The civil war in Yemen is now approaching its fourth year, and the rising cost of the conflict in its humanitarian disaster and continued investments by the warring parties in military expenditures suggest that cost is not a deterrent or impediment to war. While the immediate costs to the Yemeni people have been clear, the future cost to Gulf neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in particular, may be more than these states have estimated. Read more
Following his historic address to the U.S.-Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald J. Trump held bilateral talks with every Gulf Cooperation Council leader except for Oman’s deputy prime minister, Sayyid Fahd al-Said, who had his meeting cancelled at the last minute with no public explanation. Read more
One of the many deals that emerged from U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia was the announcement of a $20 billion investment from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), into Blackstone Group. Blackstone is a well-known private equity and asset management fund, started by Steve Schwarzman, an early supporter of the Trump campaign and an advisor to the administration’s Strategy and Policy Forum. Read more
How does one build empathy and compassion in a country that has been spared much of the violence, upheaval, and economic hardships experienced all around it? And how does one get children to engage in the real world, outside of school walls? For Noha Mahdi, the answer was The Mawada Project. Read more
لم يحقق الرئيس دونالد ترامب في جولته العالمية الأولى أي اختراقات أو إنجازات سياسية هامة وملموسة، مثل إحياء الاتصالات الفلسطينية-الإسرائيلية أو التوصل إلى صيغة تعاون سياسي-عسكري مع دول الخليج العربية للتصدي لإيران. كما اتسمت اجتماعات ترامب بقادة حلف شمال الأطلسي (الناتو) في بروكسيل بالفتور والوجوم، بعد أن أنبّهم علنا ودون تبرير كامل لأنهم لا ينفقون ما فيه الكفاية على ميزانيات بلدانهم العسكرية اطلع على المزيد
In addition to original content, AGSIW.org in Arabic is regularly updated with new Arabic translations of AGSIW's analysis. New translations include:
During his visit to Israel this week, U.S. President Donald Trump made the strongest public link thus far between two important initiatives: reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace and creating an Israeli-Arab alliance to confront Iran. At his main event with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump ad-libbed about Saudi King Salman’s potential role in brokering a peace agreement, saying the monarch “would love to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians.” Read more
In the Media
Speaking with The New York Times, AGSIW Executive Vice President Ambassador Stephen A. Seche commented on the Gulf view toward Israel in light of U.S. President Donald J. Trump's recent visit to the region: "This younger generation sees Israel much more in terms of practical alliances." Speaking with USA Today, AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish commented on Trump's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "In the end, these countries are looking for American leadership." He continued, "You’re asking them to take a big risk, and they would do it if they had confidence of what’s on the other side."
Ibish also joined VOA's Encounter discussing the implications of Trump's Middle East visit: "I don't think the president has a fully integrated, coherent, Middle East policy of his own yet, so a lot of this is a continuation of what you had under Obama. There is a renewed emphasis on rebuilding partnerships with traditional allies like the Sunni Gulf Arab states, repairing frayed nerves that emerged under Obama." AGSIW Research Associate Yerevan Saeed also spoke with VOA about Trump's visit, noting U.S.-Gulf efforts to counter violent extremism and curb Iran's influence in the region.
Speaking with The Washington Post, AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Karen E. Young commented on relations between Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration: "What’s different, and certainly from a Saudi perspective what’s very welcome, is an American attitude that’s very open and not condescending. A meeting of equals."
Outreach
AGSIW Visiting Scholar Hala Aldosari spoke at the Henriette van Lynden lecture "Women in Saudi Arabia: Times of Change?" organized by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Position Title: Visiting Scholar Department/Team: Senior Resident Scholars Period: Fall 2017 Location: Washington, DC
Job Summary: Visiting Scholars are individuals who possess a PhD or equivalent professional experience, and whose primary purpose for residence at AGSIW is to conduct independent research. Read more
Position Title: Research Associate (Economic Analysis) Department/Team: Senior Resident Scholars Period: Part Time (20-25 hours/week, no benefits) Location: Washington, DC
Job Summary: Provide research assistance and support to senior resident scholars at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Read more
Gulf Affairs invites scholars to submit original analytical articles for its upcoming issue on the theme “Foreign Policy Trends in the GCC States,” edited by AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Karen E. Young. Read more
