In recent years, Gulf states have undertaken steps to promote national identity and inculcate a stronger sense of national belonging that ties citizens to the state and its leadership. This represents a shift in policy for these Arab monarchies that had previously viewed national mobilization as more of a threat than an asset. It also represents a marked change in Gulf societies that have been organized politically on the basis of tribe, or religious sect, and mobilized along Islamic and Arab identity. Read more
The Kurdish Syrian opposition group, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) has become the de facto primary ground forces ally of the United States in Syria and is poised to play a leading role in any assault on Raqqa, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) capital. This creates a series of difficult problems for the Gulf Arab states. In the short term, the assault might serve their interests as even a PYD-led success could drastically undermine ISIL, which the Gulf Arab states view as a major threat to their security. But, in the medium-to-long term, the strengthening of the PYD in Syria could create serious problems for the Gulf Arab states’ relations with Turkey. Read more
إنها بالفعل لحظة مفصلية في حياة هيلاري كلينتون، التي أصبحت بعد معركتين إنتخابيتين مضنيتين خلال 8 سنوات، أول إمرأة في تاريخ الولايات المتحدة تحصل على ترشيح حزب كبير لمنصب الرئاسة الإميركية. هيلاري رودام كلينتون، زوجة الرئيس الثاني والأربعين للولايات المتحدة وليام جيفرسون كلينتون، فتحت الباب العريض للتاريخ، وإذا فازت في إنتخابات تشرين الثاني/نوفمبر كمرشحة للحزب الديموقراطي فإنها ستدخل التاريخ كأول إمرأة تترأس أقوى دولة في تاريخ البشرية. كلينتون، بعد سماعها خبر التحقيق الذي أجرته وكالة الأسوشيتيد بريس وتبين منه أنها حصلت على الرقم السحري المطلوب للفوز بترشيح الحزب، أي 2383 مندوبا، قالت بحذر "نحن على عتبة لحظة لا سابقة لها، ولكن لا يزال أمامنا عمل كثير.. ونضال شاق"
Saudi Arabia released its long awaited National Transformation Plan on June 6. Among the reforms planned to roll out in just under four years, by 2020, are cuts to government subsidies and salaries, and a reliance on the private sector to fund new initiatives (particularly in non-oil tradable sectors) and create jobs. Analysts at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank estimate that the fiscal consolidation measures amount to close to SAR 400 billion (around $100 billion) over five years, equivalent to approximately 2.5 to 3 percent of gross domestic product per year. Read more
Gulf Economic Barometer
Gulf states continue to successfully access debt markets; new issues this week included a $2.5 billion bond in two tranches by Oman, and a recent $435 million sukuk through local banks in Bahrain. As the two weakest sovereign debt issuers in the GCC, there is clear evidence that investors are still willing to hold, or at least trade, Gulf debt. To see more of the changes in fiscal, monetary, and labor market policy, check out the Gulf Economic Barometer.
Since its inception, Sirdab Lab has hoped to positively impact Kuwait’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, aiming to become a hub and gathering space for all the country’s startups and entrepreneurs. The group, founded in 2014, helps members of its growing community to launch their business ideas and innovations. While its strength is in tech startups, it caters to all entrepreneurs, offering support and educational workshops, networking opportunities, and connections to investors and domain experts, as well as fostering an environment for startups to mature and flourish in the local and global market. Read more
The lure of entrepreneurship is growing in the GCC countries, as the region plans ahead for a future less dependent on oil. The GCC’s tech startup sector has grown tenfold over the past four years, thanks to the development of the region’s venture capital ecosystem. On June 9, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington held a panel discussion examining the startup environment in the GCC and what factors enhance or inhibit the success of entrepreneurial ventures in the region. Read more
The Gulf States in International Political Economy by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is a welcome addition to scholarship on the growing economic and political power of the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The book, as its title suggests, explains the Gulf states' successes in integrating in the global economy, and gives excellent empirical detail of the kinds of state strategies and mechanisms used to gain prominence and profit within international finance and international institutions. Read more
In the Media
In an article in Al Monitor, AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish commented on the Arab-American vote and whether the community is likely to vote for U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. According to Ibish, Clinton is "a standard run-of-the-mill establishment politician and compared to Trump, she’s a godsend." Additionally, Israeli business journal Globes referenced Ibish's June 2 piece, "Is the Arab Piece Initiative Really in Play?" in an article discussing the relationship between Israel and the Gulf states.
AGSIW Visiting Scholar Hala Aldosari appeared on Alhurra's Raise Your Voice program, where she discussed the position of women in Saudi Arabia's National Transformation Plan and its expected economic, social, and political reforms.
