haifa.
The visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia underscores the continuing broader realignment among regional rivals.
On April 27, AGSIW hosted a roundtable discussion with Athol Yates, a professor at the Institute for International and Civil Security at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
On March 23, AmCham Abu Dhabi and AGSIW hosted a briefing on the role of the U.S. business community within the wider U.S.-UAE relationship.
On March 23, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and AGSIW co-hosted the panel discussion “Tending the U.S.-UAE Relationship in a Multipolar World.”
Russia’s operations in Syria emboldened Putin and the Russian military to challenge the U.S.-led, rules-based international system that many countries, including in the Gulf, have benefited from.
The conflict in Syria has witnessed countless developments that seem to promise change and movement. But the tragic, stalemated realities reassert themselves each time.
AGSIW experts explain the regional trends they’ll be following most closely as the year unfolds.
AGSIW's leadership and scholars assessed trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy in 2022.
From December 7-9, UAESF 2021 assessed geopolitical trends in the region.
General Mazloum Abdi expressed hope that the United States will use its presence in the ongoing fight against ISIL as leverage to push for a political solution for Syria.
For the seventh consecutive year, AGSIW convened its Petro Diplomacy conference.
Conversations on the first anniversary with analysts and former senior U.S. diplomats point to the durability, usefulness, and limits of the Abraham Accords.
Gulf countries are reassessing their relations with the Assad regime, but U.S. sanctions preventing investment and reconstruction will impede any true reintegration of Syria into the region.
On July 8, AGSIW hosted a private briefing on the developing OPEC+ dispute and the repercussions for the future of the alliance as well as Saudi-UAE relations.
On July 22, AGSIW hosted a discussion examining Gulf Arab reengagement with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Biden team must assess whether it has the leverage and sufficient regional support if it wants to continue with the status quo in Syria.
On March 25, AGSIW hosted a conversation with H.E. Mohamed bin Mubarak Bin Daina to discuss climate-related challenges facing Bahrain and how the kingdom is mitigating these challenges.
AGSIW hosted a virtual private roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they looked ahead to assess trends likely to shape the Gulf region during the coming year.
