Bahrain recently hosted the sixth meeting of the interagency and expert group on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), gathering international experts from dozens of countries and U.N. organizations. Launched by the United Nations in 2015, the SDGs have been met with a wide variety of views, ranging from effusive praise from the Brookings Institution, to serious skepticism by The Economist magazine. In spite of this controversy, Bahrain has reacted very positively, by forming high-level committees to oversee the implementation of the SDGs, and by committing significant financial and human resources from the central statistical office to ensure adherence to best practices. Read more
Gulf Arab energy producers are increasing investments in oil and gas projects after several years of weaker activity following the mid-2014 price collapse. The strong recovery in oil prices in the fourth quarter of 2017 has renewed optimism that markets have now stabilized and will continue to strengthen in 2018, fueling spending and sanctioning of projects across the energy sectors, from upstream oil and gas production to the downstream refining and petrochemical industries. Read more
فاجأت التظاهرات الاحتجاجية التي عمت المدن والبلدات الإيرانية في الأيام الأخيرة الحكومة الأمريكية، كما فاجأت الخبراء في الشؤون الإيرانية في مراكز الأبحاث والأكاديميين في الجامعات الأمريكية، وخلقت نقاشا واسعا وحادا في بعض الأحيان، حول الخيارات العملية المتوفرة لإدارة الرئيس ترامب لمساعدة المتظاهرين، الذين بدأوا حراكهم بمطالب اقتصادية، مثل توفير العمالة ومكافحة الفساد، وتطورت بسرعة إلى مطالب سياسية مثل إجراء استفتاء جديد حول طبيعة النظام السياسي، والمطالبة باستقالة الرئيس حسن روحاني، وحتى اسقاط "الديكتاتور" في إشارة إلى المرشد آية الله علي خامنئي
Partial or total collapses in state authority, once rare, are no longer outliers in an otherwise stable international state system. A growing number of formally defined ‘states’ – that is, places with official borders and internationally recognized governments – now exist in reality only as lines on maps and concepts in policy papers and newspaper reports. The governments in these places lack the ability to perform the most basic of state functions, or are able to do so only in enclaves of state control. For the most part, governance vacuums on the ground are filled by unofficial groups that perform state-like functions. Read more
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington is pleased to announce that Yasser Elsheshtawy has joined the institute as a visiting scholar. Elsheshtawy is a professor of architecture specializing in urban research in the Middle East. In addition to teaching at United Arab Emirates University, he was appointed as the curator for the UAE Pavillion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016. He authored a series of books and publications including Dubai: Behind an Urban Spectacle. He has been interviewed by many media outlets including Radio Monocle, National Geographic, The Guardian, Boston Globe, and ArchDaily. His blog dubaization.com has been hailed by The Guardian as one of the notable city blogs in the world.
“I look forward to my time here at AGSIW,” said Elsheshtawy, “hoping to add to the incredible range of scholarship that the institute is producing about the region, particularly focusing on urban and architectural developments." Read more
In the Media
Oil Review Middle East cited remarks by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, president of AGSIW, at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in November 2017: "When it comes to glass ceilings, I understand that there’s none tougher to crack than the one that women face in the oil and gas industry."
Outreach
Senior Resident Scholar Karen E. Young presented two lectures at the Oman National Defense College.
Yemen: National Chaos, Local Order
Bahrain Moving toward Implementation of U.N. SDGs
Resurgent Oil Market Fueling New Energy Projects in the Gulf States
Yemen: National Chaos, Local Order
