U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent international tour – beginning with contentious meetings in North Korea and ending at the controversial NATO summit in Brussels – included a less dramatic but nonetheless very important stop in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. Pompeo's meetings on July 10 with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and other senior UAE officials were evidently warm, friendly, and cooperative, and signaled the growing strength of U.S.-UAE relations.
On July 9, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a historic peace accord and a set of trade and security agreements ending a long-running conflict that has been a key regional fault line destabilizing the Horn of Africa. The previously unimaginable trip to Asmara, Eritrea’s capital, by Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, capped a month of whirlwind diplomacy across the region by the 41-year-old Abiy. His initiative has set the stage for a seismic reordering that could bring the fractious countries of the region into strategic and economic alignment for the first time. The ripple effects will be felt across the Horn of Africa and broader East Africa region, and even in the Gulf Arab states.
While an Aramco initial public offering (IPO) has moved to the backburner of Saudi Arabia's, and more importantly, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, priorities, there have been four recent and important changes to the kingdom's economic policies that may pave the way for increased foreign investment, though not likely immediate job growth. Two recent advances in law, the approval of a bankruptcy law in February (set for promulgation on August 18) and a draft law for public-private partnerships (PPPs), are major efforts to create an environment friendly to foreign investment.
When it comes to workspace trends, coworking has quickly risen to the top over the last two years. In 2017, 1.1 million people set up shop at a coworking space worldwide, and the Gulf Arab states are no exception. Coworking spaces have grown quickly in Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and other major urban hubs, and while many of them host young entrepreneurs, some are narrowing their focus even further to creative and artistic work.
كما كان متوقعا، ذهب الرئيس دونالد ترامب إلى مؤتمر حلف شمال الأطلسي (الناتو) في بروكسل، بلجيكا، ليزعزع أسس أقوى حلف عسكري في التاريخ، للمرة الثانية خلال سنتين، عبر القائه محاضرات فوقية على قادة الدول الأعضاء ومطالبتهم بفظاظة بزيادة إنفاقهم العسكري. ترامب بدأ اليوم الأول للمؤتمر بتوجيه توبيخ علني ونافر لألمانيا لأنها تمول خط أنابيب للغاز من روسيا، مدعيا أن ألمانيا تريد حماية أمريكية من روسيا في الوقت الذي تمول فيه موسكو بمليارات الدولارات، قبل اعلانه في نهاية المؤتمر نجاحه في إطفاء الحرائق التي اججها بنفسه، وليؤكد بغطرسته المعهودة للمشاركين في المؤتمر للصحفيين "أنا عبقري مستقر للغاية". وكأن الفوضى التي جلبها ترامب إلى بروكسل لم تكن كافية، فقد جلبها معه إلى محطته الثانية في جولته الأوروبية، إلى بريطانيا حيث انتهك الأعراف الديبلوماسية حين انتقد رئيسة الوزراء تيريزا ماي في مقابلة مع صحيفة The Sun بسبب ما ادعى أنه سوء إدارتها لكيفية انسحاب بلادها من الاتحاد الأوروبي، موجها إليها اللوم قائلا "في الواقع قلت لتيريزا ماي كيف تفعل ذلك، ولكنها لم تستمع لي". وأوضح ترامب أنه ليس مستعجلا – بعكس تيريزا ماي – للتوصل إلى اتفاق للتجارة مع بريطانيا، ما يعني تعميق عزلة بريطانيا الاقتصادية اطلع على المزيد
In addition to original content, AGSIW.org in Arabic is regularly updated with new Arabic translations of AGSIW's analysis. Recent translations include:
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington is pleased to announce that Ali Alfoneh has joined the institute as a visiting scholar, and Ambassador Feisal Amin Rasoul al-Istrabadi is its newest non-resident fellow. Ali Alfoneh is the author of Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards are Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship, published by AEI Press in April 2013.
Ambassador Feisal Amin Rasoul al-Istrabadi is the founding director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East, a National Resource Center, at Indiana University Bloomington, where he is also professor of the practice of international law and diplomacy at the Maurer School of Law and the School of Global and International Studies.
Welcoming both to AGSIW, Executive Vice President Stephen A. Seche said, “Being able to draw upon the expertise Ali Alfoneh brings regarding Iran and Ambassador Istrabadi offers on Iraq will enable us to provide crucial depth to our analysis of the Gulf Arab states, particularly the critical geostrategic dynamics at play among the countries that ring the Gulf.”
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf’s largest economies, have forged a deeper alliance in recent years, and have joined forces to pursue increasingly assertive foreign policies. The two countries are the leading members of a coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen and are at the forefront of Arab efforts to counter Iran’s influence in the Middle East. On July 11, AGSIW hosted a roundtable conversation with Mohammed Baharoon, director general of b’huth, the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre.
Position Title:Program and Digital Media Intern Period: August – December 2018 Location: Washington, DC Deadline Extended: July 31
Job Summary: The Internship Program at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington provides talented students and recent graduates with a three-month (or longer) training opportunity designed to encourage professional and personal development. We encourage out-of-the-box thinking and value fresh perspectives. Interns will receive a monthly stipend. Read moreVisiting Scholar
Position Title:Visiting Scholar Period: Spring 2019 Location: Washington, DC
Job Summary: Visiting scholars are individuals who possess a PhD or equivalent professional experience. The length of stay for a visiting scholar is typically a semester or academic year. AGSIW is actively seeking candidates with significant regional experience and fluency in written and spoken Arabic. AGSIW will provide a stipend that can be used to cover living expenses, travel costs, or incidental research expenses. Read more
